GENERAL  JOSEPH   E.   JOHNSTON, 


THE    IDOL    OF     THE    ARMY    OF    TENNESSEE. 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES 


OF   THE 


ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE 


BY 


BROMFIELD   L.   RIDLEY, 


LIEUT. -GEN.    A..  P.    STEWART  S  STAFF, 


\-x»    o» 


MISSOURI  PRINTING  &  PUBLISHING  CO. 

MEXICO,   MISSOURI. 

1906. 


COPYRIGHT    1906 

BY 
B.   L.   RIDLEY, 


TO  THE  RANK  AND  FILE 
OF  THE  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE 

AND  TO  THE 
MOTHERS,  SONS  AND  DAUGHTERS 

OF  THE  SOUTH, 

THIS  WORK  IS  AFFECTIONATELY 
DEDICATED. 


983055 


EPITAPH  OF 


(By  John  Dimitry,  New  Orleans.) 


Not  long  unfurled  was  I  known, 

For  fate  was  against  me; 
But  I  flashed  over  a  pure  cause, 

And  on  land  and  sea 
So  fired  the  hearts  of  men  unto  heroism 

That  the  world  honors  me. 
Within  my  folds  the  dead  who  died  under  them 

Lie  nobly  shrouded; 
And  my  tattered  colors,  crowned  with 

A  thousand  shining  victories, 
Have  become  for  the  people  who  loved  me 

A  glorified  memory. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


The  Battle  of  Belmont  -   17 

Bursting  of  "The  Lady  Polk"  25 

Heroic  Deed  of  James  Keelan  29 

Battle  of  Fishing  Creek  33 

Surrender  of  Forts  Donelson  and  Henry  52 

The  Building  of  Forts  Donelson  and  Henry  64 
Burning  of  the  Minne  Tonka  -  74 

Letter  from  Pres.  Davis  to  Gen.  A.  S.  Johnston  76 
Battle  of  Shiloh 

Gen.  John  H.  Morgan's  War  Horse.  Black  Bess  97 

The  First  Battle  of  Murfreesbc.ro  101 

Detailed  Account  of  Forests  Battle  at  Murfreesboro  105 

Beersheba  Springs,  (Tenn.)  in  Wartimes  112 

Report  of  G.  A.  Elsworth,  Morgan's  Telegraph  Operator  117 

Battle  of  Richmond,  Ky.  130 
Gen.  Bragg's  Report  of  the  Kentucky  Campaign  -  134 
Battle  of  Harts ville 

Echoes  from  the  Battle  of  Murfreesboro  148 

Achievements  of  "Fighting  Joe"  Wheeler  159 

Battle  of  Milton  or  Vaught's  Hill  165 

Capture  of  Streight  171 

Chat  with  Col.  W.  S.  McLemore  177 

Battles  of  Hoover's  Gap  and  Liberty  Gap  182 

Win.  Orton  Williams  and  Lieut.  Peter — Spies  188 

McLemore's  Cove— Report  of  Maj.-Gen.  Hindman  197 

The  Southern  Side  at  Chickamauga  205 
The  Battle's  of  Lookout  Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge  228,  237 

Retreat  from  Missionary  Ridge— Battle  of  Ringgold  248 

Heroic  Death  of  Samuel  Davis  259 
At  Sam  Davis'  Grave  -  267 

David  O.  Dodd  275 

Camp  Scenes  Around  Dalton  282 
Mrs.  Davis'  Influence  with  the  President  -  287 

Considering  a  Proposition  to  Free  the  Slaves  289 

Rattle  of  Resaca  295 

The  Great  Battle  of  New  Hope  Church  303 

Stewart's  Division,  Dalton-Atlanta  Campaign  306 

Death  of  Lieut. -Gen.  Polk  310 

Battle  of  Kennesaw  Mountain  313 

Gen.  Joseph  E.  Johnston  Relieved  from  Dut}^  321 

Death  of  Maj.-Gen.  J.  B.  McPherson  324 
Report  of  Lieut-Gen.  Stewart  on  Loring,  Walthall  &  French's  Div.  328 
Battles  around  Jonesborough,  Love  joy  Station  and  Atlanta  -  331 

"The  Master  of  the  Science  of  War"  340 

Death  of  Gen.  John  H.  Morgan  351 

Driving  the  Women  and  Children  out  of  Atlanta  363 
Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman's  Report  of  the  Dalton-Atlanta  Campaign  366 


VI  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

Battle  of  Allatoona,  Georgia  -  -  -   395 

"Hold  the  Fort"  and  "Pull  for  the  Shore"  -    407 

Hood's  Campaign  in  Tennessee  409 
Battles  of  Franklin  and  Nashville— Gen.  Stewart's  Tribute  to 

Gen.   John  Adams  416,  426 

Hood's  Retreat  439 

Brief  Outline  after  Starting  for  Tennessee  442 

My  First  and  Only  Smile  444 

The  Last  Night  of  Sixty-four  447 

Last  Battles  of  the  War  452 

Marksmanship  in  the  Army  486 

Heroines  of  the  South  490 

Confederate  Heroes  and  Martyrs  503 

The  "Old  General"  and  the  "Little  Corporal"  510 

The  Fifth  and  Sixteenth  Tennessee  514 
Daring  Deeds  of  Staff  and  Escort  -  518 
Champ  Ferguson  -  522 

One  of  John  Morgan's  Scouts  531 

The  Tennessee  Soldier's  Home  536 

Names  of  Some  Monuments  of  Military  Valor  540 

A  Tennessee  Storiette  544 

The  Army  of  Tennessee  in  1865  553 
Gen.  Robert  Lee's  War  Horse,  "Traveler"  -  558 

Unswerving  Devotion  to  Duty  564 

The  Confederate  Gunboat,  "Arkansas"  565 

The  Approaching  Charleston  Reunion,  1899  572 
Ridley,  the  Pioneer  -  575 

The  Battle  of  Sabine  Pass  578 

Confederate  Monument  at  Murfreesboro  582 

Cruise  of  the  Shenandoah  593 

A  Rifle  with  a  Record  596 
Seven  Confederate  Knights  -  599 
Tennessee  Chickamauga  Park  Commission  -  602 

Morgan's  Ohio  Raid  629 
Songs  -  631 
The  Ku  Klux  Klan  -  638 
Auld  Lang  Syne;  Paraphrase  Sung  at  Louisville  Reunion  1905  661 
Index  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  663 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Adams,  Brig. -Gen    John 416 

Anderson,    Maj.  Chas.  W 173 

Anderson,  Col.    Paul 178 

Armfield,  Col.  John 112 

Armfield,  Mrs.   John 115 

Armstrong,    Clint 648 

Baskett,  Hon    G.  H. 279 

Bate,  Wm.  B 183 

Beauregard,  Gen.  G.  T 86 

Beard,  W.  D 141 

Beatty,   David 525 

Bedichek,  Miss  Mary 499 

Bohan,  W.  L 600 

Bowman,    John 506 

Broun,  Capt.    Joseph  M 559 

Brown,  Capt.   I.  N 566 

Bradley,  Rev.  James 399 

Breckinridge,  Gen.  John  C.. 155 

Bragg,  Gen.  Braxton 206 

Brown,  Gen.  John  C 214 

Brown,  Josh 265 

Bradford,    Miss  Mary 491 

Buford,  Lieut 497 

Caruthers,  Judge  Abram 16 

Cahal,  Lieut.  Terry 519 

Cato,  Miss  Helen  Price 496 

Carnes,  Capt.  W.  N 213 

Childress,  Hon.  John  W. 279 

Cheatham,  Lieut. -Gen.  B.  F 20 

Clayton,  Gen.  H.  D. 212 

Corporal,  The  Little 513 

Cockrell,  Capt.  Mark 537 

Coffin,   Newton 648 

Cosby,    Private   Beuj.  R. 302 

Cockrell,   Gen    F.  M 314 

Cowan,  Major  J.  B. 173 

Coleman  Scouts 505 

Crosthwait,  Shelton 36 

Cunningham,  Col.  S.  A. : 421 

Davis,  Samuel 260 

Davis,   Mrs.  Lewis 262 

Davis,  Lewis 263 

Davis  Scott 648 

Dashiel,   rapt.    George 173 

De  Witt,  Rev.  Dr. 285 

Dibbrell,  Brig. -Gen.  Geo    D 161 

Dodge,  Gen. 266 

Dodd,  David  O   276 

Donelson,    Lieut.  Samuel 173 

Duke,  Brig. -Gen.    Basil  W. 352 

Dyer,  S.    B 215 

Elsworth,   Geo    A. 118 

Ferguson,  Champ 524 

Field,  Col.    Hume  R 296 

Forrest,    Lieut. -Gen.  N.  B. 173 

Forrest,  Lieut.  W.  M. 173 

Foster,  Major  W.  F. 64 

Franklin,  Map  of   Battle  of 450 

Giltner,  Col.  Henry  L 353 

Gibson,   Capt.  Thomas 417 

Gunther-Harris,  Mrs.  Marina 495 

Gore,  Col.  M.  L 529 

Griffin,  Capt.  P.  H 315 

Green,  Judge  Nathan... _ 16 


Hardee,    Lieut. -Gen.  W.  J. 434 

Hanson,  Brig. -Gen.  Roger 154 

Hatcher,  Maj.  R.  A. 520 

Hindman,  Gen.  T.  C.  and  Family 198 

Hill,  Abbie 487 

Hill,  Gen.   B.  J 516 

Hinson,  Capt.  Jack 597 

Hood,  Gen.  John  B. 410 

"ackson,  Gen.  J.  T.    (Stonewall) 560 

ohnston,  Gen.  Albert  Sidney 83 

ohnston,  Gen    J.  E 341 

obe,  Dee  S 504 

oplin,  Tom 508 

Kemp,  W.   L.,   Jr 533 

Kyle,  Mrs 494 

Ledbetter,  Capt    270 

Lewis,  Major  E.  C. 279 

Lee,  Gen.  Robt.  E. 560 

Lee,  Gen.  Stephen  D.     440 

Lee,  James  M. 210 

Lee,  Mrs,   James  M 211 

Massey,  John 507 

McMurray,    Dr.   J.  W. 538 

McNairy,  Alexander  Duval 598 

McFarland,  Capt.  L.  B. 229 

McGavock,  Mrs.  John 428 

Morgan,  Brig  -Gen    John  H. 167 

Morton,  Capt.   John  W 173 

Munday,  Sue 493 

Morton,  A.   S. 500 

Murfree,  Dr    J    W. 528 

O'Bryan,  J.  B. 537 

Palmer,  Gen.  J     B. 156 

Peyton,  Jr.,  First  Lieut.  Bailie 39 

Polk.  Lieut. -Gen    Leonidas 21 

Polk,  Miss  Antoinette 496 

Quintard,   Bishop  Chas.   T 424 

Rains,   Brig -Gen. James  E 152 

Richardson,  Adjt  James  D 219 

Richardson,  E.   R. 538 

Ridley,  Judge  Bromfield  L. 16 

Sansom,    Emma 492 

Savage,  Col.  John   H._   517 

Sherman,  Maj  -Gen    W.  T 367 

Smith,    Dee 506 

Smith,  Col.   Baxter 106 

Smith,  Gen.  E.  Kirby 131 

Snodgrass,   Mr.  and  Mrs. 218 

Stewart,    Lieut, -Gen.  A.  P 8 

Strahl,  Gen   Otho  F 423 

Thedford,  Mrs 209 

Thompson,    Miss  Alice 179 

Thomas,  John   W 148 

Thurston,  Gen.  G.  P 153 

Vittitoe,  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Hiram 216 

Ward,  Col.  W.  W..      166 

Walthall,  Gen.E.  C 230 

Webb,    Miss  Livernia 550 

Wheeler,  Gen,  Joe 160 

Wharton,  Brig. -Gen,  John  A 162 

Wintersmith,  Jimmie 169 

Wilson,  Hon.  A.  B 355 

Woodruff,  Miss  Robbie 494 

Young,  Col,  Bennett... 587 


PREFATORY  NOTE. 


To  find  a  proper  description  of  a  battle,  it  is  best  to  scan  the 
report  of  him  who  planned  and  fought  it.  I  have  endeavored  to 
copy  some  of  these  reports  from  the  Civil  War  records,  giving  in 
chronological  order  the  Southern  side  of  the  principal  battles  and  events 
of  the  Army  of  Tennessee  and  of  the  west.  Accompanying  the 
reports  of  some  of  the  general  officers  and  of  my  own  of  the  execution 
of  the  battles,  appear  my  journal  and  sketches  written  by 'myself  and  by 
other  reliable  eye  witnesses,  many  of  which  have  been  published  in  the 
Confederate  Veteran  during  the  past  seven  years.  The  journal  is  that 
of  a  boy,  and  the  sketches  where  written  by  the  author  are  as 
impressions  made  upon  a  boy.  It  is  not  claimed  for  these  perfection, 
but  they  are  as  nearly  correct  as  a  soldier  in  a  humble  position  could 
understand  them.  The  writings  seem  to  have  been  enjoyed  by  the  sur 
vivors  of  the  Confederate  and  Union  Veterans,  as  depicting  real  life  in 
camp  and  "seeing  it  as  it  was  seen".  Eschewing  all  bitterness  between 
the  sections  and  avoiding  encroachment  upon  feelings  engendered  by 
partisanship,  my  endeavor  has  been,  as  a  private  soldier  in  Gen.  Jno. 
H.  Morgan's  cavalry  and  afterwards  as  aid-de-camp  to  Lieut. -Gen. 
A.  P.  Stewart,  commanding  a  corps  in  the  army  of  Tennessee,  to 
picture  the  humorous  side  of  our  Southern  soldiery,  and  to  write  of 
facts  as  I  saw,  heard  and  understood  them.  My  thanks  are  due  to 
Lieut. -Gen.  Stewart  for  valuable  suggestions  after  reviewing  my 
work;  to  Maj.  Jno.  W.  Thomas,  President  of  the  N.  C.  &  St.  Louis 
R.  R.;  to  W.  B.  Earthrnan  &  Co.,  prominent  lumbermen  of  my 
section;  to  Mr.  S.  A.  Cunningham  of  the  Veteran  and  to  Maj. -Gen.  S.  G. 
French  (author  of  Two  Wars),  for  courtesies  extended. 

"Were  they  right? 
Were  they  wrong? 
Their  contest  was  long. 
They  suffered  much, 
Yet  they  were  true. 

We  honor  their  memory  in  story  and  song. 
Would  you? 
Were  they  brothers  to  you?" 


LIEUTENANT-GENERAL  A.   P.   STEWART, 
ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE,   C.   S.   A. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  Lebanon  Law  School,  the  Law  Department  of  Cumberland 
University,  attained  the  front  rank  among  the  law  schools  of  the 
country,  very  soon  after  its  origin.  The  founder  of  the  school,  Hon. 
Abram  Caruthers  of  Smith  county,  Tennessee,  was  one  of  the  ablest  of 
the  Circuit  Judges  of  the  state.  The  University  had  no  endowment, 
all  the  members  of  the  faculty  being  supported  only  by  tuition  fees. 
Judge  Caruthers  had  such  confidence  in  his  ability  to  maintain,  in  the 
University, a  law  class  that  would  amply  compensate  him, that  he  resigned 
his  seat  on  the  bench,  left  his  farm  on  the  Caney  Fork,  moved  his 
family  to  Lebanon  and  was  announced  as  Professor  of  law,  ready  to 
receive  a  class  at  the  opening  of  the  next  collegiate  year.  This  was 
somewhere  in  the  latter  forties.  The  first  class  that  assem  bled  exceeded 
his  expectations  in  number,  and  placed  beyond  doubt  the  brilliant  suc 
cess  of  the  school.  It  soon  became  apparent  that  the  services  of 
another  professor  were  needed.  To  supply  this  need  the  Hon. Nathan 
Green  of  Winchester,  Tenn.,  perhaps  the  most  distinguished  member 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  state,  a  man  of  striking  personal  appear 
ance  and  distinguished  for  learning,  ability  and  lofty  Christian  and 
moral  character;  and  the  Hon.  Brom field  L.  Ridle}T  of  Murfreesboro, 
Tennessee,  Chancellor  of  the  Fourth  Chancery  Division  of  the  state 
were  selected.  They  were  to  retain  their  seats  on  the  bench,  giving 
their  spare  time  to  the  Law  School,  and  together  performing  the  duty 
of  one  full  professor.  Judge  Ridley  is  said  to  have  been  "one  of  the 
lawyers  of  the  old  school,  learned  in  the  law  and  holding  that  integ 
rity  of  character  is  one  of  the  things  to  he  praised  in  this  life".  He 
came  from  North  Carolina,  was  educated  at  Chapel  Hill,  and  was  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  eaily  Chancellors  of  Tennessee. 

Under  the  management  of  these  three  professors,  Caruthers, Green 
and  Ridley,  the  Law  Department  of  Cumberland  University  flour 
ished  apace.  They  were  all  men  of  great  ability,  great  learning,  and 
of  the  very  highest  Christian  and  moral  character.  Their  personal 
example,  their  daily  walk  and  conversation,  were  a  benediction  to 
their  students. 

Judge  Ridley  served  as  chancellor  until  the  outbreak  of  the  War 
of  Secession  in  1861  and  even  until  the  surrender  in  1865.  He  was  an 
ardent  Secessionist  and  had  five  sons  in  the  Confederate  arm}^,  all 
noted  for  their  gallantry.  During  almost  all  the  War  he  was  an  exile 
from  home  on  account  of  Federal  oppression.  After  the  war  he 
formed  a  law  partnership  at  Murfreesboro,  and  resided  there  until  his 


INTRODUCTION.  XI 

death,  August  11,  1869.  He  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  church,  dispatched  business  so  swiftly  while  Chancellor 
that  he  was  known  as  the  "galloping  Chancellor,"  and  because  of  his 
protection  to  women  when  cases  appeared  in  his  court  in  which  they 
were  concerned,  he  was  known  as  "the  woman's  friend".  But  per 
haps  the  two  greatest  stones  in  his  monument,  if  we  except  his  high 
Christian  example,  are  to  be  referred  to  yet. 

The  first  was  his  effort,  directly  after  the  war  to  bring  about 
emancipation  of  the  Southern  sympathizers  of  his  state,  who  had  been 
disfranchised.  This  effort  of  his  reflecting  honor  alike  on  his  patrot- 
ism  and  his  legal  attainments  would  undoubtedly  have  proved  successful 
had  it  not  been  anticipated  by  DeWitt  C.  Senter  in  the  well  known 
canvass  for  the  Governorship  by  that  gentleman  and  William  B. 
Stokes. 

The  second  was  the  part  he  took  in  founding  the  Law  School  of 
Cumberland  University.  Will  T.  Hale: — "Judge  Ridley  was  not 
only  a  Christian  gentleman  of  the  highest  character,  but  he  was  also  a 
most  genial  companion,  a  warm  hearted,  true  friend." 

One  of  the  five  sons  he  had  in  the  Confederate  Army  was  his 
name  sake,  Bromfield  Lewis  Ridlejr,  the  author  of  the  Journal.  Of 
heroic  parentage;  an  associate  and  school  mate  at  Old  Jefferson,  his 
native  place,  and  subsequently  at  the  University  of  Nashville,  of  that 
immortal  hero  Sam  Davis,  and  of  his  brother  Oscar  Davis.  At  the 
battle  of  Murfreesboro,  though  only  seventeen  }^ears  of  age,  he  and 
four  or  five  other  boys,  not  members  of  any  command,  for  they  .were 
too  young,  engaged  in  "picking  up"  some  212  Federal  stragglers  and 
turned  them  over  to  the  Confederate  pickets  at  Black's  shop.  After 
the  battle  he  joined  Company  F,  Ward's  regiment,  Morgan's  cavalry, 
and  followed  the  regiment  through  the  battles  of  Milton,  Carthage, 
Lancaster,  Ky.,  Snow  Hill,  Grassy  Creek,  Ky.  and  McMinnville,Ten- 
nessee.  In  July,  1863  while  the  Confederate  Army  was  camped  at 
Tullahoma,  in  middle  Tennessee,  young  Ridley  was  ordered  to  report 
to  this  writer,  then  a  Major-General,  as  an  aid-de-camp. 

He  served  with  me,  very  creditably,  to  the  end  of  the  war,  or 
"the  surrender"  as  it  is  usually  termed. 

The  military  operations  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  during  the 
interval  of  time,  June,  1863  to  close  of  the  war,  were:  The  retreat  from 
Tullahoma  to  Chattanooga.  From  Chattanooga,  Stewart's  division 
was  sent  to  London  to  reinforce  General  Buckner  who  was  in  com 
mand  in  east  Tennessee.  From  Loudon,  Buckner's  own  division, 
commanded  by  Preston  and  Stewart,  the  two  constituting  a  pro 
visional  corps,  commanded  by  Buckner,  fell  back  to  McLemore's  Cove, 
where  a  battle  should  have  been  fought,  on  the  morning  of  September 
11,  1863.  From  McLemore's  Cove,  the  corps  moved  via  Lafayette, 
Georgia,  to  the  battlefield  of  Chickamauga  where  the  great  battle^  was 
fought,  beginning  with  preliminary  conflicts  Friday  afternoon,  Sept. 
18,  1863,  and  continuing  throughout  Saturday  and  Sunday  the  19th 
and  20th.  Then  came  the  investment  of  Chattanooga  and  the  final 
rout  of  the  Confederate  arnry,  November  25,  1863,  from  Missionary 
Ridge,  the  retreat,  the  winter  "at  Dalton,  Georgia,  the  Atlanta  Cam 
paign  of  1864  under  that  master  of  the  science  of  war,  General 


Xll  INTRODUCTION. 

Joseph  E.  Johnston,  and  his  unfortunate  removal  from  command  by 
an  order  from  Richmond,  Sunday,  July  17,  1864,  a  stupendous 
blunder  which,  in  my  judgment,  was  the  coup  de  grace  of  the  Con 
federate  cause.  Then  came  Hood,  the  battle  of  Peach  Tree  Creek, 
July  20th;  the  battle  of  Atlanta,  the  22nd;  the  battle  of  Mount  Ezra 
Church, the  28th;Lovejoy's  Station  and  Jonesboro,31st.  Sherman  then 

got  possession  of 
Atlanta  and  began 
his  dev  a  stating 
march  to  Savannah 
and  C  h  a  rleston, 
while  Hood  retired 
northward  and  made 
the  campaign  into 
Ten  nessee  and 
fought  the  disas 
trous  battles  of 
Franklin  and  Nash 
ville.  Afterwards 
the  army  fell  back 
to  Tupelo,  Mississ 
ippi,  and  early  in 
1865  was  moved  into 
North  Carolina,  and 
had  its  last  battle 
with  Sherman  at 
Cole's  Farm  near 
Bentonville  in  Mar. 
1865.  Then  came 
the  end.  Captain 
Ridley  was  familiar 
with  all  these  opera 
tions  and  the  various 
battles  in  which 
Stewart's  division 
and  after  wards 
Stewart's  corps  par 
ticipated.  He  has 
not  undertaken  to 
write  a  history,  nor 
to  give  the  battles 

DR.  A  P.  STEWART,  YOUNGEST  SON  OF  GKN.  A.  P.  STEWART  ^f  marcheS  gener 
ally,  but  only  the  prominent  ones  and  to  record  a  few  scenes,  some  mili 
tary,  some  social,  some  humorous  and  amusing, — that  impressed  them 
selves  on  his  rnind,  an  account  of  which  may  prove  interesting  to  others. 
His  sketches,  as  they  have  appeared  in  the  Confederate  Veteran,  seem  to 
have  been  enjoyed  by  the  many  readers  of  that  most  valuable  monthly 
and  no  doubt  will  be  appreciated  by  others.  Capt.  Ridley  has  much 
of  the  bonhomie  of  his  father,  and  is-.  I  believe,  a  social  favorite. 
His  mother  was  an  admirable  woman,  a  worthy  companion  of  her 
distinguished  husband,  and  like  him,  a  devoted  Christian. 

ALEX  P.  STEWART. 
Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  August  15,  1905. 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES 

OF  THE 

ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE 

C.  S.  A. 


General  Albert  Sidne}^  Johnston  commanded  the  Western 
Department  of  the  Confederate  forces  in  1861-62.  The  first  division 
of  the  department  under  Maj.-Gen.  Leonidas  Polk,  was  located  at  Colum 
bus,  Kentucky,  on  the  Mississippi  river.  The  central  division  was  at 
Fort  Henry  on  the  Tennessee  river  near  its  mouth  and  also  at  Fort 
Donelson  near  Dover,  on  the  Cumberland  river.  These  two  forts 
were  about  twelve  miles  apart.  In  this  central  division  was  also 
included  Bowling  Green,  Kentucky,  where  Gen.  Johnston  commanded 
and  had  his  headquarters.  The  eastern  division  of  Gen.  A.  S. 
Johnston's  forces,  under  the  command  of  Gen.  George  B.  Crittenden, 
extended  to  Fishing  Creek  or  Logan's  Cross  Roads,  Kentucky,  near 
Somerset. 

The  Belmont  battle  just  across  the  Mississippi  river  from 
Columbus,  Ky.,  fought  the  7th  of  November,  1861,  was  the  scene  of 
the  first  Confederate  victory  in  the  west.  Logan's  Cross  Roads  or 
Fishing  Creek,  fought  Jan.  19,  1862,  was  the  first  Confederate  defeat. 
Shortly  after  came  the  disastrous  conflicts  to  Confederate  arms  of 
Fort  Henry  on  the  Tennessee,  6th  of  Feb.,  1862,  and  Fort  Donelson  on 
the  Cumberland,  loth  of  Feb.  1862.  Then  came  the  retreat  from 
Bowling  Green,  Ky.  through  Nashville,  Tenn.,via  Murfreesboro, 
Shelbyville,  across  the  river  to  Decatur,  Alabama,  on  to  Shiloh. 

The  defeat  at  Fishing  Creek  and  at  Fort  Donelson  opened  up  the 
rivers  to  Federal  gun-boats  and  placed  the  Tennessee  river  as  a 
dividing  line  between  the  Confederate  forces,  thereb}r  necessitating  an 
entire  change  of  base;  hence  the  organizations  that  afterward 
formed  the  Army  of  Tennessee  were  first  located  at  Belmont,  Mo., 
New  Madrid,  Mo.,  Island  No.  10,  Fort's  Henry  and  Donelson, 
Bowling  Green  and  Fishing  Creek,  under  Gen.  Johnston,  who  retired 
from  Bowling  Green  and  the  eastern  side  of  the  Tennessee  river  to 
form  a  junction  at  Shiloh  with  Gen's.  Polk,  Hardee,  Bra^g  from 
Grenada,  Mississippi,  and  Beauregard.  These  concentrated  forces 
fought  the  great  battle  of  Shiloh  against  the  pursuing  Federal  armies 
of  Gen's.  Grant  and  Buell.  Said  Southern  army  organized  under  the 
name  of  The  Army  of  the  Mississippi,  in  the  spring  of  1862.  This 


HON.    A.    C.    STEWART,    OF    ST.    LOUIS,    SON   OF 
LIEUT. -GEN.  A.  P.  STEWART. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE.  XV 

organization  remained  intact  until  The  Army  of  the  Mississippi, under 
Gen.  Braxton  Bragg,  successor  to  Gen.  Albert  Sidney  Johnston, 
deceased,  removed  from  Corinth,  Miss.,  to  which  place  they  had 
retired  after  the  Shiloh  battle  on  the  Tennessee  river,  to  Tupelo,  Miss. 
and  thence  to  Chattanooga,  Tenn.  Gen.  Bragg  crossed  the  Tennessee 
at  this  point  with  30,000  men,  marched  through  Kentucky  to  near 
Louisville,  pursued  by  Gen.  Buell  with  about  85,000  men.  In  Ken 
tucky  the  successful  battles  of  Richmond,  Mumfordville  and  Perry  - 
ville  were  fought.  After  this  the  Confederate  Army  under  Gen. 
Bragg  withdrew  and  settled  at  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.  and  re-organized 
the  army  under  the  name  of  The  Army  of  Tennessee.  From  this  time 
November  1862,  the  Army  of  Tennessee  was  so  called  until  the  sur 
render  of  the  Confederate  forces  at  Greensboro,  N.  C.,  April  26, 
1865. 

After  the  famous  battle  of  Murfreesboro  or  Stone's  river, 
Tenn.,  beginning  in  the  Christmas  of  '62  and  up  to  January  3,  '63, 
the  Army  of  Tennessee  retired  to  Shelbyville  and  Tullahoma,  leaving 
the  Federal  Army  of  the  Cumberland  under  Gen.  Rosecrans  in 
possession  of  Murfreesboro.  Said  armies  remained  intact  until  the 
Federal  Army  of  the  Cumberland  began  a  flank  movement  by  wa}^  of 
Hoover's  Gap  and  McMinnville,  Tenn.,  east  from  Murfreesboro, 
when  Gen.  Bragg  retreated  across  the  mountain  to  Chattanooga,Tenn. 
Then  came  McLemore's  Cove  and  soon  ended  in  the  great  battle  of 
Chickamauga.  The  disaster  to  the  Federal  Army  of  the  Cumber 
land  under  Gen.  Rosecrans  caused  them  to  retreat  to  Chattanooga  and 
the  Army  of  Tennessee,  (Gen.  Bragg)  to  pursue  from  Chickamauga. 
They  took  up  their  position  on  Missionary  Ridge  in  front  of  Chat 
tanooga  and  there  remained  until  Nov.  25,  '63,  when  the  three  con 
centrated  armies,  under  the  Federal  General  Grant,  namely:  The 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  the  Army  of  the  Ohio  and  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee,  about  125,000,  pushed  the  small  Confederate  Army  of 
Tennessee  off  of  Lookout  mountain  and  Mission  ridge  (Gen.  Long- 
street  having  been  taken  from  them  with  about  15,000  men  and  sent 
toKnoxville)and  pursued  them  to  near  Dalton,  Georgia. 

In  1863-64  the  armies  went  into  winter  quarters,  the  Federal 
Army  at  Ringgold,  the  Confederate  at  Dalton.  In  March  1864,  the 
Dalton  campaign  opened.  Gen.  Bragg  had  resigned,  Gen.  Hardee 
had  commanded  temporarily  but  was  now  succeeded  by  Gen.  Joseph 
E.  Johnston  who  lead  the  famous  hundred  days  fight  from  Dalton  to 
Atlanta. 

On  the  17th  day  of  July  1864,  Gen.  Joseph  E.  Johnston  being 
still  pursued  by  the  three  Northern  armies  under  Gen.  William  T. 
Sherman,  was  relieved  from  duty  and  Gen.  John  B.  Hood  placed  in 
command.  After  several  unsuccessful  battles  by  Gen.  Hood,  which 
caused  him  to  retire  to  the  neighborhood  of  Jonesboro,  Ga.,  a  for 
ward  movement  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee  was  projected  via  Punkin- 
town,  Big  Shanty,  Vanwert,  Ga.  and  Gadsden,  Decatur  and  Florence, 
Alabama  on  to  Nashville.  In  this  time  was  fought  the  battles  of 
Allatoona,  Ga.,  Franklin  and  Nashville,  Tenn.  The  Army  of  Ten 
nessee  now  for  the  third  time, (after  battle  of  Nashville)  left  Tennessee, 


XVI  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

crossed  the  Tennessee  river  at  Baldridge  and  retreated  to  Tupelo, 
Mississippi,  where  Gen.  Hood  resigned  and  Gen.  Dick  Ta}7lor  was 
placed  temporarily  in  command.  In  the  meantime  the  remnant  of  the 
Army  of  Tennessee  was  transported  by  rail  from  Tupelo,  Miss,  via 
Mobile  up  Tensaw  landing  to  Pollard,  thence  to  Montgomery,  Ala., 
Macon  and  Augusta,  Ga.  The  army  then  footed  it  through  Edge- 
field,  Union  and  Chester  counties  and  took  cars  at  Chester,  S  C.  to 
intercept  Gen.  Sherman,  who,  when  Hood  went  inta  Tennessee, 
divided  his  army  at  Jonesboro,  Ga.  and  made  his  "march  to  the  sea". 
At  Cole's  farm  near  Bentonville,  N.  C.,  the  Army  of  Tennessee  had 
her  last  battle  with  Sherman  under  Gen.  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  who 
had  been  reinstated.  From  this  point,  the  Army  of  Tennessee 
marched  via  Smithfield  through  Riley,  Chapel  Hill  and  surrendered  at 
Greensboro,  N.  C. 

During  Bragg' s  administration  his  maneuvers  caused  the  overthrow 
of  his  adversaries,  Gen's.  Buell  and  Rosecrans. 

During  Gen.  Joseph  E.  Johnston's  administration,  one  of  the 
most  artful  military  Barnes  on  the  chess  board  was  played  from  Dalton 
to  Atlanta,  commanding  as  he  did  47,000  and  being  pursued  by 
125,000. 

The  reports  and  sketches  to  follow,  lead  up  to  and  give  in  chro 
nological  order  the  notable  happenings  and  incidents  of  the  Army  of 
Tennessee. 


HON.  ABRAM  CAKUTHERS,  (TOP)  HON.  BROOMFIELD  L.  RIDLEY,  (LEFT)  HON.  NATHAN  GREEN, 
(RIGHT)  FOUNDERS  OF  THE  LEBANON  LAW  SCHOOL,  LEBANON,  TENNESSEE. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  BELMONT. 


Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  November's,"  1861. 
General  Cooper,  Richmond,  Va.,  /     /;  ]  '*" '•"*'} 

Ad  j  atant-  General . 
The  following  dispatch  I  have  just  received   from   General  Polk: 

Columbus,  Ky.,  Nov.  7,  1861. 

The  enemy  came  down  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  at  8:30  to 
day,  7,500  strong,  landed  under  cover  of  gunboats,  and  attacked 
Colonel  Tappan's  camp.  I  sent  over  three  regiments  under  General 
Pillow,  to  his  relief;  then,  at  intervals,  three  others;  then  General 
Cheatham;  then  I  took  over  two  others  to  support  a  flank  movement. 
It  was  a  hard  fought  battle,  lasting  from  10:30  till  5  this  evening. 
They  took  Beltzhoover's  battery,  which  we  retook.  They  were 
thoroughly  routed,  we  pursuing  them  to  their  boats,  seven  miles.  The 
roads  were  strewn  with  their  dead  and  wounded,  guns,  ammunition, 
and  equipments.  Our  loss  considerable,  theirs  heavy.  We  are 
expecting  an  attack  from  this  side  in  the  morning  by  large  force  from 
May  field  Creek  and  Paducah. 

This  will  explain  the  delay  of  General  Pillow's  movement. 

A.  S.  JOHNSTON. 

Gen.  Polk  to  Gen.  Johnston. 

Columbus,  Ky.,  Nov.  28,  1861. 
My  Dear  General: 

I  send  you  to-day  my  report  of  the  battle  of  the  7th.  I 
regret  the  delay  in  submitting  it,  but  my  head,  and  nervous  system 
generally,  have  been  in  such  a  state  since  the  bursting  of  the  gun,  I 
have  been  unable  to  do  more  than  a  little  at  a  time  of  an}Tthing. 
Besides  this,  too,  I  desired  to  be  accurate  in  my  statements  and  just 
to  every  one. 

I  have  waived  my  resignation   tendered   Nov.  6,  1861,  as  Davis 
seems  very  much  opposed  to  it,  and  I  shall  endeavor  to  do  my  duty. 
I  remain,  very  truly,  your  friend, 

L.  POLK. 


Headquarters,  First  Division,  Western  Department. 

Columbus,  Ky.,  November  10,  1861. 

I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the  operations 
of  the  army  under  my  command  in  the  battle  of  the  7th: 

From  information  received  from  several  sources,  I  had  reason  to 


18  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

believe  it  was  the  intention  of  the  enemy  to  attack  my  position  at  this 
place  at  an  early  clay,  provision  to  meet  which  was  made  accordingly. 
Between  2  and  3  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  a  courier  arrived 
at  headquarters,  informing  me  of  the  movement  of  a  strong  force 
designed  to  attack  General  Thompson's  position  at  Bloomtield  and 
New  Madrid.  When,  therefore,  I  was  informed  shortly  after  day 
break,  through  a  member  of  my  staff,  that  the  enemy  had  made  his 
appearance  in  the  river  with  gunboats  and  transports,  and  was  landing 
a  considerable  force  on  the  Missouri  shore,  five  or  six  miles  from  Bel- 
mont,  I  became  satisfied  it  was  his  intention  to  make  the  attack  general. 
I  dispatched  immediately  messengers  to  the  general  officers  of  division 
to  inform  them  of  nrv  impressions  and  position  of  affairs,  with 
instructions  to  make  such  disposition  of  their  commands  as  the  emer 
gency  required. 

The  same  information  was  conveyed  to  Colonel  Tappan,  who  was 
in  command  of  the  force  at  Belmont.  To  General  Pillow,  whose 
division  was  nearest  the  point  immediate hT  threatened,  I  gave  orders 
in  person  to  move  immediately  to  the  relief  of  Colonel  Tappan,  with 
four  of  his  regiments.  For  this  service,  he  detailed  Colonel  Rus 
sell's,  Colonel  Wright's,  Colonel  Pickett's,  and  Colonel  Freeman's, 
regiments  of  Tennessee  volunteers.  These,  with  Colonel  Tappan's 
Thirteenth  Arkansas,  Captain  Beltzhoover's  Watson  battery,  and  a 
squadron  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Miller's  battalion  of  cavalry,  com 
posing  the  force  on  the  other  side,  were  deemed  sufficient  to  resist  the 
column  reported  to  have  landed.  Having  an  adequate  number  of 
steamers  at  the  landing,  this  order  was  promptly  executed. 

My  attention  was  then  directed  to  the  proper  distribution  of  the 
forces "  for  receiving  an  attack  on  the  Columbus  side  of  the  river. 
Having  examined  and  found  the  batteries  in  the  fort  in  a  proper  con 
dition,  I  proceeded  up  the  river  to  examine  the  dispositions  of  General 
McCown,who  was  charged  with  the  defenses  of  the  left  flank.  These, 
I  found  to  be  satisfactory.  He  had  already  advanced  a  battery  of  long- 
range  guns,  under  the  command  of  Capt.  R.  A.  Stewart,  of  the 
Louisiana  Pointe  Coupee  battery,  to  a  position  from  whence  he  could 
reach  with  ease  the  enemy's  gunboats. 

From  this  point  and  that  occupied  by  the  heavy  siege  battery, 
under  command  of  Captain  Hamilton,  as  also  from  several  of  the  guns 
of  the  fort,  he  opened  a  heavy  fire,  which  was  duly  responded  to  by 
the  enemy.  After  half  an  hour's  engagement  the  boats  were  driven 
up  the  river.  At  a  subsequent  period  they  again  dropped  down  and 
renewed  the  conflict,  throwing  shot  and  shell  into  the  works.  This 
was  continued  for  an  hour,  when  they  \vere  again  forced  to  retire. 

Ascertaining  that  the  remaining  portion  of  General  Pillow's 
division,  as  well  as  that  of  General  Cheatham,  was  in  proper  position, 
I  returned  to  the  river  bank  opposite  to  Belmont.  At  10:20  o'clock 
the  firing  of  the  enemy's  advanced  guard  upon  our  pickets  was  heard, 
and  in  about  forty  minutes  afterwards,  the  engagement  became  general 
with  all  arms. 

Taking  my  position  on  the  river  bank,  midway  between  the  two 
points  of  expected  attack,  I  dispatched  one  of  my  aides  to  the  Missouri 


BATTLE  OF  BELMONT.  19 


shore  to  inform  General  Pillow  of  my  position  and  readiness  to  afford 
him  such  support  as  he  might  require.  In  reply,  he  requested  me  to 
send  him  additional  ammunition,  a  regiment  of  infantry,  and  a  section 
of  artillery,  to  be  held  as  a  reserve.  The  ammunition  and  Col.  Knox 
Walker's  regiment  were  sent  him  immediately,  and  instead  of  a  section 
of  artillery,  I  dispatched  him  two  field  batteries,  those  of  Capts.  W.  H. 
Jackson  and  Polk.  Such  a  force  of  field  artillery  had  become  neces 
sary  from  the  fact,  that  Captain  Beltzhoover's  battery,  from  want  of 
ammunition,  had  ceased  firing,  and  the  enemy  had  opened  fire  with  a 
heavy  battery,  of  the  presence  of  which  upon  the  field  I  had  until  then 
not  been  apprised.  The  steamer  transporting  these  batteries,  in  her 
attempt  to  land  them  on  the  Missouri  shore,  by  some  means  lost  her 
stage  planks,  and  the  landing  at  that  moment  became  impossible.  She 
was  forced  to  return  to  the  Kentucky  shore.  Captain  Polk's  battery 
was  landed  at  a  later  hour,  but  too  late  to  render  service  in  the  oper 
ations  of  the  day. 

By  this  time  it  was  obvious  that  further  re-inforcements  had 
become  necessary,  and  Colonel  Carroll's  Fifteenth  Tennessee  and 
Colonel  Marks'  Eleventh  Louisana  regiment,  which  had  been  ordered 
to  the  river  bank  and  were  held  as  a  reserve,  were  ordered  forward. 
I  directed  Colonel  Marks  to  land  his  regiment  higher  up  the  river, 
with  a  view  to  a  flank  movement  which  he  was  ordered  to  make. 
Shortly  after  his  landing  he  was  met  by  General  Pillow,  who  directed 
him,  with  his  regiment  and  that  of  Colonel  Carroll,  to  move  rapidly 
on  the  enemy's  flank.  General  Pillow  directed  Colonel  Russell,  with 
his  brigade,  to  support  that  movement,  and  himself  accompanied  this 
command  during  the  execution  of  the  movement  under  Colonel  Marks. 
Captain  Jackson,  who  had  reported  to  General  Pillow  that  he  could 
not  get  his  battery  ashore,  was  attached  to  his  staff,  and  directed  to 
lead  this  column.  In  aiding  Lieutenant  Colonel  Barrow,  who  was  in 
immediate  command  of  the  Eleventh  Louisiana,  to  bring  a  portion  of 
the  column  into  line,  he  fell  severely  wounded. 

Apprehending  every  moment  an  attack  in  my  rear  on  Columbus, 
which  subsequent  information  proves  to  have  been  the  enemy's  plan, 
it  was  with  great  reluctance  I  lessened  the  force  assigned  to  its  defense. 
Nevertheless,  it  was  obvious  from  the  yielding  of  our  columns  to  the 
heavy  pressure  of  the  masses  of  the  enemy's  infantry,  and  the  fierce 
assaults  of  their  heavy  battery,  that  further  re-inforcements  were  nec 
essary.  I  ordered  down  General  Cheatham  with  the  first  brigade  of 
his  division,  under  command  of  Colonel  Preston  Smith.  The  General, 
having  arrived  in  advance  of  his  brigade,  was  directed  by  me  to  take 
the  nearest  steamer  and  to  move  promptly  across  the  river,  to  rally 
and  take  command  of  the  portions  of  regiments  within  sight  of  the 
shore,  and  to  support  the  flank  movement  ordered  through  Colonel 
Marks.  This  he  did  promptly  and  effectively. 

At  this  juncture  the  enemy  fired  our  tents,  and  advancing  his 
battery  nearer  the  river  bank,  opened  a  heavy  fire  on  the  steamers 
which  were  transporting  our  troops,  in  some  instances  driving  shot 
through  two  of  them  at  the  same  time.  Their  commanding  pilots  and 
other  officers,  nevertheless,  stood  firmly  at  their  posts,  and  exhibited 


20 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


a   fearlessness   and   energy   deserving  of  the  highest  praise.     These 
boats  were  the  Prince,  under  Captain  Butler    who  particularly  dis 
tinguished  himself,  the  Charm,  under  Captain  Trask,  and  the  Hill, 
under  Captain  Newell,  with  the  Kentucky,  under  Captain  Lodwick. 
I  directed  Captain  Smith's  Mississippi  battery  to  move    to   the 


LIEUT. -GEN.  B.  F.  CHEATHAM. 

river  bank,  opposite  the  field  of  conflict,  and  to  open  upon  the  enemy's 
position.  I  also  directed  Maj.  A.  P.  Stewart,  in  command  of  the 
heavy  guns  in  the  fort,  to  open  up  on  the  same  position,  it  being  now 
seen  that  these  guns  could  be  used  without  causing  danger  to  our 
troops. 

This  joint  fire  was  so  terrific  as  to  dislodge  the  enemy,  silence 
his  battery,  and  cause  him  to  take  up  his  line  of  march  for  his  boats. 
He  had  scarcely  put  himself  in  motion,  when  he  encountered  Colonel 
Marks,  first,  and  afterwards,  General  Cheatham  in  his  flank,  with 
both  of  whom,  severe  conflicts  followed,  and  by  whom  he  was  driven 
in  with  great  loss. 

On  the  arrival  of  General  Cheatham's  brigade,  being  now  satis- 


BATTLE  OF  BELMONT.  21 


fied  the  attack  on  Columbus  for  some  reason  had  failed,  I  took  charge 
of  it,  together  with  Captain  White's  company  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Logwood's  battalion  of  cavalry,  and  proceeded  with  them  across  the 
river,  having  first  ordered  two  regiments  of  General  McCown's 
division  to  follow. 

On  landing  I  was  met  by  Generals  Pillow  and  Cheatham  whom 
I  directed,  with  the  regiments  of  General  Cheatham's  command  and 
portions  of  others,  to  press  to  the  enemy's  boats.  This  order  was 
executed  with  alacrit}^,  and  in  double  quick  time.  The  route  over 
which  we  passed  was  strewn  with  dead  and  wounded  of  the  conflicts  of 
Colonel  Marks  and  General  Cheatham,  already  alluded  to,  and  with 
arms,  knapsacks,  overcoats,  etc. 

On  arriving  at  the  point  where  his  transports  lay,  I  ordered  the 
column,  headed  by  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
fourth  Senior  Regiment  of  Tennessee  volunteers, 
under  cover  of  a  field  thickly  set  with  corn,  to  be 
deployed  along  the  river  bank  within  easy  range 
of  the  boats.  This  being  accomplished,  a  heavy 
fire  was  opened  upon  them  simultaneously,  rid 
dling  them  with  balls,  and,  as  we  have  reason  to 
believe,  with  heavy  loss  to  the  enemy.  Under  this 
galling  fire  he  cut  his  lines  and  retreated  from  the 
shore,  many  of  his  soldiers  being  driven  overboard 
by  the  rush  of  those  behind  them.  Our  fire  was 
LIEUT. -GEN.  returned  by  the  heaviest  cannonading  from  his 

LEONIDAS  POLK.  gunboats,  which  discharged  upon  our  lines,  show 
ers  of  grape,  canister,  and  shell,  as  they  retired  with  their  convoy  in 
the  direction  of  Cairo.  It  being  now  sunset,  and  being  left  in  posses 
sion  of  the  field,  I  ordered  the  troops  to  retire. 

My  first  acknowledgement  for  this  signal  triumph  of  our  arms, 
and  the  defeat  of  the  machinations  of  our  enemies,  are  due  to  the 
favoring  providence  of  Almighty  God,  by  which  his  plans  were 
unveiled  and  frustrated,  and  by  which  the  hearts  of  our  troops  were 
made  strong  in  the  day  of  battle.  Confiding  in  the  justice  of  our 
cause,  we  have  felt  we  could  put  our  trust  in  His  protection  and 
defense,  and  He  has  given  us  the  victory. 

Our  thanks  are  due  to  the  brave  officers  and  soldiers  who,  under 
God,  were  the  instruments  of  this  victory.  To  Brigadier-General 
Pillow,  to  whom  the  duty  of  receiving  the  enemy's  attack  was  assigned, 
is  due  the  credit  of  meeting  that  attack  with  firmness,  and  of  sus 
taining  the  heat  of  the  conflict  in  the  early  part  of  the  engagement. 
This  he  did  with  persistent  energy  and  gallantry,  courageously  sup 
porting  and  encouraging  his  troops  by  cheering  words  and  personal 
example. 

My  thanks  are  due  to  General  McCown  for  the  promptitude  with 
which  he  made  the  disposition  proper  for  the  defense  of  the  left  flank 
on  the  Columbus  side,  and  for  the  manner  in  which  he  controlled  the 
movements  of  the  gunboats,  by  the  judicious  management  of  the  field 
battery  of  Captain  Stewart,  the  siege  battery  of  Captain  Hamilton, 
and  the  heavy  guns  in  the  fort. 


22  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

I  am  indebted  also  to  General  Cheatham,  who,  at  a  later  hour,  by 
his  promptitude  and  gallantry,  rallied  the  broken  fragments  of  our 
columns,  and  directed  them  with  such  resistless  energy  against  the 
enemy's  flank. 

Colonel  Marks,  of  the  Eleventh  Louisiana  regiment,  rendered 
most  efficient  service  by  the  decision  with  which  he  led  his  column,  in 
the  face  of  the  most  discouraging  circumstances,  to  the  attack  on  the 
enemy's  flank. 

The  condition  of  the  field  after  the  battle,  and  the  route  pursued 
by  the  flying  enemy,  sufficiently  testify  to  the  deadly  aim  of  the 
Louisianians  and  Tennesseeans,  who  composed  his  command.  It  was 
in  this  attack  that  the  gallant  Major  Butler  lost  his  life  in  the  per 
formance  of  a  duty  in  advance  of  his  columns.  He  was  a  young  officer 
of  high  promise,  and  deeply  lamented  by  all  who  knew  him. 

The  firmness  with  which  Col.  J.  Y.  Wright  and  his  gallant  regi 
ment  sustained  themselves  on  the  left  flank  of  the  first  line  of  battle, 
and  elsewhere,  merits  strong  commendation. 

The  Watson  Battery  was  served  with  decided  ability  and  unflinch 
ing  courage  by  the  commander,  Captain  Beltzhoover,  who  retired  his 
guns  from  the  field  only  after  he  had  exhausted  his  ammunition.  In 
this  connection  also,  as  belonging  to  the  same  command,  it  is  due  to 
Colonel  Tappan  and  his  regiment  to  say,  that  the  promptness  with 
which  they  prepared  to  receive  the  enemy,  and  the  determined  courage 
with  which  they  sustained  their  part  of  the  general  conflict,  are 
entitled  to  approbation. 

To  Capt.  M.  Smith,  of  the  Mississippi  battery,  and  to  Maj.  A.  P. 
Stewart,  who  directed  the  artillery  in  the  fort,  I  am  particularly 
indebted  for  the  skill  and  judgment  manifested  in  the  service  of  the 
guns  under  their  command,  to  the  joint  fire  from  which,  I  feel  not  a 
little  indebted  for  turning  the  fortunes  of  the  day. 

But  to  recite  in  detail  all  the  instances  of  skill  and  courage  dis- 
pla}Ted  by  individual  commanders  and  their  several  commands,  would 
be  to  run  well  through  the  list  of  those  who  were  engaged  and  to 
anticipate  also  the  reports  of  the  division  and  regimental  commanders. 

The  battle  was  fought  against  great  odds,  both  as  to  numbers  and 
position.  The  Mississippi  river  dividing  the  field,  placed  us  at  a  dis 
advantage  which  it  was  necessary  to  overcome,  and  although  we 
experienced  an  occasional  reverse,  these  reverses  were  soon  repaired, 
and  the  results  of  the  day  proved  beyond  all  doubt  the  superiority  of 
our  troops  in  all  the  essential  characteristics  of  the  soldier. 

To  Acting  Assistant  Adjutant-General  Blake,  C.  S.  Army, 
Lieutenant  Dixon,  C.  S.  Army,  Engineers,  Captain  Champney, 
Ordnance,  Lieutenant  Snowden,  C.  S.  Army,  Topographical  Corps, 
Maj.  H.  W.  Winslow,  acting  aid-de-camp,  all  members  of  my  staff,  I 
feel  indebted  for  their  promptness  and  activity  in  the  execution  of  my 
orders,  and  for  their  support  in  directing  the  operations  of  the  day. 

In  a  conflict  continued  through  so  many  hours  and  so  hotly  con 
tested,  the  list  of  casualities  must  be  expected  to  be  large.  Our  loss  in 
killed  was  105,  wounded  419,  missing  117,  total  641. 

The  number  of  prisoners  taken  by  the  enemy  as  shown  by  their 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE.  23 

list  furnished  us,  was  106,  all  of  whom  have  been  returned  by  ex 
change. 

Of  the  enemy's  loss  we  have  no  means  of  accurate  information, 
but  from  all  the  sources  open  to  us,  the  condition  of  the  field,  the  list 
of  prisoners  taken  by  us,  the  report  of  those  returned  to  us,  and  the 
reports  of  the  enemy,  I  am  satisfied  it  cannot  fall  short  of  1,500;  four- 
teen-fifteenths  of  that  number  must  have  been  killed,  wounded  and 
drowned. 

After  making  a  liberal  exchange  of  the  captured  with  the  enemy, 
100  of  their  prisoners  remain  still  in  my  hands.  I  have  also  a  stand 
of  colors,  a  fraction  of  over  1,000  stand  of  arms,  with  knapsacks, 
ammunition  and  other  military  stores. 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

L.  POLK, 
Major-General,  Commanding. 

Headquarters  Western  Department. 

Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  November,  30,  1861. 
Orders  [ 
No.    5.  j 

The  General  has  been  impatient  for  reports  of  the  Battle  at  Bel- 
mont.  They  have  been  received,  and  he  pronounces  the  work  well 
done. 

To  Major-General  Polk,  who  formed  troops  capable  of  such 
actions,  and  whose  disposition  prepared  them  for  such  a  victory;  to 
Brigadier-General  Pillow,  who  so  skillfully  led,  and  to  the  officers  and 
soldiers  who  so  gallantly  followed  that  lead  over  a  hard-contested  field 
to  complete  success,  his  thanks  are  due  and  his  congratulations  heartily 
given. 

Tliis  was  no  ordinary  shock  of  arms.  It  was  a  long  and  trying 
contest,  in  which  our  troops  fought  by  detachments,  and  always  gained 
over  superior  numbers. 

The  7th  of  November  will  fill  a  bright  page  in  our  military  annals 
and  be  remembered  with  gratitude  by  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the 
South. 

A.  S.  JOHNSTON, 

General,  C.  S.  Army. 


RESOLUTIONS  OF  THANKS  TO  MA.J.  GEN.  LEONIDAS  POLK,  BRIG.  GEN. 
GIDEON -J.  PILLOW,  BRIG.  GEN.  BENJAMIN  F.  CHEATHAM,  AND  THE 
OFFICERS  AND  SOLDIERS  UNDER  THEIR  COMMAND  FOR  GALLANT  AND 
DISTINGUISHED  SERVICES  IN  THE  PRESENT  WAR. 

Whereas,  under  the  providence  of  God,  the  valor  of  the  soldiers 
of  the  Confederate  States,  lias  added  another  glorious  victory,  achieved 
at  Belmont,  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  on  the  7th  day  of  November  last, 
to  those  which  had  been  so  graciously  vouchsafed  to  our  arms,  where 
by  the  reduction  of  Columbus,  in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  has  been 
prevented,  and  the  contemplated  descent  of  the  enemy  down  the 
Mississippi  river  effectually  stayed:  Therefore, 


24  RESOLUTIONS  OF  THANKS. 

Be  it  resolved  by  the  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States  of 
America,  that  the  thanks  of  Congress  are  most  heartily  tendered  to 
Maj.  Gen.  Leonidas  Polk,  Brig.  Gen.  Gideon  J.  Pillow,  Brig.  Gen. 
Benjamin  F.  Cheatham,  and  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  their  gallant 
commands,  for  the  desperate  courage  they  exhibited,  in  sustaining  for 
several  hours,  and  under  most  disadvantageous  circumstances,  an 
attack,  by  a  force  of  the  enemy  greatly  superior  to  their  own,  both  in 
number  and  appointments,  and  for  the  skill  and  gallantry  by  which 
they  converted,  what  at  first  threatened  so  much  disaster,  into  a  tri 
umphant  victory. 

Resolved  further,  that  these  resolutions  are  intended  to  express 
\vhat  is  believed  to  be  the  grateful  and  admiring  sentiment  of  the 
whole  people  of  the  Confederacy. 

Resolved  further,  that  they  be  communicated  to  the  commands  of 
Major-General  Polk,  Brigadier-General  Pillow,  and  Brigadier-General 
Cheatham,  by  the  proper  department  of  the  Government. 

ALEXANDER  H.  STEPHENS, 
President  of  the  Congress  pro  tempore 

JEFFERSON  DAVIS. 
Approved,  December_6,  1861. 


THE  BURSTING  OF  THE  LADY  POLK, 


A  LARGE   RIFLED   GUN,  AT  COLUMBUS,  KENTUCKY,  NOVEMBER,   1861. 


This  gun  was  sent  out  to  Columbus,  Ky.,  from  Richmond,  Ya,,  in 
the  fall  of  1861,  and  was  mounted  inside  of  the  fort,  on  top  of  the  bluff 
above  the  town,  wrhere  it  had  a  wride  range.  A  number  of  projectiles 
were  sent  with  it,  each  of  which  consisted  of  a  cylindrical  part,  which 
had  a  ring  of  cast  iron  around  it  near  the  ends,  and  terminated  in 
a  curved,  conical  shaped  surface  at  one  end,  something  like  a  minie 
ball.  I  was  chief  of  artillery  at  the  post,  and  had  command  of  all  the 
heavy  artillery.  The  projecting  rings  of  metal,  of  each  projectile  were 
tiled  down,  until  the  shot  or  shell  would  slip  in  and  out  of  the  gun 
easily.  The  engineer  who  mounted  the  gun,  constructed  an  earth 
work  around  it,  in  which,  opposite  the  right-rear  of  the  breech,  he 
arranged  a  small  magazine,  in  which  a  number  of  cartridges  were 
stored. 

The  battle  of  Belmont  occured  on  the  7th  of  November,  1861. 
General  Grant,  in  command  at  Cairo,  Illinois,  brought  his  troops  down 
the  river  in  some  steamboats,  and  landed  and  disembarked  them  at  a 
bend  of  the  river,  some  miles  above  Columbus.  The  river  at  this  point 
turns  eastward,  and  a  short  distance  above  Columbus,  turns  south 
ward  again.  There  wrere  some  Confederate  troops  on  the  west  side  of 
the  river,  felling  timber.  Their  camp  was  situated  near  the  river,  a 
little  below  the  town,  in  cleared  land,  and  seemed  from  the  position 
of  our  rifled  gun  on  the  bluff,  to  consist  of  two  rows  of  tents,  extend 
ing  out  westward  from  the  river.  From  their  landing  place  the  enemy 
marched  across  the  country  driving  before  them  the  small  Confederate 
force,  which  fell  back  and  took  shelter  under  the  high  bank  of  the 
river  above  the  camp.  General  Polk,  who  was  in  command  at 
Columbus,  had  several  steamboats  at  the  landing,  and  was  preparing 
infantry  and  field  artillery  reinforcements  to  be  thrown  across  the  river 
in  these  boats.  The  enemy  reached  the  river  bank  a  short  distance 
below  the  Confederate  camp,cfaced  northward  and  moved  up  the  river, 
through  the  camp  which  they  fired,  and  halted  in  open  ground  a 
short  distance  above  the  camp,  their  battle  line  extending  out  west 
ward.  In  this  position,  they  presented  a  fair  target  to  the  "big  gun" 
which  had  been  loaded,  and  was  now  aimed  and  fired.  The  first  shot 
struck  the  ground  just  in  front  of  the  enemy's  line,  throwing  up  a 
great  cloud  of  dirt,  and  ricocheting  over  the  heads  of  the  men.  The 
horse  of  a  mounted  officer,  in  front  of  the  line,  who  was  said  to  be 


26  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

General  Grant,  reared  and  plunged.  The  line  faced  to  the  left  and 
moved  quickly  away  from  the  river.  The  next  shot  struck  near  the 
enemy,  who  began  to  move  off  at  double  quick.  Under  this  diversion, 
General  Polk  succeeded  in  crossing  the  river  with  his  steamboats, 
loaded  with  infantry  and  artillery  reinforcements.  They  joined  the 
troops  already  on  the  west  bank,  and  pursued  the  retreating  enemy. 
One  or  two  more  shots  were  fired  from  the  "big  gun"  which  kept 
General  Grant's  army  on  the  double  quick  towards  their  boats.  At 
length  from  the  position  of  the  gun,  our  men  and  the  enemy  seemed 
so  close  together  and  so  mixed  up  with  each  other,  that  there  was 
danger  of  our  shot  falling  amongst  our  own  men,  so  the  last  load  was 
not  fired.  The  army  under  General  Polk  pursued  the  enemy,  killing 
and  wounding  large  numbers  of  them,  until  they  had  taken  refuge  on 
their  boats  and  steamed  up  the  river.  The  battle  of  Belmont  was 
really  won  by  the  "big  gun."  A  day  or  so  after  the  battle  I  was  on 
the  bluff,  when  some  men  of  the  detachment  that  manned  it  applied 
for  permission  to  fire  the  gun.  I  knew  of  no  reason  why  there  should 
be  any  danger  in  discharging  it,  yet,  was  im 
pressed  with  the  idea,  that  it  would  be  better  to  ,,,  "  life^ 
draw  the  load  when  convenient.  So  the  permis-  ^  /^^±  K 
sion  was  refused.  Leaving  the  fort,  I  went  to  my  Jjjjj  /  ^  \ 

tent  which  was  pitched  in  a  street  of  the  village    | 
below  the  bluff .    As  I  entered,  a  very  loud  explosion    Ijfj       f*.,.    "•> 
was  heard.     Going  to  the  door  and  looking  toward    l|j  0 

the  bluff,  a  dense  column  of  black  smoke  was  seen    |||| 
rising,  and  it  was  plain  thatthegun  had  been  fired.  m/ 

and  burst.     Hurrying  up  thehill,  I  learned   that 
General  Polk  had  been  thereafter  I  left,  and  had  ^rf 

given  permission  to  discharge  the  gun  which  GEN  A  p  STEWART> 
afterward  burst,  and  the  flame  communicated  to  the 
magazine  where  a  number  of  cartridges  were  stored,  which  exploded, 
adding  greatly  to  the  destruction.  The  following  account  of  the  effects 
of  the  explosion  is  taken  from  an  article  in  the  "Confederate  Veteran" 
of  June  1904,  by  Col.  William  D.  Pickett,  Fourbear,  Wyo.,  who  was 
with  General  Polk  at  the  gun  when  it  burst. 

"The  incident  to  be  related  occurred  on  the  day  after  the  battle 
of  Belmont,  November  8,  1861.  It  was  not  mentioned  in  its  proper 
place,  that  the  gun  position  of  the  "Lady  Polk,"  was  inclosed  by  a 
circular  parapet,  it  being  mounted  en  barbette,  a  temporary  magazine 
or  receptacle  for  cartridges,  being  located  in  the  parapet  to  the  right 
and  opposite  the  trunnions  of  the  piece.  The  statement  made  me  at 
the  time  by  Maj.  A.  P.  Stewart,  the  chief  of  artillery  of  the  post^not 
Gen.  McCown,)  was  that  there  were  stored  in  this  receptacle,  from 
sixty  to  eighty  cartridges  of  ten  pounds  each,  at  the  time  of  the  acci 
dent.  On  the  forenoon  of  the  day  after  the  battle  of  Belmont,  Gen. 
Polk  came  on  a  tour  of  inspection  to  the  works,  and  proceeded  toward 
the  position  of  the  "Lady  Polk."  Capt.  S.  W.  Rucker,  of  the  sappers 
and  miners,  and  the  writer  joined  him.  On  reaching  that  redoubt,  he 
sent  for  Capt.  Keiter,  of  the  heavy  artillery.  On  his  appearing,  the 
General  complimented  him  and  his  men  on  the  skill  and  efficiency 


BURSTING  OF  THE  LADY  POLK.  27 

with  which  they  handled  the  gun  in  the  previous  day's  engagement, 
in  a  very  handsome  manner,  which  appeared  to  gratify  Capt.  Keiter 
very  much.  In  an  informal  conversation  that  occurred,  it  appeared 
that  the  gun  had  a  load  not  discharged  on  the  previous  day's  fight. 
He  suggested  that  it  be  discharged.  To  this  the  General  readily 
acquiesced,  and  asked  that  it  be  fired  up  the  river  to  notice  its  range. 
Thereupon  the  Captain  went  for  the  '  'firing  squad. "  I  am  sure  nothing 
was  said  as  to  there  being  anything  the  matter  with  the  gun  or  ammu 
nition,  and  nothing  was  said  suggesting  danger.  There  was  nothing 
said  to  ruffle  the  General's  temper;  and  had  there  been  anything  sug 
gested  as  to  danger  of  the  bursting  of  the  piece,  Gen.  Polk,  I  am 
sure,  would  not  have  risked  the  lives  of  those  around  merely  to  gratify 
a  whim.  Yet  all  such  rumors  that  our  correspondent  speaks  of,  went 
the  rounds  of  the  army  immediately  after  the  accident.  On  the  return 
of  Capt.  Keiter,  he  made  preparation  to  fire  the  piece. 

"As  the  gun  was  in  position  to  fire,  Gen.  Polk,  Rucker,  and 
myself  were  on  the  parapet  just  in  the  rear  of  the  breech, and  in  direct 
line  of  the  recoil,  myself  on  the  left,  Rucker  on  the  right,  and  Gen. 
Polk  between.  Sentinel  Snowden,  of  the  engineers,  was  still  to  the 
right  of  Rucker,  Capt.  Keiter  and  the  firing  squad  at  their  proper 
positions  around.  My  recollection  is  pretty  distinct.  There  were 
thirteen  persons  exposed,  and  eleven  were  instantly  killed,  the  three 
officers  in  the  rear  of  the  breech  alone  escaping  instant  death. 

"It  appeared  that  the  ignition  of  the  powder  in  the  magazine, 
was  simultaneous  with  the  pulling  of  the  lanyard.  After  the  explosion, 
I  was  unconscious  until  I  found  nryself  fifty  or  more  feet  to  the  rear, 
on  my  feet,  in  a  dense  cloud  of  smoke  and  dust,  and  with  a  fierce  rain 
of  dirt  on  my  bare  head.  Finding  nryself  not  crippled,  my  first 
thought  was  of  Gen.  Polk,  and  that  he  must  be  somewhere  near  me. 
The  smoke  was  so  dense  as  to  prevent  seeing  distinctl}7  five  feet. 
Soon  I  stumbled  upon  him.  He  was  in  a  squatting  position,  with  his 
arms  and  cloak  protecting  his  head,  as  well  as  he  could  from  the  rain 
of  dirt.  Assistance  soon  came  from  the  outside.  He  was  gotten  to 
his  feet  well  shaken  up,  but  not  seriously  hurt,  except  in  the  severe 
shock.  Leaving  him  in  the  hands  of  an  abundance  of  friends,  I  mounted 
my  horse,  that  some  good  Samaritan  had  caught,  rode  to  my 
quarters  a  half  mile  distant,  sent  for  a  friend  among  the  surgeons,  who 
promptly  came,  examined  and  reported  no  serious  injury,  except  the 
danger  of  a  permanent  disfiguration  of  my  face  from  a  quantity  of 
unburned  grains  of  powder,  driven  through  the  skin  from  the  explosion. 
A  few  hours'  work  with  needle,  and  a  thorough  washing  of  warm 
water  removed  these  stains,  and  the  next  clay  I  was  all  right, 
except  the  scars  left  by  powder  grains.  Gen'.  Polk,  being  older, 
suffered  more  from  the  shock.  The  t}Tmpanus  of  his  ears,  were  more 
seriously  injured,  and  as  a  precautionary  measure  he  was  kept  off 
duty  probably  a  week.  Capt.  Rucker,  being  less  exposed  to  the  blast, 
was  less  shaken  up  than  either.  As  to  the  cause  of  the  bursting  of 
this  gun,  there  were  various  rumors  without  foundation  however. 
There  was  only  one  cause;  the  treacherous  and  uncertain  action  of  cast 
iron  under  sudden  strain.  Its  victims  during  the  subsequent  operations 


28  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

can  be  counted  by  the  hundreds,  and  probably  a  thousand,  in  the 
bursting  of  Parrott  and  all  Cast  guns.  This  gun  was  found  in  four 
pieces;  the  breech  was  found  not  to  the  rear  of  the  line  of  recoil',  but  in  a 
line,  not  far  from  the  direction  of  the  blast  of  the  magazine,  showing 
the  almost  immediate  ignition  of  the  magazine  on  pulling  the  lan 
yard.  The  other  three  pieces,  the  chase  or  forward  part,  and  a  piece 
attached  to  each  trunnion,  were  found  in  the  direction  indicated  by 
the  explosion  of  the  magazine.  Among  the  eleven  men  killed  in  this  acci 
dent,  were:  Capt.  Keiter,  Lieut.  Snowden,  and  the  tiring  squad,  who 
must  have  been  killed  instantly.  Capt.  Keiter  was  a  very  meritorious 
officer,  and  had  he  lived,  would  have  made  his  mark  in  that  contest." 

"ALEX.  P.  STEWART." 


HEROIC  DEED  OF  JAMES  KEELAN. 

AT   STRAWBERRY   PLAINS   BRIDGE,    E.    T.    &   VA.    R.    R. 

Announcement  has  been  made  that  the  June  Veteran  would  con 
tain  a  thrilling  account  of  the  brave  deed  of  James  Keelan  in  defend 
ing  the  bridge  at  Strawberry  Plains,  early  in  the  war.  It  was  intended 
to  make  extracts  from  the  phamplet  account  by  Radford  Gatlin,  author 
of  the  Confederate  Spelling  Book,  and  "Reader,"  but  Mrs.  Sarah 
Stringfield  Butler,  of  Nashville, Tenn. , editor  of  the  Woman's  Missionary 
Advocate,  who,  with  her  husband,  then  lived  near  the  bridge,  furnish 
ed  a  vivid  account  of  it  which  is  given  precedence. 

Mr.  Keelan  was  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Butler  at  the  time  during 
the  day  and  of  the  railroad  company  at  night,  and  there  is  perhaps  no 
one  who  could  give  a  more  authentic  account  of  his  deed.  Mrs.  Butler 
writes  that  the  phamphlet  history  "contains  the  facts"  in  regard  to 
the  successful  defense  of  the  bridge,  but  it  is  written  4i*in  such  a  bom 
bastic  style  that  even  the  truth  does  not  appear  true." 

Confederate  troops  had  been  stationed  there  from  time  to  time  to 
protect  the  bridge,  as  this  was  an  important  strategic  point,  but  the 
cry  of  "wolf!  wolf!"  had  been  so  often  sounded,  and  the  Confederate 
forces  were  needed  so  badly  at  other  places,  that  all  had  been  with 
drawn,  only  one  watchman  being  employed  to  guard  the  bridge,  and 
that  at  night.  His  box  or  bunk  was  on  the  Strawberry  Plains  side  of 
the  river. 

James  Keelan  was  that  man.  He  was  small  in  stature,  with  a 
ruddy  complexion,  blue  eyes  and  light  brown  hair.  He  was  uneducated, 
but  simple  hearted,  brave,  and  as  true  to  his  friends  as  he  proved 
to  be  to  his  country.  He  had  a  wife  and  three  children  at  that  time. 

The  end  of  the  bridge  was  but  a  short  walk  from  the  fence  that 
enclosed  the  old  homestead  of  Maj.  Stringfield,  then  occupied  by  Mrs. 
Stringfield,  his  step-mother,  and  his  sister,  Miss  Mary  Stringfield,  now 
Mrs.  J.  E.  Ray,  of  Ashville,  N.  C.  Mr.  F.  A.  Butler  and  family 
lived  not  far  distant.  On  the  evening  in  question,  Maj.  Stringfield 
had  reached  home  on  furlough  from  Virginia,  and  Mr.  Butler  and  wife 
were  at  his  home  until  after  10  o'clock.  The  night  was  cool  and 
frosty,  and  the  clouds  obscured  the  moon  almost  entirely. 

About  midnight  Mr.  Butler  was  awakened  by  a  messenger  who 
said  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  burn  the  bridge;  that  Mr.  Keelan 
was  badly  wounded  and  was  at  Mr.  Elmore's  house.  Mr.  Butler  went 


30  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

to  him  immediately,  and  when  the  physician,  Dr.  Sneed  arrived,  he 
assisted  in  dressing  Keelan's  numerous  wounds.  He  then  learned 
from  Mr.  Keelan  all  the  circumstances  as  they  occured  and  after  "the 
cruel  war  was  over"  he  talked  with  the  leaders  of  the  attacking  party, 
several  of  his  men,  and  also  with  Col.  Wm.  Carter,  of  Carter  county, 
who  was  the  projector  of  the  whole  movement. 

Col.  Carter  was  employed  by  the  U.  8.  Government  to  destroy 
all  the  bridges  from  Hiwassee  river  at  Charleston,  Tennessee,  to  Bristol, 
and  was  paid  not  less  than  $10,000.  Men  in  each  neighborhood  were 
employed  for  this  purpose,  and  the  8th  of  November  was  appointed 
as  the  time  for  a  simultaneous  attack.  Mr.  Wm.  Pickens  led  the  party 
of  fifteeen  men  who  attempted  to  burn  the  bridge  at  Strawberry 
Plains.  About  midnight  they  reached  the  bridge.  Keelan  was  in  his 
bunk  close  under  the  end,  two  feet  above  the  abutment  of  the  pier, 
and  that  was  four  or  five  feet  from  the  ground.  His  gun  was  in  a 
rack  above  his  head,  but  he  did  not  have  time  to  take  it  out  when  he 
heard  the  men  approaching.  One  of  them  jumped  up  on  the  pier  and 
began  to  light  the  pine  splinters.  When  it  blazed,  Keelan  fired  his 
old  single  barrel  pistol,  and  the  man  tumbled  to  the  ground.  Keelan 
was  then  fiercely  attacked  by  as  many  as  could  ge.t  around  him,  some 
striking  with  heavy  knives  and  others  shooting.  He  resisted  manfully, 
defending  himself  the  best  he  could,  but  it  was  impossible  as  he  was 
too  far  above  them  to  use  his  small  dirk. 

As  soon  as  the  first  shot  was  fired  Miss  String-field  made  a  light 
in  her  room  which  overlooked  the  scene,  and  went  into  the  yard. 
Seeing  the  light,  the  men  hastened  awa}T,  believing  that  Keelan  was 
dead.  As  soon  aS  they  left,  Keelan  rolled  himself  to  the  ground  and 
crawled  quietly  beyond  Mrs.  String-field's  house,  not  knowing  that 
Maj.  Springfield  had  reached  home  that  night,  and  fearing  to  alarm 
the  two  women  who  he  believed  were  alone.  When  he  reached  Mr. 
Elmore's  gate  he  called  him,  resting  his  hand  on  the  fence.  Mr. 
Elmore  saw  it,  and  exclaimed:  "Jim,  you've  been  drunk  or  asleep 
and  let  the  train  run  over  you." 

Keelan  replied:  "No,  Billy;  they  have  killed  me,  but  I've  saved 
the  bridge." 

He  was  taken  in  the  house  at  once  and  friends  and  physicians 
sent  for.  His  head  was  cut  open  six  or  seven  inches,  and  the  brain 
was  oozing  from  the  dreadful  gash;  his  left  hand  was  cut  off  and 
hanging  by  a  shred  of  skin.  The  right  hand  was  also  badly  cut.  He 
was  in  such  close  quarters  during  the  time  of  the  fight  that  he  could 
use  his  gun  only  as  a  sort  of  shield,  and  that  was  hacked  in  several 
places.  He  was  shot  at  many  times  but  only  one  bullet  pierced  his 
flesh. 

When  Dr.  Sneed  wished  to  cut  off  his  hand  smoothly,  he  said: 
"No,  no,  I  can  rest  a  gun  against  that  stump."  He  was  nursed  care 
fully,  but  his  recovery  was  wonderful. 

The  old  pamphlet  account  by  Radford  Gatlin  quoting  Mr.  Keelan, 
after  reporting  their  approach,  says:— 

"I  did  not  stop  to  count  them,  I  think  from  the  appearance  of  the 
crowd,  there  was  about  fifteen.  I  had  to  be  quick,  for  the  fellow  was 


HEROIC  DEED  OF  JAMES  KEELAN.  31 

about  to  place  the  torch  between  the  scantling-  and  weather-boarding. 
I  could  have  touched  him  with  my  single-shot  pistol.  I  put  it  very 
near  him  and  shot  him  in  the  right  breast  as  he  was  in  a  position 
quartering  to  me.  Off  he  tumbled  to  the  ground  among  the  crowd 
below;  the  torch  was  knocked  out  by  the  fall,  and  all  was  dark  again. 
It  was  very  dark,  and  I  could  only  see  dark  forms  approaching  me,  so 
I  continued  to  carry  my  left  arm  up  and  down  to  shield  my  head  and 
face,  until  I  heard  the  crack  of  a  bowie  knife  on  the  brace  over  my 
head,  and  then  I  grabbed  him  with  my  left  hand  and  thrust  my  dirk  into 
him  with  my  right  arm.  As  I  drew  it  out  of  him,  off  he  tumbled  to 
the  ground  among  the  crowd.  'At  him  again, '  said  one  of  their  number; 
'let  me  at.  him  and  I  can  fetch  him,'  using  an  oath.  I  was  sensible 
that  I  was  wounded,  as  the  blood  was  running  over  my  mouth  and  it 
made  me  feel  savage  as  the  fourth  fellow  came  to  me,  and  I  wanted  to 
get  him.  I  made  a  quick  grab  and  caught  him  by.  the  cap,  which 
slipped  off  and  I  went  back  hard  against  the  weatherboarding,  and  in 
the  rebound  I  came  near  falling  out  of  my  box.  It  was  then  the  rascal 
cut  off  my  left  hand  and  split  open  my  head,  but  at  the  same  time,  I 
poked  it  into  him  and  he  got  the  steel  good.  They  now  commenced 
shooting  and  retreating  v  I  tried  to  use  my  rifle,  but  could  not  lift  it. 
I  did  not  know  until  afterwards  that  they  had  cut  off  my  left  hand 
and  shot  me  in  the  right  arm." 

Mr.  Butler  has  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  event.  He  had  warning 
of  the  danger  from  bridge  burners;  he  had  gone  to  see  Gen.  Zollicoffer 
and  had  secured  the  promise  of  a  detail  of  a  Lieutenant  with  twenty 
men,  but  Mr.  Branner,  president  of  the  East  Tennessee  railroad, 
induced  the  General  to  suppose  that  Mr.  Butler  and  his  friends  were 
unduly  alarmed,  and  he  had  failed  to  furnish  the  guard  as  promised. 
Soon  after  the  tragic  event  Mr.  Butler  secured  subscriptions  amount 
ing  to  $1,600,  bought  a  good  farm  of  ninety  acres  in  the  country,  but 
Keelan  was  not  satisfied  there.  He  became  very  fearful  that  his  life 
was  in  jeopardy,  and  stayed  with  Maj.  String-field's  command  in  the 
army  for  a  year  or  so.  Subsequently,  his  little  farm  was  sold  and  a 
smaller  place  was  purchased  near  Bristol,  where  he  died  a  few  months 
ago.  Comrade  A.  S.  McNeil,  of  Bristol,  has  acknowledged  gratitude 
of  the  veteran  for  his  zeal  in  his  behalf  of  honor"  due  the  faithful 
Keelan. 

No  wonder  Keelan's  courage  went  down  after  that  awful  night 
when,  with  his  own  blood  and  brain  flowing  over  his  face  and  mouth, 
he  felt  he  had  given  his  life  for  the  South.  He  had  no  negroes  to 
fight  for,  he  afterwards  realized  himself  a  cripple,  almost  helpless,  and 
that  the  bridge  did  not  remain  "saved." 

Tennessee  and  Virginia  might  well  unite  in  building  a  monument 
to  his  heroism  and  locate  it  at  Bristol  on  the  state  line." 


BATTLE  OF  FISHING  CREEK. 


Report  of  General  A.  Sidney  Johnston,  C.  S.  Army,  commanding  the 
Western  Division. 

Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  January  22,  1862. 
The  following  dispatch  just  received  from  Nashville: 

General  Crittenden,  with  eight  regiments  of  infantry  and  six 
pieces  of  artillery,  attacked  the  army  on  Sunday  morning,  19th  inst., 
7  o'clock,  in  strong  position  on  Fishing  Creek,  11  miles  from  Mill 
Springs.  The  attack  was  repulsed  by  superior  numbers,  and  a  dis 
orderly  retreat  commenced  after  General  Zollicoffer  fell.  The  enemy 
followed  to  our  breastworks,  and  commenced  shelling  the  camp  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Cumberland  river,  which  was  abandoned  during  the 
night,  with  the  loss  of  our  artillery,  ammunition,  cavalry  horses, 
teams  and  camp  equipments.  The  command  is  in  full  retreat  towards 
Knoxville.  Loss,  killed  and  wounded  on  our  side,  about  500. 

Y.  SHELIHA, 

Captain  on  Staff  of  General  Crittenden. 
A.  S.  JOHNSTON, 

General  Commanding. 
To  J.  P.  Benjamin,  Secretary  of  War,  Richmond,  Va. 

Division  Headquarters,  Camp  Fogg,  Tenn. 

February  13,  1862. 

Sir,  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the  en 
gagement  of  January'  19,  near  Fishing  Creek,  Pulaski  county,  Ken 
tucky.  On  January  17,  I  was  occupying  Mill  Springs,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Cumberland  river,  with  the  Seventeenth,  Twenty-eighth 
and  Thirty-seventh  Tennessee  regiments,  the  first  battalion  Tennessee 
cavalry,  two  companies  of  the  third  battalion  Tennessee  cavalry  and 
four  pieces  of  artillery.  I  was  also  at  the  time  occupying  Beech 
Grove  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river  and  directly  opposite  Mill 
Springs,  with  the  Fifteenth  Mississippi,  Sixteenth  Alabama,  Nine 
teenth,  Twentieth,  Twenty-fifth  and  Twenty-ninth  Tennessee  regi 
ments,  two  battalions  of  Tennessee  cavalry,  two  independent  cavalry 
companies  and  twelve  pieces  of  artillery. 

For  sometime  the  enemy  in  front  of  Beech  Grove  had  occupied 
Somerset  18  miles  distant,  with  eight  regiments  of  infantry  and  with 
artillery;  and  Columbia,  35  miles  distant  with  five  regiments  of  in 
fantry.  On  January  17,  I  was  informed  that  the  force  from  Columbia 


BATTLE  OF  FISHING  CREEK. 


33 


with  a  large  addition,  making  a  total  of  6,000  to  10,000  men,  with 
guns  of  a  large  caliber  under  General  Thomas,  commanding  the  first 
division  of  the  Federal  Army  in  Kentucky,  was  moving  across  my 
front,  on  the  road  from  Columbia  towards  Somerset,  with  the  intention 
of  forming  a  junction  with  the  Somerset  force  and  attacking  Beech 
Grove. 

On  the  18th  at  daylight,  I  moved  the  Seventeenth  and  Twenty- 
eighth  Tennessee  regiments  across  the-  river  from  Mill  Springs  to 
Beech  Grove.  On  the  18th,  I  was  in 
formed  that  the  force  under  General  Thom 
as  was  encamped  at  Webb's  (Logan's) 
Cross-Roads,  a  point  ten  miles  from  Beech 
Grove  and  eight  miles  from  Somerset,  at 
which  the  roads  from  Columbia  to  Som 
erset  and  Beech  Grove  to  Somerset  unite, 
and  that  it  would  there  await  both  a  rein 
forcement  (that  I  was  advised  was  advanc 
ing  from  the  rear)  and  the  passage  of  Fish 
ing  Creek  by  the  Somerset  force.  It  was 
necessary  that  the  Somerset  force  should 
cross  Fishing  Creek  before  it  could  join 
the  force  under  General  Thomas  or  ap 
proach  Beech  Grove,  and  for  these  pur 
poses  it  had  advanced  from  Somerset.  I 
was  advised  that  late  and  continuous  rains 
would  prevent  the  passage  of  Fishing  Creek 
on  the  18th  and  19th  by  any  infantry  force. 
In  the  then  condition  of  nry  command 
I  could  array  for  battle  about  4,000  effec 
tive  men.  Absolute  want  of  the  necessary 
provisions  to  feed  my  command  was  press 
ing.  The  country  around  was  barren  or  exhausted.  Communication 
with  Nashville  by  water  was  cut  off  by  a  force  of  the  enemy  occupy 
ing  the  river  below.  The  line  of  communication  in  the  rear  was  too 
long  to  admit  of  winter  transportation  and  extended  through  a  barren 
or  exhausted  country. 

To  defend  Beech  Grove  required  me  to  draw  into  it  the  force 
from  Mill  Springs.  From  the  course  of  the  river  and  the  condition 
of  things  it  was  easy  for  a  detachment  from  the  force  of  the  enemy 
occupying  it  below  to  cross  over,  intercept  the  line  of  land  communi 
cation,  and  taking  Mill  Springs,  entirely  prevent  my  recrossing  the 
Cumberland.  This  river  (greatly  swollen)  with  high,  muddy  banks, 
was  a  troublesome  barrier  in  the  rear  of  Beech  Grove.  Transportation 
over  it  was  at  best  very  difficult.  A  small  stern  wheel  steamboat, 
unsuited  for  the  transportation  of  horses  with  two  flatboats  were 
the  only  means  of  crossing. 

Beech  Grove  was  protected  in  front  by  earthworks  but  these  were 
incomplete  and  insufficient;  and  necessarily  of  such  extent  that  I  had 
not  force  to  defend  them.  The  range  of  our  artillery  was  bad  and 
there  were  commanding  positions  for  the  batteries  of  the  enemy. 


GEN.  F.  K.  ZOLLICOFFER 
KILLED  AT  FISHING  CREEK. 


34  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Every  effort  had  been  made  to  provision  the  command,  to  increase 
the  means  of  crossing  the  river  and  to  perfect  the  works  for  defense 
under  the  charge  of  a  skilful  engineer  officer,  Captain  Sheliha. 

When  I  first  heard  that  the  enemy  was  approaching  in  front,  it 
was  my  opinion  that  I  could  not  retire  with  my  command — artillery, 
transportation,  camp  and  garrison  equipage,  baggage  and  cavalry 
horses— from  Beech  Grove  to  Mill  Springs  without  information  of 
such  a  movement  reaching  the  enemy  and  a  consequent  attack  during 
the  movement  and  heavy  loss.  I  was  out  of  reach  of  support  or  rein 
forcement.  Under  these  conditions  I  determined  not  to  retreat  with 
out  a  battle.  I  decided  that  it  was  best  to  attack  the  enemy,  if 
possible,  before  the  coming  reinforcements  from  his  rear  should  arrive 
and  before  the  Somerset  force  could  cross  Fishing  Creek.  I  could 
reasonably  expect  much  from  a  bold  attack  and  from  the  spirit  of  my 
command. 

On  the  evening  of  the  18th  I  called  in  council  Brigadier  Generals 
Zollicoffer  and  Carroll  and  the  commanding  officers  of  the  regiments 
and  of  cavalry  and  artillery;  and  there  it  was  determined  without 
dissent  to  march  out  and  attack  the  enemy  under  General  Thomas  on 
the  next  morning.  Accordingly  Generals  Zollicoffer  and  Carroll  were 
ordered  to  move  their  brigades  at  midnight  in  the  following  order: 

First.  The  brigade  of  General  Zollicoffer  in  the  following  order: 
In  front,  the  independent  cavalry  companies  of  Captains  Sanders  and 
Bledsoe;  then  the  Fifteenth  Mississippi  regiment  commanded  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Walthall;  then  the  Nineteenth  Tennessee  com 
manded  by  I).  H.  Cummings;  then  the  Twentieth  Tennessee  com 
manded  by  Colonel  Battle;  then  the  Twenty-fifth  Tennessee  commanded 
by  Colonel  S.  S.  Stanton;  then  four  guns  of  Rutledge's  battery  com 
manded  by  Captain  Rutledge. 

Second.  The  brigade  of  General  Carroll  in  this  order:  In  front, 
the  Seventeenth  Tennessee  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Miller; 
then  the  Twenty-eighth  Tennessee  commanded  by  Colonel  Murray; 
then  the  Twenty-ninth  Tennessee  commanded  by  Colonel  Powell; 
then  two  guns  of  McClung's  battery  commanded  by  Captain  Mc- 
Clung. 

In  the  rear  were  the  Sixteenth  Alabama  as  a  reserve,  commanded 
by  Col.  W.  B.  Wood,  and  the  cavahy  battalions  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  McClellan. 

Soon  after  daylight  on  the  morning  of  January  19,  the  cavahy 
advance  came  in  contact  with  the  pickets  of  the  enemy  after  a  march 
of  near  nine  miles  over  a  deep  and  muddy  road.  With  a  few  shots  the 
enemy's  pickets  were  driven  in,  retiring  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  a 
house  on  the  left  of  the  road.  From  this  house  and  woods  in  the  rear 
of  it  quite  a  brisk  firing  was  opened  upon  the  head  of  the  column. 
Skirmishers  having  been  thrown  forward,  General  Zollicoffer's  brig 
ade  was  formed  in  line  of  battle  and  ordered  to  advance  upon  the 
enemy  whom  I  supposed  would  come  out  from  their  camp,  which  we 
were  now  approaching  to  take  position.  The  road  here  extended 
straight  in  front  for  near  a  mile  towards  the  north. 

A  company  of  skirmishers  from  the  Mississippi  regiment    ad- 


BATTLE  OF  FISHING  CREEK:.  35 

vancing  on  the  left  of  the  road,  after  sharp  firing,  drove  a  body  of  the 
enemy  from  the  house  and  the  woods  next  to  it,  and  fell  in  with  their 
regiment.  Following  this  company  of  skirmishers  on  the  left  of  the 
road  to  the  point  where  it  crossed  to  the  right,  the  regiment  of  Colonel 
Cummings  (Nineteenth  Tennessee)  kept  straight  on,  and  crossing  a 
field  about  250  yards  wide  at  a  double  quick,  charged  into  the  woods 
where  the  enemy  was  sheltered,  driving  back  the  Tenth  Indiana  regi 
ment  until  it  was  re-enforced. 

At  this  time  General  Zollicoffer  rode  up  to  the  Nineteenth  Ten 
nessee  and  ordered  Colonel  Cummings  to  cease  firing,  under  the  im 
pression  that  the  fire  was  upon  another  regiment  of  his  own  brigade. 
Then  the  general  advanced  as  if  to  give  an  order  to  the  lines  of  the 
enemy  within  bayonet  reach,  and  was  killed  just  as  he  discovered  his 
fatal  mistake.  Thereupon  a  conflict  ensued  when  the  Nineteenth  Ten 
nessee  broke  its  line  and  gave  back.  Rather  in  the  rear  and  near  to 
this  regiment  was  the  Twenty-fifth  Tennessee  commanded  by  Col. 
Stan  ton,  which  engaged  the  enemy,  when  the  Colonel  was  wounded  at 
the  head  of  his  men;  but  his  regiment,  impressed  with  the  same  idea 
which  had  proved  fatal  to  General  Zollicoffer — that  it  was  engaged 
with  friends — soon  broke  its  line  and  fell  into  some  disorder. 

At  this  time — the  fall  of  General  Zollicoffer  having  been  announc 
ed  to  me — I  went  forward  in  the  road  to  the  regiments  of  Colonels 
Cummings  and  Stanton  and  announced  to  Colonel  Cummings  the 
death  of  General  Zollicoffer  and  that  the  command  of  the  brigade 
devolved  upon  him. 

There  was  a  cessation  of  firing  for  a  few  moments  and  I  ascer 
tained  that  the  regiment  of  Colonel  Battle  was  on  the  right  and  the 
Mississippi  regiment  in  the  center  neither  as  yet  having  been  actively 
engaged,  and  the  enemy  in  front  of  the  entire  line.  I  had  ordered 
General  Carroll  to  bring  up  his  brigade  and  it  was  now  in  supporting- 
distance  deployed  in  line  of  battle. 

I  now  repeated  my  orders  for  a  general  advance  and  soon  the 
battle  raged  from  right  to  left.  When  I  sent  my  aid  to  order  the 
Fifteenth  Mississippi  to  charge,  I  sent  by  him  an  order  to  General 
Carroll  to  advance  a  regiment  to  sustain  it.  He  ordered  up  for  that 
purpose  Colonel  Murray's  (Twenty-eighth  Tennessee)  regiment  which 
engaged  the  enemy  on  the  left  of  the  Mississippi  regiment  and^on  the 
right  of  Stanton's  (Tennessee)  regiment.  I  ordered  Captain  Rutledge 
with  two  of  his  guns  forward  in  the  road  to  an  advanced  and  hazard 
ous  position,  directing  Colonel  Stanton  to  support  him,  where  I  hoped 
he  might  bring  them  to  play  effectively  upon  the  enemy;  but  the  posi 
tion  did  not  permit  this  and  he  soon  retired  under  my  order.  At 
this  point  the  horse  of  Captain  Rutledge  was  killed  under  him. 

Veiy  soon  the  enemy  began  to  gain  ground  on  our  left  and  to  use 
their  superior  force  for  flanking  in  that  quarter.  I  wras  in  person  at 
the  right  of  the  line  of  Stanton's  regiment — the  battle  raging — 
and  did  not  observe  this  as  soon  as  General  Carroll,  who  moved 
the  regiment  of  Colonel  Cummings  then  commanded  by  Lieuten 
ant-Colonel  Walker,  to  the  left,  to  meet  this  movement  of  the 
enemy  and  formed  the  Seventeenth  Tennessee  commanded  by  Lieu- 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


For  an  hour    now  the 
Colonel   Wai  thai  1,    and  the 


i  f 


I      I 


tenant-Colonel  Miller,  to  support  the  regiment  on  the  left.  The  regi 
ments  of  Murray,  Stanton  and  Cummings  were  driven  back  by  the 
enemy,  and  reforming  in  the  rear  of  the  Seventeenth  Tennessee,  that 
well  disciplined  regiment  met  and  held  in  check,  for  sometime,  the 
entire  right  wing  of  the  Northern  army.  These  regiments  on  my  left 
and  on  the  left  of  the  road  retired  across  the  field  a  distance  of  about  250 
yards,  and  there  for  a  time  repulsed  the  advancing  enemy.  Especially 
the  regiment  of  Colonel  Stanton,  partially  rallied  by  its  gallant  field 
officers,  formed  behind  a  fence,  poured  volleys  into  the  ranks  of 
the  enemy  coming  across  the  field,  repulsed  and  drove  them  back  for 
a  time  with  heavy  loss. 

Fifteenth  Mississippi   under   Lieutenant- 
Twentieth  Tennessee  under   Colonel  Joel 
A.    Battle,  of  my  center  and   right, 
had  been  struggling  with  the  superior 
force  of  the  enemy. 

I  cannot  omit  to  mention  the  heroic 
valor  of  these  two  regiments,  officers 
and  men.  When  the  left  retired  they 
were  flanked  and  compelled  to  leave 
their  position.  In  their  rear  on  the 

f|f"  **.*  lyl     right  of  the  road  was  the  regiment  of 

Bit  Colonel  Powell  (Twenty-ninth  Tenn 
essee),  which  had  been  formed  in  the 
rear  and  ordered  forward  by  me  some 
time  before.  General  Carroll  ordered 
this  regiment  to  face  the  flanking 
force  of  the  enemy,  which  was  cross 
ing  the  road  from  the  left  side.  This 
it  did  and  checked  them  with  a  raking 
fire  at  thirty  paces.  In  this  conflict 
Colonel  Powell  commanding  was  badly 
wounded.  The  Sixteenth  Alabama 
which  was  the  reserve  corps  of  my 
division,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Wood,  did  at  this  critical  juncture 
mosf'etmiiMf  ^rVrc^l* °  HWifcg  rushed  behind  the  right  and  center  it 
came  to  a  close  engagement  with  the  pursuing  enemy  to  protect  the 
flanks  and  rear  of  the  Fifteenth  Mississippi  and  Twentieth  Tennessee 
when  they  were  the  last,  after  long  fighting,  to  leave  the  front  line  of 
the  battle  and  \vell  led  by  its  commanding  officer,  in  conjunction  with 
the  portions  of  other  regiments,  it  effectually  prevented  pursuit  and 
protected  my  return  to  camp. 

Owing  to  the  formation  and  character  of  the  field  of  battle  I  was 
unable  to  use  my  artillery  and  cavalry  to  advantage  in  the  action. 
During  much  of  the  time  the  engagement  lasted  rain  was  falling. 
Many  of  the  men  were  armed  with  flint-locks  and  muskets  and  they 
became  soon  unserviceable. 

On  the  field  and  during  the  retreat  to  camp  some  of  the  regiments 
became  confused  and  broken  and  great  disorder  prevailed.  This  was 


SHELTON   CRO 


**, 


BATTLE  OF  FISHING  CREEK.  37 

owing  in  some  measure,  to  a  want  of  proper  drill  and  discipline  of 
which  the  army  had  been  much  deprived  by  reason  of  the  nature  of 
its  constant  service,  and  of  the  country  in  which  it  had  encamped. 

During  the  engagement  or  just  prior  to  it  the  force  under 
General  Thomas  was  increased  by  the  arrival  of  a  brigade 
from  his  rear,  which  I  had  hoped  would  not  arrive  until  the  engage 
ment  was  over.  This  made  the  force  of  the  enemy  twelve  thousand 
men.  My  effective  force  was  four  thousand.  The  engagement  lasted 
three  hours. 

My  loss  was  125  killed,  309  wounded,  and  99  missing,  as  follows: 

KILLED      WOUNDED      MISSING 

Fifteenth  Mississippi  Regiment 44  153  20 

Twentieth  Tennessee   (Battle) 33  59  18 

Nineteenth  Tennessee    (Cummings) 10  22  2 

Twenty-fifth  Tennessee   (Stanton) 10  28  17 

Seventeenth  Tennessee  (Newman) 11  25  2 

Twenty-eighth  Tennessee  (Murray) 345 

Twenty-ninth  Tennessee    (Powell) 5  12  10 

Sixteenth  Alabama 9  5  12 

Captain  Saunders'  Cavalry _.._  1 

The  loss  of  the  enemy  from  the  best  information  I  have  and 
statements  made  by  themselves  may  be  estimated  at  700  killed  and 
wounded.  It  was  larger  than  mine  from  the  fact  that  my  regiments 
on  the  left  after  being  driven  back,  fired  from  the  cover  of  woods  and 
fences  upon  the  large  numbers  advancing  upon  them  through  the  open 
field,  inflicting  heav}^  loss  and  sustaining  but  little. 

M}^  command  retired  to  Beech  Grove  without  any  annoyance  in 
the  rear  by  infantry  or  cavalry.  On  the  return  one  piece  of  artillery 
of  Captain  Rutledge's  battery  mired  down  and  was  left. 

To  myself,  to  the  army  and  to  the  country  the  fall  of  General 
Zolli coffer  was  a  severe  loss.  I  found  him  wise  in  council  and  heroic 
in  action.  He  fell  in  the  front,  close  to  the  enemy,  and  they  bore  off 
his  body.  Of  his  staff,  Lieutenants  Fogg  and  Shields  were  mortally 
wounded  and  have  since  died.  They  displayed  conspicuous  courage. 
Lieutenant  Bailie  Peyton  Jr.,  commanding-  company  A  (of  Battle's 
regiment)  was  killed  in  the  heat  of  the  action.  And  Joel  A.  Battle, 
Jr., was  badly  wounded  while  in  front  with  the  colors  of  his  regiment 
which  he  seized  when  the  bearer  was  shot  down.  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Carter,  a  distinguished  officer  of  the  same  regiment,  was  taken  pris- 
soner.  Colonel  Battle  commanded  with  marked  ability  and  courage. 
Colonel  Statham  of  the  Fifteenth  Mississippi  regiment,  was  absent  at 
the  time  of  the  battle  on  furlough.  His  regiment  was  most  gallantly 
led  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wai  thai! .  The  reputation  of  the  Mississip- 
pians  for  heroism  was  fully  sustained  by  this  regiment,  its  loss  in 
killed  and  wounded  which  was  far  greater  than  that  of  any  other 
regiment,  tells  sufficiently  the  story  of  discipline  and  courage.  The 
already  extended  limits  of  this  report  will  not  permit  me,  even  if  I 
had  them  at  hand,  to  enumerate  the  individual  acts  of  courage  with 
which  the  regiment  abounded.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  it  is  entitled  to 
all  praise. 

General  Carroll  in  his  dispositions  and  conduct  during  the  engage 
ment,  manifested  both  military  skill  and  personal  valor.  My  assist- 


38  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

ant  Adjutant-General  A.  S.  Cunningham,  and  my  aides  Lieutenants 
W.  W.  Porter  and  H.  I.  Thornton,  displayed  throughout  the  action 
intelligence,  activity  and  courage,  and  were  of  great  service  to  me. 
Major  James  E.  Brewer  being  with  me  at  the  time  volunteered 
as  my  aide  and  wras  very  active  and  gallant  during  the  battle.  Sur 
geons  Morton,  Clift  and  Dulany  unwilling  to  leave  the  wounded,  re 
mained  at  the  hospital  and  were  taken  prisoners  by  the  enemy. 

I  resumed  action  at  Beech  Grove  early  in  the  afternoon.  The 
enemy  followed  and  took  positions  in  force  on  my  left  center  ana 
right.  On  my  left  they  proceeded  to  establish  a  battery  which  was 
not  ready  before  nightfall.  They  opened  with  two  batteries — one  in 
front  of  my  center  and  one  on  my  right.  Captain  McClung  and 
Lieutenant  Falconet  commanding  a  section  of  the  battery  of  Captain 
Rutledge,  replied  to  the  battery  of  the  enemy  in  front.  From  the 
right  the  enemy  fired  upon  the  steamboat,  which  at  the  crossing,  was 
commanded  by  their  position.  Their  first  shots  fell  short;  afterwards, 
mounting  a  larger  gun  as  it  grew  dark,  they  fired  a  shot  or  two  over 
the  boat  and  awaited  the  morning  to  destroy  it.  The  steamboat 
destroyed,  the  crossing  of  the  river  would  have  been  impossible. 

I  considered  the  determination  in  the  council  of  war  on  the 
previous  evening  to  go  out  and  attack  the  enemy,  virtually  a  determi 
nation  that  Beech  Grove  was  untenable  against  his  concentrating 
force.  That  it  was  so  untenable  was  my  decided  opinion.  With  the 
morale  of  the  army  impaired  by  the  action  of  the  morning  and  the 
loss  of  what  cooked  rations  had  been  carried  to  the  field,  I  deemed  an 
immediate  crossing  of  the  Cumberland  river  necessary.  With  a  view 
to  retiring  from  Beech  Grove  I  had  already  some  days  before  ordered 
the  transfer  of  trains  and  horses  and  mules  to  Mill  Springs. 

On  the  evening  of  the  19th  I  called  in  consultation  General  Car 
roll,  Colonel  Cummings,  engineers,  artillery  and  other  officers,  and  it 
was  considered  best  by  all  to  retire  from  Beech  Grove. 

I  directed  at  once  that  the  crossing  should  be  effected  during  the 
night  with  every  effort  and  artifice  to  insure  perfect  concealment 
from  the  enemy  and  the  success  of  the  movement.  Great  difficulty 
attended  the  movement  from  the  high  and  muddy  banks  and  the  width 
and  heavy  current  of  the  river,  the  limited  means  of  transportation 
(the  small  steamboat  and  two  small  flats)  and  the  immediate  presence 
of  the  enemy  in  overwhelming  force.  I  ordered  the  men  to  be  crossed 
over — first  by  commands,  in  designated  order;  then  the  artillery  to  be 
crossed  over;  then  what  could  be  crossed  of  baggage  and  mules, 
horses,  wagons,  etc.  I  directed  the  cavalry  to  swim  their  horses  over. 
Time  only  permitted  to  cross,  the  enemy  being  under  arms,  the  sick 
and  wounded,  one  company  of  cavalry  mounted,  the  rest  of  the  cavalry 
dismounted,  the  artillery  men,  and  some  horses.  Many  cavalry  horses, 
artillery  horses,  mules,  wagons,  and  eleven  pieces  of  artillery,  with 
baggage  and  camp  and  garrison  equipage  were  left  behind. 

Much  is  due  to  the  energy,  skill  and  courage  of  Captain  Spiller 
of  the  cavalry,  who  commanded  the  boat,  and  continued  crossing  over 
with  it  until  fired  upon  by  the  enemy  in  the  morning,  when  he  burned 
it  by  my  directions, 


FIRST  LIEUTENANT  BAILIE  PEYTON,  JR.,  COMMANDING  CO.  A, 
20TH  TENNESSEE,  KILLED  IN  THE  BATTLE  OF  MILL  SPRINGS, 
19TII  OF  JANUARY,  1862. 


40  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th  I  had  my  command — nine  regiments 
of  infantry,  parts  of  four  battalions,  and  two  companies  of  cavalry 
(dismounted),  my  sick  and  wounded,  parts  of  two  artillery  companies, 
(without  guns  or  horses)  and  six  pieces  of  artillery  (manned)  on  the 
south  side  of  Cumberland  river,  at  Mill  Springs.  *On  the  other  side, 
at  Beech  Grove,  (without  any  means  of  crossing)  were  twenty-seven 
regiments  of  infantry,  with  cavalry  and  artillery  of  the  enemy. 

Any  further  collision  was  now  prevented,  but  the  want  of  com 
missary  stores  compelled  me  at  once  to  move  to  Gainesborough,  lower 
down  on  the  river  a  distance  of  eighty  miles,  and  the  nearest  point 
where  I  could  have  communication  by  water  with  Nashville  and  could 
obtain  supplies. 

My  march  was  through  a  poor  county  over  very  bad  roads.  It 
was  hard  to  obtain  the  necessaries  of  life  along  the  route,  and  from 
scant  subsistence  and  difficult  marching  my  command  suffered  greatly. 
Maj.  Giles  M.  Hillyer  of  my  staff,  (division  commissary),  with  untiring 
energy  and  marked  ability  exhausted  every  effort  in  the  management 
of  his  department  supplied  whatever  could  be  obtained,  and  in  some 
instances  sacrificed  the  forms  prescribed  for  purchase  and  distribu 
tion,  to  the  exigencies  of  the  occasion  and  the  necessities  of  the 
command. 

From  the  fatigues  of  the  march  and  the  want  of  proper  food, 
many  Avere  taken  sick.  I  am  much  gratified  to  commend  especially 
the  care  for  the  wounded  and  sick,  under  most  embarrassing  circum 
stances,  on  the  field  and  on  the  march,  under  the  efficient  charge  of 
the  accomplished  medical  director  of  my  division,  Dr.  F.  A.  Ramsey. 

From  Mill  Springs  and  on  the  first  stages  of  my  march,  many 
officers  and  men  frightened  by  the  false  rumor  of  the  movement  of 
the  enemy,  shamelessly  deserted  and  stealing  horses  and  mules  to 
ride,  fled  to  Knoxville,  Nashville,  and  other  places  in  Tennessee.  To 
prevent  this  I  used  every  endeavor  and  was  laboriously  assisted  by 
my  staff  and  other  officers  of  the  command. 

I  am  proud  to  say  that  the  field  officers  of  all  the  commands,  and 
some  commands  almost  entire,  and  the  main  body  of  each  command, 
remained  ready  to  do  their  duty  in  any  emergency,  except  one  bat 
talion  of  cavalry — which  had  not  been  in  the  battle,  of  which  the 
lieutenant-colonel,  together  with  some  other  officers  and  some  privates, 
were  absent  on  furlough — of  the  body  of  which  being  present  only 
one  captain,  several  officers  and  men — in  all  about  twenty-five — did 
not  run  away. 

From  Gainesborough  I  have  moved  my  division  to  this  point, 
where  it  is  refurnished  and  drilling,  and  I  have  the  honor  to  report 
that  it  is  ready  for  any  service  to  which  I  may  be  assigned. 

G.  B.  CRITTENDEN, 

Major-General  Provisional  Army  Confederate  States. 
LIEUT.  COL.  W.  W.  MACKALL, 

Assistant  Adjutant  General. 

The  Battle  of  Logan's  Cross-Roads  or  Mill  Springs  near  Fishing 
Creek,  January  19,  1862,  was  the  first  defeat  to  Southern  arms  in 


REPORT  OF  A.   SIDNEY  JOHNSON.  41 

the  west  and  the  fore-runner  to  the  evacuation  of  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee.  The  victory  of  Belmont,  Nov.  T,  1861,  was  over 
shadowed  by  this  crushing  defeat.  General  George  H.  Thomas  who 
commanded  the  federal  side  said  in  his  report,  that  Col.  S.  8.  Fry  of 
the  Fourth  U.  S.  regiment  was  slightly  wounded  whilst  he  and  regi 
ment  were  gallantly  resisting  the  advance  of  the  enemy  (meaning  the 
Confederates)  during  which  time  General  Zollicoffer  fell  from  a  shot 
from  his  (Col.  S.  S.  Fry's)  pistol  which  no  doubt  contributed  materially 
to  the  discomfiture  of  the  enemy.  Col.  Mahlon  Manson  commanding 
the  second  Federal  brigade  reports  to  General  Thomas  that  General 
Zollicoffer  fell  while  leading  on  his  men,  his  body  being  pierced  by 
three  bullets.  "All  the  papers  and  plans  of  the  late  General  Zolli 
coffer  have  fallen,"  he  says,  "into  my  hands  which  I  have  preserved  for 
the  future  use  of  the  Government." 

I  recollect  the  intense  excitement  as  well  as  gloom  pervading 
Southern  arms  that  the  Battle  of  Fishing  Creek  created,  and  of 
the  2:40  gait  made  by  some  of  our  panicked  soldiers  home.  Gen 
eral  Thomas  had  the  body  of  General  Zollicoffer  embalmed  and  also 
that  of  Lieutenant  Balie  Pay  ton  Jr.  killed  whilst  Commanding 
Co.  A.  20th  Tennessee  Regiment  and  sent  them  to  Lebanon, 
Kentucky,  thence  to  Louisville  and  thence  therefore  shipped  to 
Nashville,  (Zollicoffer's  home.)  The  remains  of  General  Zollicoffer 
under  the  direction  of  the  Confederate  authorities  layed  in  state,  at  the 
Tennessee  capitol  for  a  day  or  two  before  burial,  until  the  vast  throng 
of  citizens  and  soldiers  could  see  it.  When  I  saw  the  remains  I  was 
shown  where  one  ball  had  entered  his  body  in  the  breast,  but  whether 
there  were  any  other  bullet  holes,  I  cannot  recall.  The  occasion  of 
the  killing  of  General  Zollicoffer  who  was  not  only  a  Brigadier-General 
in  the  Civil  War  between  the  States  on  the  Southern  side,  but  also  a 
man  who  had  before  the  war  been  so  prominent  as  an  editor  and  Whig 
politician  and  the  hero  of  several  notable  duels,  impressed  my  }roung 
mind  so  deeply,  that  I  can  even  now  see  myself  in  my  mind's  eye, 
passing  around  his  bier  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  amongst 
the  vast  throng  viewing  his  remains;  his  sword  upon  the  coffin 
sheathed  in  rest  with  the  body  that  wielded  it,  and  his  uniform  as 
faultlessly  arranged  as  on  dress-parade.  In  the  old  cemetery  in  Nash 
ville  Tennessee,  where  Robinson  and  Grundy  and  many  Tennessee  cele- 
breties  are  sleeping,  is  General  Felix  K.  Zollicoffer's  monument,  whose 
inscription,  tells  of  the  time  and  place  and  circumstances  attending 
his  heroic  death.  Lieutenants  Godfrey  M.  Fogg,  and  Shields,  of 
Nashville,  Aids  of  Zollicoffer  were  killed  with  him.  In  the  march  to  the 
cemetery  the  remains  of  Zollicoffer  wrere  accompanied  by  his  fine  horse, 
which  at  that  time  was  brought  to  Nashville  with  a  hole  in  his  right 
ear,  said  to  have  been  received  when  Zollicoffer  fell. 


Report  of  General  A.  Sidney  Johnston,  C.  S.    Army,    commanding 
Western  Department. 

Headquarters  Western  Department. 

Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  February  8th,  1862. 
Sir: — No  reliable   particulars   of   the  loss  of  Fort  Henry  have 


42  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

reached  me.  This  much,  however,  is  known,  that  nearly  all  of  the 
force  at  Fort  Henry  retreated  to  Fort  Donelson,  and  it  is  said  that 
General  Tilghman  and  about  eighty  officers  and  men  surrendered  in 
the  fort. 

The  capture  of  that  fort  by  the  enemy  gives  them  control  of  the 
navigation  of  the  Tennessee  river,  and  their  gunboats  are  now  ascend 
ing  the  river  to  Florence. 

Operations  against  Fort  Donelson  on  the  Cumberland,  are  about 
to  be  commenced  and  the  works  will  soon  be  attacked. 

The  slight  resistance  at  Fort  Henry  indicates  that  the  best  open 
earthworks  are  not  reliable  to  meet  successfully  a  vigorous  attack  of 
ironclad  gunboats,  and  although  now  supported  by  a  considerable 
force.  I  think  the  gunboats  of  the  enemy  will  probably  take  Fort 
Donelson  without  the  necessity  of  employing  their  land  force  in 
co-operation  as  seems  to  have  been  done  at  Fort  Heniy. 

Our  force  at  Fort  Donelson,  including  the  force  from  Fort  Henry 
and  three  regiments  from  General  Floyd's  command  is  about  7,000 
men,  not  well  armed  or  drilled,  except  Heiman's  regiments  of  Floyd's 
command. 

General  Floyd's  command  and  the  force  from  Hopkinsville  is 
arriving  at  Clarksville  and  can  (if  necessary)  reach  Donelson  in  four 
hours  by  steamers,  which  are  there. 

Should  Fort  Donelson  be  taken,  it  will  open  the  route  to  the 
enemy  to  Nashville,  giving  the  means  of  breaking  the  bridges  and 
destroying  the  ferryboats  on  the  river  as  far  as  navigable. 

The  occurrence  of  the  misfortune  of  losing  the  fort  will  cut  off  the 
communication  of  the  force  here  under  General  Hardee,  from  the 
south  bank  of  the  Cumberland.  To  avoid  the  disastrous  consequences 
of  such  an  event  I  ordered  General  Hardee  yesterday,  to  make  (as 
promptly  as  could  be  done)  preparations  to  fall  back  to  Nashville  and 
cross  the  river. 

The  movements  of  the  enemy  on  my  right  flank  would  have  made 
a  retrograde  in  that  direction  to  confront  the  enemy  indispensable  in  a 
short  time.  But  the  probability  of  having  the  passage  of  this  army 
corps  across  the  Cumberland  intercepted  by  gunboats  of  the  enemy 
admits  of  no  delay  in  making  the  movement. 

Generals  Beauregard  and  Hardee  are  equally  with  myself  im 
pressed  with  the  necessity  of  withdrawing  our  forces  from  the  line  at 
once. 

With  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  8.  JOHNSTON, 

General,  C.  S.  Army. 
HON.  J.  P.  BENJAMIN, 

Secretary  of  War. 


Richmond,  Va.,  August  9,  1862. 

General: — Enclosed  you  will  please  find  a  copy  of  my  official 
report  of  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Henry,  on  February  6,  1862,  by  the 
Federal  fleet,  together  with  accompanying  papers.  The  original  of  this 
report  was  farwarded  from  Alton,  ill.,  but  not  having  reached  your 


REPORT  OF  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  LLOYD  TILGHMAN.  43 

office,  I  prepared  a  copy  of  same  at  the  earliest  moment  practicable 
since  my  release  from  Fort  Warren,  Mass. 

I  remain  respectfullly,  your  obedient  servant, 

LLOYD  TILGHMAN, 

Brigadier-General,  C.  8.  Army,  Commanding. 
8.  COOPER, 

Adjutant  and  Inspector  General  C.  8.  Army. 
(Enclosure) 

February  12th,  1862. 

Sir: — My  communication  of  the  7th  inst.,  sent  from  Fort  Henry, 
having  announced  the  fact  of  the  surrender  of  the  Fort  to  Commodore 
Foote,  of  the  Federal  Navy,  on  the  6th,  inst. ,  I  have  now  the  honor  to 
submit  the  following  report  of  the  details  of  the  action,  together  with 
the  accompanying  papers  (marked  A  and  B,)  containing  a  list  of  officers 
and  men  surrendered,  together  with  casualties,  etc. 

On  Monday,  Feb.  3rd,  in  company  with  Major  Gilmer  of  the 
engineers,  I  completed  the  inspection  of  the  main  work  as  well  as  out 
works  at  Fort  Heiman,  south  of  the  Tennessee  river,  as  far  as  I  had 
been  able  to  perfect  them,  and  also  the  main  work,  intrenched  camp, 
and  exterior  line  of  rifle  pits  at  Fort  Henry.  At  10  a.  m.  that  morn 
ing  (the  pickets  on  both  sides  of  the  Tennessee  river  extended  well  in 
our  front,  having  reported  no  appearance  of  the  enemy,)  I  left,  in 
company  with  Major  Gilmer  for  Fort  Donelson,  for  the  purpose,  of 
inspecting  with  him  the  defense  of  that  place. 

Tuesday,  the  4th,  inst.,  was  spent  in  making  a  thorough  exam 
ination  of  all  the  defenses  at  Fort  Donelson.  At  noon  heard  heavy 
firing  at  Fort  Henry  for  half  an  hour.  At  4  p.  m.  a  courier  reached 
me  from  Colonel  Heiman  at  Fort  Henry,  informing  me  that  the  enemy 
were  landing  in  strong  force  at  Bailey's  Ferry  three  miles  below  and  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  river. 

Delaying  no  longer  than  was  necessary  to  give  all  proper  orders 
for  the  arrangement  of  matters  at  Fort  Donelson,  I  left  with  an  escort 
of  Tennessee  cavalry  under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Gantt, 
for  Fort  Henry,  accompanied  by  Major  Gilmer  and  reached  that  place 
at  11:30  p.  m.  I  soon  became  satisfied  that  the  enemy  was  really  in 
strong  force  at  Bailey's  Ferry,  with  every  indication  of  re-enforce 
ments  arriving  constantly. 

Colonel  Heiman  of  the  Tenth  Tennessee  commanding  with  most 
commendable  alacrity  and  good  judgment,  had  thrown  forward  to  the 
outworks  covering  the  Dover  road  two  pieces  of  light  artillery,  sup 
ported  by  a  detachment  from  the  Fourth  Missouri  regiment,  under 
command  of  Capt.  W.  C.  Red.  8couting  parties  of  cavalry  operating 
on  both  sides  of  the  river  had  been  pushed  forward  to  within  a  very 
short  distance  of  the  enemy's  line.  Without  a  moment's  delay  after 
reaching  the  fort,  I  proceeded  to  arrange  the  available  force  to  meet 
whatever  contingency  might  arise. 

The  first  brigade,  under  Colonel  Heiman,  was  composed  of  the 
Tenth  Tennessee,  Lieutenant-Colonel  MacGavock  commanding;  the 
Twenty-seventh  Alabama,  under  Colonel  Hughes;  the  Forty-eighth 
Tennessee,  under  Colonel  Voorhies;  light  battery  of  four  pieces,  com- 


44  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

manded  by  Captain  Culbertson,  and  the  Tennessee  battalion  of  cavalry, 
under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Gantt.  Total  officers  and  men,  1,444. 

The  second  brigade,  Col.  Joseph  Drake  (Fourth  Mississippi  reg 
iment)  commanding,  was  composed  of  the  Fourth  Mississippi  under 
Major  Adaire;  the  Fifteenth  Arkansas,  Colonel  Gee;  the  Fifty-first 
Tennessee,  Colonel  Browder;  Alabama  battalion,  Major  Garvin;  light 
battery  of  three  pieces,  under  Captain  Grain;  the  Alabama  battalion 
of  cavalry;  Captain  Miller's  company  of  cavalry,  with  Captain  Pad 
gett's  spy  company,  and  a  detachment  of  rangers,  under  Acting 
Captain  Milton.  Total  officers  and  men,  1,215.  The  heavy  artillery, 
under  command  of  Captain  Taylor,  numbering  seventy-five  men,  were 
placed  at  the  guns  in  Fort  Henry. 

As  indicated  sometime  since  to  the  general  commanding  the 
department,  I  found  it  impossible  to  hold  the  commanding  ground  south 
of  the  Tennessee  river  with  the  small  force  of  badly  armed  men  at  my 
command.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  all  my  defenses  were  com 
manded  by  the  high  ground  on  which  I  had  commenced  the  construct 
ion  of  Fort  Heiman,  I  deemed  it  proper  to  trust  to  the  fact  that  the 
extremely  bad  roads  leading  to  that  point  would  prevent  the  move 
ment  of  heavy  guns  by  the  enemy,  by  which  I  might  be  annoyed,  and 
leaving  the  Alabama  battalion  of  cavalry  and  Captain  Padgett's  spy 
company  on  the  western  bank  of  the  river,  transferred  the  force 
encamped  on  that  side  to  the  opposite  bank.  At  the  time  of  receiving 
the  first  intimation  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  the  Forty-eighth 
and  Fifty-first  Tennessee  regiments  having  only  just  reported,  were 
encamped  at  Danville  and  at  the  mouth  of  Sandy,  and  had  to  be  moved 
from  five  to  twenty  miles  in  order  to  reach  Fort  Henry.  This  move 
ment  together  with  the  transfer  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Alabama  and 
Fifteenth  Arkansas  regiments  from  Fort  Heiman  across  the  river,  was 
all  perfected  by  5  a.  m.  on  the  morning  of  the  5th. 

Earh^  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  the  enemy  were  plainly  to  be 
seen  at  Bailey's  Ferry  three  miles  below.  The  large  number  of  heavy 
transports  reported  by  our  scouts  gave  evidence  of  the  fact  that  the 
enemy  was  there  in  force  even  at  that  time  and  the  arrival  every 
hour  of  additional  boats  showed  conclusively  that  I  should  be  engaged 
with  a  heavy  force  by  land,  while  the  presence  of  seven  gunboats 
mounting  fifty-four  guns,  indicated  plainly  that  a  joint  attack  was 
contemplated  by  land  and  wrater. 

On  leaving  Fort  Donelson  I  ordered  Colonel  Head  to  hold  his  own 
and  Colonel  Sugg's  regiments,  Tennessee  volunteers,  with  two  pieces 
of  artillery,  ready  to  move  at  a  moment's  warning,  with  three  days' 
cooked  rations,  and  without  camp  equipage  or  wagon  train  of  any 
kind,  except  enough  to  carry  the  surplus  ammunition. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  I  ordered  him,  in  case  nothing  more 
had  been  heard  from  the  country  below,  on  the  Cumberland,  at  the 
time  of  the  arrival  of  my  messenger,  indicating  an  intention  on  the 
part  of  the  enemy  to  invest  Fort  Donelson,  to  move  out  with  the  two 
regiments  and  the  two  pieces  of  artillery  and  to  take  position  at  the  Fur 
nace  half  way  on  the  Dover  road  to  Fort  Henry;  the  force  embraced 
in  his  order  was  about  750  men,  to  act  as  circumstances  might  dictate. 


REPORT  OF  BRIGADIER- GENERAL  LLOYD  TILGHMAN.  45 

Thus  matters  stood  at  9  a.  m.  on  the  morning  of  the  5th.  The 
wretched  military  position  of  Fort  Henry  and  the  small  force  at  my 
disposal  did  not  permit  me  to  avail  myself  of  the  advantages  to  be 
derived  from  the  system  of  outwork  built  with  the  hope  of  being 
re-enforced  in  time,  and  compelled  me  to  determine  to  concentrate  my 
efforts  by  land  within  the  rifle  pits  surrounding  the  camp  of  the  Tenth 
Tennessee  and  Fourth  Mississippi  regiments  in  case  I  deemed  it  possible 
to  do  more  than  operate  solelv  against  the  attack  by  the  river.  Accord 
ingly  my  entire  command  was  paraded  and  placed  in  the  rifle  pits 
around  the  above  camps,  and  minute  instructions  given,  not  only  to 
brigades,  but  to  regiments  and  companies,  as  to  the  exact  ground 
each  was  to  occupy.  Seconded  by  the  able  assistance  of  Major  Gilmer, 
of  the  engineers,  of  whose  valuable  service  I  thus  early  take  pleasure 
in  speaking,  and  by  Colonels  Heiman  and  Drake,  everything  was 
arranged  to  make  a  formidable  resistance  against  anything  like  fair 
odds. 

It  was  known  to  me  on  the  day  before  that  the  enemy  had 
reconnoitered  the  roads  leading  to  Fort  Donelson  from  Bailey's  Ferry 
by  wa}^  of  Iron  Mountain  Furnace,  and  at  10  a.  m.  on  the  5th  I  sent 
forward  from  Fort  Henry  a  strong  reconnoitering  party  of  cavalry. 
They  had  not  advanced  more  than  one  and  one-half  miles  in  the 
direction  of  the  enemy  when  they  encountered  their  reconnoitering 
party.  Our  cavalry  charged  them  in  gallant  style,  upon  which  the 
enemy's  cavalry  fell  back,  with  a  loss  of  only  one  man  on  each  side. 
Very  soon  the  main  body  of  the  Federal  advance  guard,  composed  of 
a  regiment  of  infantry,  and  a  large  force  of  cavalry,  was  met,  upon 
which  our  cavalry  retreated. 

On  receipt  of  this  news  I  moved  out  in  person  with  live  compan 
ies  of  the  Fourth  Mississippi,  and  fifty  cavalry,  ordering  at  the  same 
time  two  additional  companies  of  infantry  to  support  Captain  Red  at 
the  outworks.  Upon  advancing  well  to  the  front  I  found  that  the 
enemy  had  retired.  I  returned  to  camp  at  5  p.  m.  leaving  Captain 
Red  re-enforced  at  the  out-works.  The  enemy  were  again  re-enforced 
by  the  arrival  of  a  number  of  large  transports. 

At  night  the  pickets  from  the  west  bank  reported  the  landing  of 
troops  on  that  side  (opposite  Bailey's  Ferry,)  their  advance  picket 
having  been  met  one  and  one-half  miles  from  the  river.  I  at  once 
ordered  Captain  Hubbard,  of  the  Alabama  cavalry,  to  take  fifty  men, 
and,  if  possible,  surprise  them.  The  inclemenc}7  of  the  weather,  the 
rain  having  commenced  to  fall  in  torrents,  prevented  an}^thing  being 
accomplished. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  Captain  Padgett  reported  the 
arrival  of  five  additional  transports  eveiy  night,  and  the  landing  of  a 
large  force  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river  at  the  point  indicated  above. 
From  that  time  up  to  9  o'clock  it  appeared  as  though  the  force  on 
the  east  bank  was  again  re-enforced,  which  was  subsequently  proven 
to  be  true. 

The  movements  of  the  fleet  of  gunboats  at  an  early  hour  pre 
vented  any  communication,  except  b}^  a  light  barge,  with  the  western 
bank,  and  by  10  a.  m.  it  was  plain  that  the  boats  intended  to  engage 


46  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

the  fort  with  their  entire  force,  aided  by  an  attack  on  the  right  and 
left  flanks  from  the  two  land  forces  in  overwhelming  numbers. 

To  understand  properly  the  difficulties  of  my  position  it  is  right 
that  I  should  explain  fully  the  unfortunate  location  of  Fort  Henry  in 
reference  to  resistence  by  a  small  force  against  an  attack  by  land 
co-operating  with  the  gunboats,  as  well  as  its  disadvantage  in  even  au 
engagement  with  boats  alone.  The  entire  fort,  together  with  the 
intrenched  camp  spoken  of,  is  enfiladed  from  three  or  four  points  on 
the  opposite  shore,  while  three  points  on  the  eastern  bank  completely 
command  them  both,  all  at  easy  cannon  range.  At  the  same  time  the 
entrenched  camp,  arranged  as  it  was  in  the  best  possible  manner  to 
meet  the  case,  was  two-thirds  of  it  completely  under  the  control  of  the 
fire  of  the  gunboats.  The  history  of  military  engineering  records  no 
parallel  in  this  case.  Points  within  a  few  miles  of  it,  possessing  great 
advantage  and  few  disadvantages,  were  totally  neglected,  and  a  location 
fixed  upon  without  one  redeeming  feature  or  filling  one  of  the  many 
requirements  of  a  site  for  a  work  such  as  Fort  Henry.  The  work 
itself  was  wrell  built;  it  was  completed  long  before  I  took  command, 
but  strengthened  greatly  by  myself  in  building  embrasuers  and 
epaulements  of  sand  bags.  An  enemy  had  but  to  use  their  common 
sense  in  obtaining  the  advantage  of  high  water,  as  was  the  case,  to 
have  complete  and  entire  control  of  the  position.  I  am  guilty  of  no 
act  of  injustice  in  this  frank  avowal  of  the  opinions  entertained  by 
myself,  as  well  as  by  all  other  officers  who  have  become  familiar  with 
the  location  of  Fort  Henry;  nor  do  I  desire  the  defects  of  location  to 
have  an  undue  influence  in  directing  public  opinion  in  relation  to  the 
battle  of  the  6th  instant.  The  fort  was  built  when  I  took  charge,  and 
I  had  no  time  to  build  anew.  With  this  seeming  digression,  rendered 
necessary,  as  I  believe,  to  a  correct  understanding  of  the  whole  affair, 
I  will  proceed  with  the  details  of  the  subsequent  movements  of  the 
troops  under  my  command. 

By  10  a.  m.  on  the  6th  the  movements  of  the  gunboats  and  land 
force  indicated  an  immediate  engagement,  and  in  such  force  as  gave 
me  no  room  to  change  my  previously  conceived  opinions  as  to  what, 
under  such  circumstances,  should  be  my  course.  The  case  stood  thus: 
I  had  at  my  command  a  grand  total  of  2,610  men,  only  one-third  of 
whom  had  been  at  all  disciplined  or  well  armed.  The  high  water  in 
the  river  filling  the  sloughs  gave  me  but  one  route  by  which  to  retire, 
if  necessary,  and  that  route  for  some  distance  in  a  direction  at  right 
angles  to  the  line  of  approach  of  the  enemy,  and  over  roads  well  nigh 
impassible  for  artillery,  cavalry,  or  infantry.  The  enemy  had  seven 
gunboats  with  an  armament  of  fifty-four  guns,  to  engage  the  eleven 
guns  at  Fort  Henry.  General  Grant  was  moving  up  the  east  bank  of 
the  river  from  the  landing,  three  miles  below,  with  a  force  of  12,000  men, 
verified  afterwards  by  his  own  statement,  while  General  Smith,  with 
6,000  men,  was  moving  up  the  west  bank,  to  take  a  position  within 
400  or  500  yards,  which  would  enable  him  to  enfilade  my  entire  works. 
The  hopes  (founded  on  a  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  the  enemy  had 
reconnoitered  on  the  two  previous  days  thoroughly  the  several  roads 
leading  to  Fort  Donelson)  that  a  portion  only  of  the  land  force  would 


REPORT  OF  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  LLOYD  TILGHMAN.  47 

co-operate  with  the  gunboats  in  an  attack  on  the  fort  were  dispelled, 
and  but  little  time  left  me  to  meet  this  change  in  the  circumstances 
which  surrounded  me.  I  argued  thus:  Fort  Donelson  might  possibly 
be  held,  if  properly  re-enforced;  even  though  Fort  Henry  should  fall, 
but  the  reverse  of  this  proposition  was  not  true.  The  force  at  Fort 
Henry  was  necessary  to  aid  Fort  Donelson  either  in  making  a  succesful 
defense  or  in  holding  it  long  enough  to  answer  the  purposes  of  a  new 
disposition  of  the  entire  enemy  from  Bowling  Green  to  Columbus, 
which  would  necessarily  follow  the  breaking  of  our  center,  resting  on 
Forts  Donelson  and  Henry.  The  latter  alternative  was  all  that  I 
deemed  possible.  I  knew  that  re-enforcements  were  difficult  to  be 
had,  and  that  unless  sent  in  such  force  as  to  make  the  defense  certain, 
which  I  did  not  believe  practicable,  the  fate  of -our  right  wing  at 
Bowling  Green  depended  upon  a  concentration  of  my  entire  division 
on  Fort  Donelson  and  the  holding  of  that  place  as  long  as  possible. 
Trusting  that  the  delay  by  an  action  at  Fort  Henry  would  give  time 
for  such  re-enforcements  as  might  reasonably  be  expected  to  reach  a 
point  sufficiently  near  Fort  Donelson  to  co-operate  with  my  division, 
by  getting  to  the  rear  and  right  flank  of  the  enemy,  and  in  such  a 
position  as  to  control  the  roads  over  which  a  safe  retreat  might  be 
effected.  I  hesitated  not  a  moment.  My  infantry,  artillery,  and 
cavalry,  removed  of  necessity  to  avoid  the  fire  of  the  gunboats  to  the 
outworks,  could  not  meet  the  enemy  there;  my  only  chance  was  to 
delay  the  enemy  every  moment  possible  and  retire  the  command,  now 
outside  the  main  work,  towards  Fort  Donelson,  resolving  to  suffer  as 
little  loss  as  possible.  I  retained  only  the  heavy  artillery  company  to 
fight  the  guns,  and  gave  the  order  to  commence  the  movement  at  once. 

At  10:15  o'clock  Lieutenant-Colonel  MacGavock  sent  a  messenger 
to  me,  stating  that  our  pickets  reported  General  Grant  approaching 
rapidly  and  within  half  a  mile  of  the  advance  work,  and  movements 
on  the  west  bank  indicated  that  General  Smith  was  fast  approaching 
also.  The  enemy,  ignorant  of  any  movement  of  my  main  body,  but 
knowing  that  they  could  not  engage  them  behind  our  entrenched  camp 
until  after  the  fort  was  reduced  ,or  the  gunboats  retired,  without 
being  themselves  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  latter,  took  a  position  north 
of  the  forks  of  the  river  road,  in  a  dense  wood  (my  order  being  to 
retreat  by  way  of  the  Stewart  road,)  to  await  the  result. 

At  11  a.  m.  the  flotilla  assumed  their  line  of  battle.  I  had  no 
hope  of  being  able  successfully  to  defend  the  fort  against  such  over 
whelming  odds,  both  in  point  of  numbers  and  in  caliber  of  guns.  My 
object  was  to  save  the  main  body  by  delaying  matters  as  long  as 
possible,  and  to  this  end  I  bent  every  effort. 

At  precisely  11:45  a.  in.  the  enemy  opened  from  their  gunboats 
on  the  fort.  I  waited  a  few  moments  until  the  effects  from  the  first 
shots  of  the  enemy  were  fully  appreciated.  I  then  gave  the  order  to 
return  the  fire,  which  was  gallantly  responded  to  by  the  brave  little 
band  under  my  command.  The  enemy,  with  great  deliberation, 
steadily  closed  upon  the  fort,  firing  very  wild  until  within  1,200 
yards.  The  cool  deliberation  of  our  men  told  from  the  first  shot 
fired  with  tremendous  effect. 


48  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

At  12:35  p.  in.  the  bursting  of  our  24-pounder  rilled  gun  disabled 
every  man  at  the  piece.  This  great  loss  was  to  us  in  a  degree  made 
up  by  our  disabling  entirely  the  Essex  gunboat,  which  immediately 
floated  down  stream.  Immediately  after  the  loss  of  this  valuable  gun 
we  sustained  another  loss,  still  greater,  in  the  closing  up  of  the  vent 
of  the  ten-inch  columbiad,  rendering  the  gun  perfectly  useless  and 
defying  all  efforts  to  reopen  it.  The  fire  on  both  sides  was  now  per 
fectly  terrific.  The  enemy's  entire  force  was  engaged,  doing  us  but 
little  harm,  while  our  shot  fell  with  unerring  certainty  upon  them 
and  with  stunning  effect.  At  this  time  a  question  presented  itself  to 
me  with  no  inconsiderable  degree  of  embarrassment.  The  moment 
had  arrived  when  I  should  join  the  main  body  of  troops  retiring  toward 
Fort  Donelson,  the  safety  of  which  depended  upon  a  protracted  defense 
of  the  fort.  It  was  equally  plain  that  the  gallant  men  working  the 
batteries,  for  the  first  time  under  fire,  with  all  their  heroism,  needed 
my  presence.  Colonel  Heiman,  the  next  in  command,  had  returned 
to  the  fort  for  instructions.  The  men  working  the  heavy  guns  were 
becoming  exhausted  with  the  rapid  firing.  Another  gun  became  use 
less  by  an  accident,  and  yet  another  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell  imme 
diately  after,  striking  the  muzzle,  involving  the  loss  of  two  men  and 
disabling  several  others.  The  effect  of  my  absence  at  such  a  critical 
moment  would  have  been  disastrous.  At  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
many  of  my  officers  and  men  I  determined  to  remain,  and  ordered 
Colonel  Heiman  to  join  his  command  and  keep  up  the  retreat  in  good 
order,  while  I  should  fight  the  guns  as  long  as  one  man  was  left,  and 
sacrifice  myself  to  save  the  main  body  of  my  troops. 

No  sooner  was  this  decision  made  known  than  new  energy  was 
infused.  The  enemy  closed  upon  the  fort  to  within  600  yards,  improv 
ing  very  much  in  their  fire,  which  now  began  to  tell  with  great  effect 
upon  the  parapets,  while  the  fire  from  our  guns  (now  reduced  to 
seven)  was  returned  with  such  deliberation  and  judgment  that  we 
scarcely  missed  a  shot.  A  second  one  of  the  gunboats  retired,  but  I 
believe  was  brought  into  action  again. 

At  1:10  p.  m.,  so  completely  broken  down  were  the  men,  but 
that  for  the  fact  that  four  only  of  our  guns  were  then  really  serviceable  1 
could  not  well  have  worked  a  greater  number.  The  fire  was  still  con 
tinued  with  great  energy  and  tremendous  effect  upon  the  enemy's 
boats. 

At  1:30  p.  m.  I  took  charge  of  one  of  the  32-pounders  to  relieve 
the  chief  of  that  piece,  who  had  worked  with  ^reat  effect  from  the 
beginning  of  the  action.  I  gave  the  flag  ship  Cincinnati  two  shots, 
which  had  the  effect  to  check  a  movement  intended  to  enfilade  the 
only  guns  now  left  me.  It  was  now  plain  to  be  seen  that  the  enemy 
were  breaching  the  fort  directly  in  front  of  our  guns,  and  that  I  could 
not  much  longer  sustain  their  fire  without  an  unjustifiable  exposure  of 
the  valuable  lives  of  the  men  who  had  so  nobly  seconded  me  in  this 
unequal  struggle. 

Several  of  my  officers,  Major  Gilmer  among  the  number,  now 
suggested  to  m?  the  propriety  of  taking  the  subject  of  surrender  into 
consideration.  Every  moment  I  knew  was  of  vast  importance  to 


REPORT  OF  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  LLOYD  TILGHMAN.  49 

those  retreating  on  Fort  Donelson,  and  I  declined,  hoping  to  find  men 
enough  at  hand  to  continue  a  while  longer  the  fire  now  so  destructive 
to  the  enemy.  In  this  I  was  disappointed.  My  next  effort  was  to  try 
the  experiment  of  a  flag  of  truce,  which  I  waved  from  the  parapets 
myself.  This  was  precisely  at  1:50  p.  m.  The  flag  was  not  noticed, 
i  presume,  from  the  dense  smoke  that  enveloped  it,  and  leaping  again 
into  the  fort  continued  the  fire  for  five  minutes,  when,  with  the  advice 
of  my  brother  officers,  I  ordered  the  flag  to  be  lowered,  and  after  an 
engagement  of  two  hours  and  ten  minutes  with  such  an  unequal  force 
the  surrender  was  made  to  Flag-Officer  Foote,  represented  by  Captain 
Stembel,  commanding  gunboat  Cincinnati,  and  was  qualified  by  the 
single  condition  that  all  officers  should  retain  their  side  arms,  that 
both  officers  and  men  should  be  treated  with  the  highest  consideration 
due  prisoners  of  war,  which  was  promptly  and  gracefully  acceded  to 
by  Commodore  Foote. 

The  retreat  of  the  main  body  was  effected  in  good  order,  though 
involving  the  loss  of  about  twenty  prisoners,  who  from  sickness  and 
other  causes  were  unable  to  encounter  the  heavy  roads.  The  rear  of 
the  army  was  overtaken  at  a  distance  of  some  three  miles  from  Fort 
Henry  by  a  body  of  the  enemy's  cavalry,  but,  on  being  engaged  by  a 
small  body  of  our  men,  under  Major  Garvin,  were  repulsed  and 
retired. 

This  fact  alone  shows  the  necessity  of  the  policy  pursued  by  me 
in  protracting  the  defense  of  the  fort  as  long  as  possible,  which  only 
could  have  been  done  by  my  consenting  to  stand  by  the  brave  little 
band.  No  loss  was  sustained  by  our  troops  with  this  affair  with  the 
enemy. 

1  have  understood  from  the  enemy  that  several  pieces  of  artillery 
also  were  lost,  it  being  entirely  impossible  to  move  them  over  four  or 
five  miles  with  the  indifferent  teams  attached  to  them. 

The  entire  absence  of  transportation  rendered  any  attempt  to 
move  the  camp  equipage  of  the  regiments  impossible.  This  may  be 
regarded  as  fortune,  as  the  roads  were  utterly  impassable,  not  only 
from  the  rains,  but  the  backwater  of  Tennessee  river. 

A  small  amount  of  quartermaster's  and  commissary  stores, 
together  with  what  was  left  of  the  ordinance  stores,  were  lost  to  us 
also. 

The  tents  of  the  Alabama  regiment  were  left  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  river,  the  gunboats  preventing  an  opportunity  to  cross  them  over. 

Our  casualties  may  be  reported  strictly  as  follows:  Killed  by 
the  enemy,  2;  wounded  severely  by  the  enemy  (one  since  dead,)  3; 
wounded  slightly  by  the  enemy,  2;  killed  by  premature  explosion,  2; 
wounded  seriously  by  premature  explosion,  1;  slightly  wounded,  1; 
temporarily  disabled  by  explosion  of  rifle  gun, 5.  Making  total  killed, 
5;  seriously  wounded,  3;  slightly  wounded,  3;  disabled,  5;  missing,  5. 
Total  casualties,  21. 

The  total  casualties  of  the  enemy  were  stated  in  my  presence  on 
the  following  morning  to  be  seventy-three,  including  one  officer  of 
the  Essex  killed,  and  Captain  Porter,  commanding  the  Essex,  badly 
scalded. 


50  BATTLES  ANG  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

The  enemy  report  the  number  of  shots  that  struck  their  vessels  to 
have  been  seventy-four,  twenty-eight  of  which  struck  the  flagship  Cin 
cinnati  so  disabling  her  as  to  compel  her  to  return  to  Cairo.  The  Essex 
received  twenty-two  shots,  one  of  which  passed,  we  know,  entirely 
through  the  ship,  opening  one  of  the  boilers  and  taking  off  the  head  of 
Captain  Porter's  aid-de-camp.  Several  shots  passed  entirely  through 
the  Cincinnati,  while  her  outer  works  were  completely  riddled.  The 
weak  points  in  all  their  vessels  were  known  to  us,  and  the  cool  precision 
of  our  firing  developed  them,  showing  conclusively  that  this  class  of 
boats,  though  formidable,  cannot  stand  the  test  of  even  the  32-pounders, 
much  less  the  24-caliber  rifled  shot  or  that  of  the  10-inch  columbiad. 
It  should  be  remembered  that  these  results  were  principally  from  no 
heavier  metal  than  the  ordinary  32-pounders,  using  solid  shot,  fired  at 
point-blank,  giving  the  vessels  all  the  advantage  of  their  peculiar 
structures,  with  plains  meeting  this  fire  at  angles  of  forty-five  degrees. 
The  immense  area,  forming  what  may  be  called  the  roof,  is  in  every 
respect  vulnerable  to  either  a  plunging  fire  from  even  32-pounders,  or 
a  curved  line  of  fire  from  heavy  guns.  In  the  latter  case  shell  should 
be  used  in  preference  to  shot. 

Confident  of  having  performed  my  whole  duty  to  my  Govern 
ment  in  the  defense  of  Fort  Henry,  with  the  totally  inadequate  means 
at  my  disposal,  I  have  but  little  to  add  in  support  of  the  views  before 
expressed.  The  reasons  for  the  line  of  policy  pursued  by  me  are  to 
my  mind  convincing. 

Against  such  overwhelming  odds  as  16,000  well  armed  men 
(exclusive  of  the  force  on  the  gunboats)  to  2,610  badly  armed,  in  the 
field,  and  fifty-four  heavy  guns  against  eleven  medium  ones  in  the 
fort,  no  tactics  or  bravery  could  avail. 

The  rapid  movements  of  the  enemy,  with  every  facility  at  their 
command,  rendered  the  defense  from  the  beginning  a  hopeless  one. 

I  succeeded  in  doing  even  more  than  was  to  be  hoped  for  at  first. 
I  not  only  saved  my  entire  command  outside  the  fort,  but  damaged 
materially  the  flotilla  of  the  enemy,  demonstrating  thoroughly  a  prob 
lem  of  infinite  value  to  us  in  the  future. 

Had  I  been  re-enforced,  so  as  to  have  justified  my  meeting  the 
enemy  at  the  advanced  works,  I  might  have  made  good  the  land 
defense  on  the  east  bank.  I  made  no  inquiry  as  to  why  I  was  not, 
for  I  have  entire  confidence  in  the  judgment  of  my  commanding 
general. 

The  elements  even  were  against  us,  and  had  the  enemy  delayed 
his  attack  a  few  days,  with  the  river  rising,  one-third  of  the  entire 
fortifications  (already  affected  by  it)  would  have  been  washed  away, 
while  the  remaining  portion  of  the  works  would  have  been  untenable 
by  reason  of  the  depth  of  water  over  the  whole  interior  portion. 

The  number  of  officers  surrendered  (see  paper  marked  A)  was 
twelve;  the  number  of  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  in  the 
fort  at  the  time  of  the  surrender  (see  paper  marked  B)  was  sixty-six; 
while  the  number  in  the  hospital  boat  Patton  was  (see  paper  marked 
C)  sixteen. 

I  take  great  pleasure  in  making  honorable  mention  of  all  the  offi- 


KEPORT  OF  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  LLOYD  TILGHMAN.  51 

cers  and  men  under  my  command.  To  Captain  Taylor,  of  the  artillery, 
and  officers  of  the  corps;  Lieutenants  Watts  and  Weller;  to  Captain 
G.  R.  G.  Jones,  in  command  of  the  right  battery;  to  Captains  Miller 
and  Hayden,  of  the  engineers;  to  Acting  Assistant  Adjutant-General 
McConnico;  to  Captain  H.  L.  Jones,  brigade-quartermaster;  to  Cap 
tain  McLaughlin,  quartermaster  of  the  Tenth  Tennessee,  and  to  Sur 
geons  Voorhies  and  Horton,  of  the  Tenth  Tennessee,  the  thanks  of  the 
whole  country  are  due  for  their  consummate  devotion  to  our  high  and 
holy  cause.  To  Sergants.  John  Jones,  Hallam,  Cubine,  and  Silcurk, 
to  Corporals  Copass,  Cavin,  and  Renf  ro,  in  charge  of  the  guns,  as  well 
as  to  all  the  men,  I  feel  a  large  debt  is  due  for  their  bravery  and  effi 
ciency  in  working  the  heavy  guns  so  long  and  so  efficiently. 

Officers  and  men  alike  seemed  actuated  but  by  one  spirit — that  of 
devotion  to  the  cause  in  which  was  involved  life,  liberty,  and  the  pur 
suit  of  happiness.  Every  blow  struck  was  aimed  by  cool  heads,  sup 
ported  by  strong  arms  and  honest  hearts. 

I  feel  that  it  is  a  duty  I  owe  to  Col.  A.  Heiman,  commanding  the 
Tenth  Tennessee  regiment  (Irish,)  to  give  this  testimony  of  my  high 
appreciation  of  him  as  a  soldier  and  a  man,  due  to  his  gallant  regiment, 
both  officers  and  men.  I  place  them  second  to  no  regiment  I  have 
seen  in  the  army. 

To  Captain  Dixon,  of  the  engineers,  I  owe  (as  does  the  whole 
country)  my  special  acknowledgments  of  his  ability  and  unceasing 
energies.  Under  his  immediate  eye  were  all  the  works  proposed  by 
myself  at  Fort  Donelson  and  Heiman  executed,  while  his  fruitfulness 
in  resources  to  meet  the  many  disadvantages  of  position  alone,  enabled 
us  to  combat  its  difficulties  successfully. 

To  Lieutenant  Watts,  of  the  heavy  artillery,  as  acting  ordinance 
officer  at  Fort  Henr}^,  I  owe  this  special  notice  of  the  admirable  con 
dition  of  the  ordinance  department  of  that  post.  Lieutenant  Watts 
is  the  coolest  officer  under  lire  I  ever  met  with. 

I  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging  the  marked  courtesy  and  con 
sideration  of  Flag  Officer  Foote,  of  the  Federal  navy;  of  Captain 
Stembel  and  the  other  naval  officers,  to  myself,  officers  and  men. 
Their  gallant  bearing  during  the  action  gave  evidence  of  a  brave  and 
therefore  generous  foe. 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

LLOYD  TILGHMAN. 
Brigadier-General,  Commanding. 


DETAILED  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  SURRENDER  OF  FORTS 
DONELSON  AND  HENRY. 


Report  of  Brigadier-General  Simon  B.  Buckner,  C.  S.  Army,  com 
manding  division,  etc. 

Headquarters  Cumberland  Army. 

Dover,  Tenn.,  February  18,  1862. 

Sir:  It  becomes  my  duty  to  report  that  the  remains  of  this  army, 
after  winning  some  brilliant  successes  both  in  repulsing  the  assaults  of 
the  enemy  and  in  sallying  successfully  through  the  lines,  have  been 
reduced  to  the  necessity  of  a  surrender. 

At  the  earliest  practical  day  I  will  send  a  detailed  report  of  its 
operations.  I  can  only  say  now  that,  after  the  battle  of  the  loth 
instant  had  been  wron  and  my  division  of  the  army  was  being  estabished 
in  position  to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  army,  the  plan  of  battle  seems 
to  have  been  changed  and  the  troops  were  ordered  back  to  the  trenches. 
Before  my  own  division  returned  to  their  works  on  the  extreme  right, 
the  lines  were  assailed  at  that  point  and  my  extreme  right  was  occupied 
by  a  large  force  of  the  enemy,  but  I  successfully  repelled  their  further 
assaults. 

It  was  the  purpose  of  General  Flo}Td  to  effect  the  retreat  of  the 
army  over  the  ground  which  had  been  wron  in  the  morning,  and  the 
troops  moved  from  their  works  with  that  view;  but  before  any  move 
ment  for  that  purpose  was  organized  a  reconnaissance  showed  that  the 
ground  was  occupied  by  the  enemy  in  great  strength.  General  Floyd 
then  determined  to  retreat  across  the  river  with  such  force  as  could 
escape;  but  as  there  were  no  boats  until  nearly  daylight  on  the  16th, 
he  left  with  some  regiments  of  Virginia  troops  about  daylight,  and 
was  accompanied  by  Brigadier-General  Pillow. 

I  was  thus  left  in  command  of  the  remnant  of  the  army,  which 
had  been  placed  in  movement  for  a  retreat  which  \vas  discovered  to  be 
impracticable.  My  men  were  in  a  state  of  complete  exhaustion  from 
extreme  suffering  from  cold  and  fatigue.  The  supply  of  ammunition, 
especially  for  the  artillery,  was  being  rapidly  exhausted;  the  army 
was  to  a  great  extent  demoralized  by  the  retrograde  movement.  On 
being  placed  in  command,  I  ordered  such  troops  as  could  not  cross  the 
river  to  return  to  their  intrenchments,  to  make  at  the  last  moment 
such  resistance  as  was  possible  to  the  overwhelming  force  of  the  enemy. 
But  a  small  portion  of  the  forces  had  returned  to  the  lines  when  I 
received  from  General  Grant  a  reply  to  my  proposal  to  negotiate  for 
terms  of  surrender.  To  have  refused  his  terms  would,  in  the  condition 


SURRENDER  OF  FORTS  DONELSON  AND  HENRY.  53 

of  the  army  at  the  time,  have  led  to  the  massacre  of  my  troops  with 
out  any  advantage  resulting  from  the  sacrifice.  I  therefore  felt  it  my 
highest  duty  to  these  brave  men,  whose  conduct  had  been  so  brilliant 
and  whose  sufferings  had  been  so  intense,  to  accept  the  ungenerous 
terms  proposed  by  the  Federal  commander,  who  overcame  us  solely  by 
overwhelming  superiority  of  numbers.  This  army  is  accordingly 
prisoners  of  war,  the  officers  retaining  their  side  arms  and  private 
property,  and  the  soldiers  their  clothing  and  blankets.  I  regret  to 
state,  however,  that,  notwithstanding  the  earnest  efforts  of  General 
Grant  and  many  of  his  officers  to  prevent  it,  our  camps  have  been  a 
scene  of  almost  indiscriminate  pillage  by  the  Federal  troops. 

In  conclusion,  I  request,  at  the  earliest  time  practicable,  a  court 
of  inquiry,  to  examine  into  the  causes  of  the  surrender  of  this  army. 
I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

S.   B.   BUCKNER, 

Brigadier-General,  C.  S.  Armv. 
COL.  W.  W  MACKALL, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

Richmond,  Va.,  August  11,  1862. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  make  the  following  report  of  the  operations 
of  that  portion  of  the  second  division  of  the  Central  Army  of  Kentucky 
which  was  detached  from  Bowling  Green  and  Russellville,  Ky.,  to  aid 
in  the  defense  of  Fort  Donelson,  and  the  village  of  Dover,  on  the 
Cumberland  river,  Tenn. 

By  the  courtesy  of  Brigadier-General  Grant,  U.  S.  Army,  I  was 
permitted  to  transmit  to  Clarksville,  Tenn.,  a  brief  report  of  the  sur 
render  of  Fort  Donelson,  but,  as  I  now  learn  it  never  reached  the 
headquarters  of  General  A.  S.  Johnston,  I  transmit  herewith  a  copy. 

I  have  been  prevented  from  making  an  early  report  by  the  refusal 
of  the  Federal  authorities  during  my  imprisonment  either  to  permit 
me  to  make  a  report  or  to  receive  the  report  of  subordinate  command 
ers.  Such,  indeed,  was  the  discourtesy  of  the  Federal  War  Depart 
ment  that,  though  kept  in  solitary  confinement  during  my  imprison 
ment,  and  prevented  from  holding  communication  with  any  of  my 
fellow  prisoners,  a  request  on  my  part  to  be  informed  of  the  cause  of 
a  proceeding  so  unusual  amongst  nations  pretending  to  follow  the  rules 
of  civilized  warfare  failed  to  elicit  a  response. 

On  February  llth,  ult.  Brigadier-General  Floyd  had  resolved  to 
concentrate  his  division,  arid  my  own  at  Cumberland  City,  with  a  view 
of  operating  some  point  on  the  railway  west  of  that  position  in  the 
direction  of  Fort  Donelson  or  Fort  Henry,  thus  maintaining  his  com 
munications  with  Nashville  by  the  way  of  Charlotte. 

I  reached  Fort  Donelson  on  the  night  of  February  llth,  with 
orders  from  General  Floyd  to  direct  General  Pillow  to  send  back  at 
once  to  Cumberland  City  the  troops  which  had  been  designated. 

Before  leaving  Clarksville  I  had,  by  authority  of  General  Floyd, 
ordered  Scott's  regiment  of  Louisiana  cavalry  to  operate  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Cumberland  river,  in  the  direction  of  Fort  Donelson,  with 
a  view  to  prevent  the  establishment  of  any  of  the  enemy's  field  batteries 


54  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

which  might  interfere  with  our  transports.  General  Pillow  declined 
to  execute  the  order  of  which  I  was  the  bearer  until  he  should  have  a 
personal  interview  with  General  Floyd. 

Accordingly  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  he  left  me  temporarily 
in  command  and  proceeded  himself  in  a  steamer  to  Cumberland  City. 
Before  leaving,  he  informed  me  that  he  had  directed  a  reconnaissance 
to  be  made  by  Colonel  Forrest's  cavalry,  with  instructions  in  no  event 
to  bring  on  an  engagement  should  the  enemy  approach  in  force. 

General  Pillow  left  me  under  the  impression  that  he  did  not  expect 
an  immediate  advance  of  the  enemy,  and  regarded  their  approach  from 
the  direction  of  Fort  Henry  as  impracticable.  During  the  morning 
Forrest  reported  the  enemy  advancing  in  force,  with  the  view  of 
enveloping  our  line  of  defense,  and  for  a  time  he  was  engaged  with 
his  usual  gallantry  in  heavy  skirmishing  with  them;  at  one  time  driving 
one  of  their  battalions  back  upon  their  artillery. 

About  noon  General  Pillow  returned  and  resumed  command,  it 
having  been  determined  to  reinforce  the  garrison  with  the  remaining 
troops  from  Cumberland  City  and  Clarksville. 

The  defenses  were  in  a  very  imperfect  condition.  The  space  to  be 
defended  by  the  army  was  quadrangular  in  shape,  being  limited  on 
the  north  by  the  Cumberland  river,  on  the  east  and  west  by  small 
streams  now  converted  into  deep  sloughs  b}^  the  high  water,  and  on 
the  south  by  our  line  of  defense.  The  river  line  exceeded  a  mile  in 
length.  The  line  of  defense  was  about  two  miles  and  a  half  long,  and 
its  distance  from  the  river  varied  from  one-fourth  to  three-fourths  of 
a  mile.  The  line  of  intrenchments  consisted  of  a  few  logs  rolled 
together  and  but  slightly  covered  with  earth,  forming  an  insufficient 
protection  even  against  field  artillery. 

Not  more  than  one-third  of  the  line  was  completed  on  the  morning 
of  the  12th.  It  had  been  located  under  the  direction  of  an  able 
engineer  officer,  Major  Gilmer,  near  the  crests  of  a  series  of  ridges 
which  sloped  backwards  to  the  river,  and  were  again  commanded  in 
several  places  by  other  ridges  at  a  still  greater  distance  from  the  river. 
This  chain  of  heights  was  intersected  by  deep  valleys  and  ravines, 
which  materially  interfered  with  communication  between  different 
parts  of  the  line.  Between  the  village  of  Dover  and  the  water  batteries 
a  broad  and  deep  valley  extending  directly  back  from  the  river  and 
flooded  by  the  high  water,  intersected  the  quadrangular  area  occupied 
by  the  army  and  almost  completely  isolated  the  right  wing.  That 
part  of  the  line  which  covered  the  land  approach  to  the  water  batteries, 
and  constituted  our  right  wing,  was  assigned  to  me,  with  a  portion  of 
my  division  consisting  of  the  Third  or  Col.  John  C.  Brown's 
brigade,  which  was  composed  of  the  Third  Tennessee  volunteers 
(which  was  Colonel  Brown's  regiment;)  Eighteenth  Tennessee  regi 
ment,  Col.  Jos.  B.  Palmer;  Thirty-second  Tennessee  regiment,  Colonel 
(E.  C.)  Cook;  half  of  Colonel  Baldwin's  Second  brigade  (temporarily 
attached  to  Colonel  Brown's;)  Second  regiment  Kentucky  volunteers, 
Col.  R.  W.  Hanson;  Fourteenth  Mississippi  volunteers,  Major  (W.  L.) 
Doss;  Forty-first  Tennessee  volunteers,  Colonel  (Robert)  Farquharson; 
Porter's  battery  of  six  field  pieces,  and  Grave's  battery  of  six  field  pieces. 


SURRENDER  OF  FORTS  DONELSON  AND  HENRY.  55 

The  remaining  regiments  of  Baldwin's  brigade,  the  Twenty-sixth 
Tennessee  volunteers,  Colonel  (John  M.)Lillard,  and  the  Twenty-sixth 
Mississippi  volunteers,  Colonel  (A.  E.)  Reynolds,  together  with  the 
brigade  commander,  were  detached  from  my  command  by  Brigadier- 
General  Pillow  and  assigned  a  position  on  the  left  of  the  line  of 
intrenchments. 

The  work  on  my  lines  was  prosecuted  with  energy  and  urged  for 
ward  as  rapidly  as  the  limited  number  of  tools  would  permit,  so  that 
by  the  morning  of  the  13th  my  position  was  in  a  respectable  state  of 
defense. 

My  disposition  of  the  troops  was  as  follows:  Hanson's  regiment 
on  the  extreme  right;  Palmer's  regiment,  with  its  reserve,  in  position 
to  reinforce  Hanson;  Porter's  battery  occupying  the  advanced  salient, 
sweeping  the  road  which  led  to  the  front,  and  flanking  the  intrench- 
ment  both  to  the  right  and  to  the  left.  The  reserve  of  the  14th  Miss 
issippi  was  held  as  its  support.  Brown's,  Cook's  and  Farquharson's 
regiments  were  on  the  left.  Grave's  battery  occupied  a  position  near 
the  extreme  left  of  the  entrenchments  on  the  declivity  of  the  hill, 
whence  it  swept  the  valley  with  its  fire  and  flanked  the  position  of 
Colonel  Heiman  to  the  east  of  the  valley. 

From  three  to  five  companies  of  each  regiment  were  employed  as 
skirmishers  in  the  riffle  pits.  The  other  companies  of  each  regiment 
were  massed  in  columns,  sheltered  from  the  enemy's  fire  behind  the 
irregularities  of  the  ground,  and  held  in  convenient  positions  to 
reinforce  any  portion  of  the  line  that  might  be  seriously  threatened. 
No  serious  demonstration  was  made  on  our  lines  on  the  12th. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  13th,  a  column  of  the  enemy's 
infantry  which  was  apparently  forming  to  move  down  the  valley 
between  my  left  and  Heiman's  right,  was  driven  back  by  a  few  well 
directed  shots  from  Grave's  battery. 

About  10  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  enemy  made  a  vigorous 
attack  upon  Hanson's  position,  but  was  repulsed  with  heavy  loss. 
The  attack  was  subsequently  renewed  by  three  heavy  regiments,  but 
was  again  repulsed  by  the  Second  Kentucky  regiment,  aided  by  a 
part  of  the  Eighteenth  Tennessee.  In  both  of  these  affairs  and  also  in 
the  third  repulse  of  the  enemy  from  the  same  position,  Porter's  battery 
played  a  conspicuous  part. 

About  11  o'clock  a  strong  attack  was  made  on  Colonel  Heiman's 
position  beyond  my  left.  A  well  directed  fire  from  Grave's  battery 
upon  the  flank  of  the  assaulting  column  materially  contributed  to 
repulse  the  enemy  with  heavy  loss. 

The  fire  of  the  enemy's  artillery  and  riflemen  was  incessant 
throughout  the  day,  but  was  responded  to  by  a  well  directed  fire  from 
the  intrenchments,  which  inflicted  upon  the  assailant  considerable  loss 
and  almost  silenced  his  fire  late  in  the  afternoon. 

On  the  preceding  night  General  Floyd  had  arrived  and  assumed 
command  of  all  the  troops,  and  in  the  morning  visited  and  inspected 
my  line.  My  loss  during  the  day  was  thirty -nine  in  killed  and  wounded. 

The  enemy  were  comparatively  quiet  in  front  of  my  position 
during  the  14th.  On  the  morning  of  that  day  I  was  summoned  to  a 


56  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

council  of  general  officers,  in  which  it  was  decided  unanimously,  in 
view  of  the  arrival  of  heavy  re-enforcements  of  the  enemy  below,  to 
make  an  immediate  attack  upon  their  right,  in  order  to  open  our  com 
munications  with  Charlotte  in  the  direction  of  Nashville.  It  was 
urged  that  this  attack  should  be  made  at  once  before  the  disembarkation 
of  the  enemy's  reinforcements  supposed  to  be  about  15,000  men.  I 
proposed  with  my  division,  to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  army  should 
the  sortie  prove  successful.  I  made  the  necessary  dispositions 
preparatory  to  executing  the  movement,  but  early  in  the  afternoon 
the  order  was  countermanded  by  General  Floyd,  at  the  instance  as  I 
afterwards  learned  of  General  Pillow,  who  after  drawing  out  his  troops 
for  the  attack  thought  it  too  late  for  the  attempt.  On  the  night  of 
the  14th,  it  was  unanimously  decided  in  a  council  of  general  officers 
and  regimental  commanders  to  attack  the  enemy's  right  at  daylight. 
The  object  of  the  attack  was  to  force  our  way  through  his  line,  recover 
our  communications,  and  effect  our  retreat  upon  Nashville  by  way  of 
Charlotte,  Tennessee.  This  movement  had  become  imperatively  nec 
essary  in  consequence  of  the  vastly  superior  and  constantly  increasing 
force  of  the  enemy,  who  had  already  completely  enveloped  our  position. 
The  general  plan  was  for  General  Pillow  to  attack  his  extreme  right, 
and  for  that  portion  of  my  division  remaining  under  my  command, 
after  being  relieved  in  the  rifle  pits  by  Colonel  Head's  regiment,  to 
make  an  attack  upon  the  right  of  the  enemy's  center,  and  if  successful 
to  take  up.  a  position  in  advance  of  our  work  on  the  Wynn's  Ferry 
road,  to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  whole  army,  after  which  my  division 
was  to  act  as  the  rear  guard.  On  Saturday  morning  the  15th,  a  con 
siderable  portion  of  my  division  was  delayed  by  the  non-arrival  of 
Head's  regiment  at  the  appointed  time,  and  by  the  slippery  condition 
of  the  icy  road,  which  forbid  a  rapid  march.  My  advance  regiment, 
however,  (the  Third  Tennessee)  reached  its  position  by  daylight  in 
rear  of  a  portion  of  the  intrenchments  which  had  been  occupied  by 
General  Pillow's  troops.  As  no  guards  had  been  left  in  this  portion 
of  the  line,  and  even  a  battery  was  left  in  position  with  a  cannoneer,  I 
deployed  the  Third  Tennessee  in  the  rifle  pits,  to  cover  the  formation 
of  my  division  as  it  arrived.  The  regiments  were  formed  partly  .in 
line  and  partly  in  column,  and  covered  from  the  enemy's  artillery  fire 
by  a  slight  activity  in  front.  In  the  meantime  the  attack  on  the 
enemy's  right  was  made  in  a  most  gallant  and  determined  manner  by 
the  division  of  General  Pillow.  For  the  progress  of  that  action,  I 
refer  to  the  reports  of  Colonel  Baldwin,  Colonel  Gregg  and  their  sub 
ordinate  commanders,  which  have  been  transmitted  to  me  as  the  senior 
officer  left  with  the  Army. 

In  front  of  my  position  the  enemy  had  a  heavy  battery  posted  on 
the  Wynn's  Ferry  road,  with  another  battery  opposite  my  left,  both 
sustained  by  a  heavy  infantry  force. 

Major  Davidson,  acting  chief  of  my  artillery,  established  Grave's 
battery  to  the  left  of  the  Wynn's  Ferry  road  and  opened  upon  the 
enemy's  batteries  a  destructive  fire.  I  also  directed  a  portion  of  the 
artillery  to  open  upon  the  flank  and  left  rear  of  the  enemy's  infantry, 
who  were  contesting  the  advance  of  General  Pillow's  division.' •; 'In 


SURRENDER  OF  FORTS  DONELSON  AND  HENRY.  57 

view  of  the  heavy  duty  which  I  expected  my  division  to  undergo 
in  covering  the  retreat  of  the  army,  I  thought  it  unadvisable  to 
attempt  an  assault  at  this  time  in  my  front  until  the  enemy's  batteries 
were  to  some  extent  crippled,  arid  their  supports  shaken  by  the  fire  of 
the  artillery. 

About  9  o'clock  General  Pillow  urged  an  advance  to  relieve  his 
forces.  I  accordingly  sent  forward  the  Fourteenth  Mississippi,  Major 
Doss,  deployed  as  skirmishers.  At  the  request  of  its  commander  I 
assigned  the  direction  of  its  movements  to  Major  Alexander  Casseday 
of  my  staff.  The  line  of  skirmishers  was  sustained  by  the  Third  and 
Eighteenth  Tennessee.  Their  line  of  march  unfortunately  masked  the 
fire  of  my  artillery  upon  the  Wynn's  Ferry  road,  but  it  continued  to 
play  with  effect  upon  the  force  which  was  opposing  General  Pillow's 
advance.  The  combined  attack  compelled  the  enemy  to  retire,  not 
however,  without  inflicting  upon  my  troops  considerable  loss.  Under 
a  misapprehension  of  instructions,  at  a  time  when  my  artillery  was 
directed  over  the  heads  of  the  advanced  troops  upon  the  enemy's  bat 
teries,  these  regiments  withdrew  without  panic,  but  in  some  confusion, 
to  the  trenches,  after  the  enemy's  infantry  had  been  driven  a  consid 
erable  distance  from  their  position. 

As  the  enemy's  line  of  retreat  was  along  the  Wynn's  Ferry  road 
I  now  organized  an  attack  further  to  my  right  up  a  deep  valley  which 
led  from  Heiman's  left  in  rear  of  the  position  occupied  by  the  enemy's 
batteries. 

In  order  to  cover  the  advance  of  the  infantry  column  I  directed 
Captain  Porter  with  his  artillerists  to  serve  Green's  battery  which  was 
already  in  position,  and  at  the  same  time  sent  a  request  to  Colonel 
Heiman  to  direct  Maney's  battery  to  open  its  fire,  while  he  should 
deploy  a  line  of  skirmishers  in  advance  of  his  position  to  cover  the 
right  of  the  valley.  General  Pillow  was  at  this  time,  as  I  afterwards 
learned,  on  the  heights  to  my  right,  occupied  by  Heiman.  Maney's, 
Porter's,  and  Graves'  batteries  now  opened  a  cross  fire  upon  the 
enemy's  battery  and  position,  soon  crippled  some  of  his  guns  and 
driving  their  supports,  while  the  Third,  Eighteenth,  and  Thirty-second 
Tennessee  regiments,  under  their  brigade  commander,  Col.  John  C. 
Brown,  moved  steadily  up  the  valley,  preceded  by  their  skirmishers, 
who  soon  became  engaged  with  those  of  the  enemy.  This  movement, 
combined  with  the  brisk  fire  of  three  batteries,  induced  a  rapid  retreat 
of  the  enemy,  who  abandoned  a  section  of  his  artillery.  At  the  same 
time  my  infantry  were  thus  penetrating  the  enemy's  line  of  retreat. 
Forrest,  with  a  portion  of  his  cavalry,  charged  upon  their  right,  while 
General  Pillow's  division,  under  the  orders  of  General  B.  R.  Johnson 
and  Colonel  Baldwin,  wrere  pressing  their  extreme  right  about  half  a 
mile  to  the  left  of  this  position. 

In  this  latter  movement  a  section  of  Graves'  battery  participated, 
playing  with  destructive  effect  upon  the  enemy's  left,  while  about  the 
same  time  the  Second  Kentucky,  under  Colonel  Hanson,  charged  in 
quick  time,  as  if  upon  parade,  through  an  open  field  and  under  a 
destructive  fire,  without  firing  a  gun,  upon  a  superior  force  of  the 
enemy,  who  broke  and  fled  in  all  directions.  A  large  portion  of  the 


58  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

enemy's  right  dispersed  through  the  woods,  and  made  their  way,  as 
was  afterwards  learned,  to  Fort  Henry. 

While  this  movement  was  going  on  I  conducted  one  piece  of 
artillery,  under  Captain  Graves,  along  the  Wynn's  Ferry  road,  sup 
ported  by  the  Fourteenth  Mississippi,  and  sent  orders  to  the  residue 
of  Graves'  battery  and  Porters  and  Jackson's  batteries  and  Farquhar- 
son's  Tennessee  regiment  to  follow  the  movement  with  rapidity.  I 
also  sent  to  direct  Hanson's  regiment  to  rejoin  me.  The  enemy,  in 
his  retreat,  had  now  taken  up  a  strong  position  on  the  road  beyond 
the  point  where  it  crosses  the  valley.  I  directed  the  position  to  be 
attacked  by  the  Third,  Eighteenth,  and  Thirth-second  Tennessee  reg 
iments,  the  first  on  the  left,  the  others  on  the  right  of  the  road,  while 
Graves'  piece  took  position  in  the  road  within  250  or  300  yards  of  the 
enemy's  guns.  These  regiments  under  the  immediate  command  of 
Colonel  Brown,  advanced  gallantly  to  the  attack,  while  Graves'  piece 
responded  with  effect  to  the  enemy's  artillery.  Notwithstanding  their 
vast  superiority  in  numbers,  the  enemy  were  driven,  with  very  heavy 
loss,  from  their  position,  and  retreated  from  the  right  of  Wynn's  Ferry 
road,  leaving  it  entirely  open.  In  this  position  I  awaited  the  arrival 
of  my  artillery  and  reserves,  either  to  continue  the  pursuit  of  the 
enemy  or  to  defend  the  position  I  now  held,  in  order  that  the  army 
might  pass  out  on  the  Forge  road,  which  was  now  completely  covered 
by  the  position  occupied  by  my  division.  But  General  Pillow  had 
prevented  my  artillery  from  leaving  the  intrenchments,  and  had  ordered 
Farquharson  not  to  join  me,  and  also  sent  me  reiterated  orders  to  return 
to  my  intrenchments  on  the  extreme  right.  I  was  in  the  act  of 
returning  to  the  lines  when  I  met  General  Floyd,  who  seemed  surprised 
at  the  order.  At  his  request  to  know  my  opinion  of  the  movement  I 
replied  that  nothing  had  occured  to  change  my  views  of  the  necessity 
of  the  evacuation  of  the  post,  that  the  road  was  open,  that  the  first 
part  of  our  purpose  was  fully  accomplished,  and  I  thought  we  should 
at  once  avail  ourselves  of  the  existing  opportunity  to  regain  our  com 
munications.  These  seemed  to  be  his  own  views;  for  he  directed  me 
to  halt  my  troops  and  remain  in  position  until  he  should  have  con 
versed  with  General  Pillow,  who  was  now  within  the  intrenchments. 

After  the  consultation  he  sent  me  an  order  to  retire  within  the 
lines  and  repair  as  rapidly  as  possible  to  my  former  position  on  the 
extreme  right,  which  was  in  danger  of  attack.  The  enemy  made  no 
attempt  at  pursuit.  I  secured  the  section  of  artillery  which  had  been 
captured,  and  covered  my  retrograde  movement  by  Hanson's  and  Far- 
quharson's  regiments.  My  troops  were  already  much  exhausted,  but  re 
turned  as  rapidly  as  possible,  a  distance  of  two  miles,  to  their  positions. 
But  a  small  portion  of  my  division  had  reached  theirposition  when  a 
division  of  the  enemy,  under  command  of  General  C.  F.  Smith, 
assaulted  the  extreme  right  of  my  position,  falling  upon  Hanson's  reg 
iment  before  it  had  reached  its  rifle  pits.  This  gallant  regiment  was 
necessarily  thrown  back  in  confusion  upon  the  position  of  the  Eighteenth 
Tennessee.  At  this  period  I  reached  that  position,  and,  aided  by  a 
number  of  officers,  I  succeeded  in  hastily  forming  a  line  behind  the 
crest  of  the  hill  which  overlooked  the  detached  works  which  had  been 


SURRENDER  OF  FORTS  DONELSON  AND  HENRY.  59 

seized  by  the  enemy  before  Hanson  had  been  able  to  throw  his  reg 
iment  into  them.  The  enemy  advanced  gallantly  upon  this  new  position, 
but  was  repulsed  with  heavy  loss.  I  re-enforced  this  position  by 
other  regiments  as  they  successively  arrived  and  by  a  section  cf 
Graves'  battery,  while  a  section  of  Porter's  battery  was  placed  in  its 
former  position.  During  a  contest  of  more  than  two  hours  the  enemy 
threatened  my  left  with  a  heavy  column  and  made  repeated  attempts 
to  storm  my  line  on  the  right,  but  the  well  directed  fire  of  Porter's 
and  Graves'  artillery  and  the  musketry  fire  of  the  infantry  repelled 
the  attempts,  and  finally  drove  him  to  seek  shelter  behind  the  works 
he  had  taken  amid  the  irregularities  of  the  ground.  There  was  prob 
ably  no  period  of  the  action  when  his  force  was  not  from  three  to  five 
times  the  strength  of  mine.  Towards  the  close  oi  the  action  I  was  re- 
enforced  by  the  regiments  of  Colonels  Quarles,  Sugg  and  Bailey. 
Generals  Floyd  and  Pillow  also  visited  die  position  about  the  close  of 
the  action. 

In  the  council  of  general  and  field  officers,  neld  after  night,  it  was 
unanimously  resolved  that  if  the  enemy  had  not  re-occupied  in  strength 
the  position  in  front  of  General  Pillow  the  army  should  effect  its 
retreat,  and  orders  to  assemble  the  regiments  for  that  purpose  were 
given  by  General  Floyd;  but  as  the  enemy  had  late  in  the  afternoon 
appeared  in  conjiderable  force  on  the  battlefield  of  the  morning,  a 
reconnaissance  was  ordered,  I  think  by  General  Pillow,  under  the 
instructions  of  General  Floyd.  The  report  of  this  reconnaissance, 
made  by  Colonel  Forrest  has  been  fully  stated  by  Generals  Floyd  and 
Pillow,  and,  from  v.hat  I  have  been  able  to  learn  since,  I  am  satisfied 
the  information  reported  is  correct. 

Among  other  incidents  showing  that  the  enemy  had  not  only 
reoccupied  their  former  ground,  but  extended  their  lines  still  farther 
to  our  left,  is  the  fact  that  Overton's  cavahy ,  following  after  Forrest's, 
was  cut  off  from  retreat  by  an  infantry  force  of  the  enemy  at  the  point 
where  Forrest  had  crossed  the  stream  on  the  river  road.  When  the 
information  of  our  reinvestment  was  reported,  General  Floyd,  General 
Pillow  and  myself  were  the  only  members  of  the  council  present. 
Both  of  these  officers  have  stated  the  views  of  the  council,  but  my 
recollection  of  some  of  the  incidents  narrated  differ  so  materially  from 
that  of  General  Pillow,  that  without  intending  any  reflection  upon 
either  of  those  officers,  I  feel  called  upon  to  notice  some  of  the  differ 
ences  of  opinion  between  us. 

Both  officers  have  corretly  stated  that  I  regarded  the  position  of 
the  army  as  desperate,  and  that  an  attempt  to  extricate  it  by  another 
battle,  in  the  suffering  and  exhausted  condition  of  the  troops,  was 
almost  hopeless.  The  troops  had  been  worn  down  with  watching,  with 
labor,  with  fighting.  Many  of  them  were  frosted  by  the  intensity  of 
the  cold;  all  of  them  were  suffering  and  exhausted  by  their  incessant 
labors.  There  had  been  no  regular  issue  of  rations  for  a  number  of 
days  and  scarcely  any  means  of  cooking.  Their  ammunition  was  nearly 
expended.  We  were  completely  invested  by  a  force  of  nearly  four 
times  the  strength  of  our  own.  In  their  exhausted  condition  they 
could  not  have  made  a  march.  An  attempt  to  make  a  sortie  would 


60  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

have  been  resisted  by  a  superior  force  of  fresh  troops,  and  that  attempt 
would  have  been  the  signal  for  the  fall  of  the  water  batteries  and  the 
presence  of  the  enemy's  gunboats  sweeping  with  the  fire  at  close  range 
the  positions  of  our  troops,  who  would  have  thus  been  assailed  on  their 
front,  rear,  and  right  flank  at  the  same  instant.  The  results  would 
have  been  a  virtual  massacre  of  the  troops,  more  disheartening  in  its 
effects  than  a  surrender. 

In  this  opinion  General  Floyd  coincided,  and  I  am  certain  that 
both  he  and  I  were  convinced  that  General  Pillow  agreed  with  us  in 
this  opinion.  General  Pillow  then  asked  our  opinion  as  to  the  prac 
ticability  of  holding  our  position  another  day.  I  replied  that  my 
right  was  already  turned,  a  portion  of  my  intrenchments  in  the  enemy's 
possession — they  were  in  position  successfully  to  assail  my  position 
and  the  water  batteries —and  that,  with  my  weakened  and  exhausted 
force,  I  could  not  successf uly  resist  the  assault  which  would  be  made  at 
daylight  by  a  vastly  superior  force.  I  further  remarked  that  I  under 
stood  the  principal  object  of  the  defense  of  Donelson  to  be  to  cover 
the  movement  of  General  A.  S.  Johnston's  army  from  Bowling  Green 
to  Nashville,  and  that  if  that  movement  was  not  completed  it  was  my 
opinion  that  we  should  attempt  a  further  defense,  even  at  the  risk  of 
the  destruction  of  our  entire  force,  as  the  delay  even  of  a  few  hours 
might  gain  the  s;fety  of  General  Johnston's  force.  General  Floyd 
remarked  that  General  Johnston's  army  had  already  reached  Nashville. 
I  then  expressed  the  opinion  that  it  would  be  wrong  to  subject  the 
army  to  a  virtual  massacre  when  no  good  could  result  from  the  sacrifice, 
and  that  the  general  officers  owed  it  to  their  men,  when  further  resist 
ance  was  unavailing,  to  obtain  the  best  terms  of  capitulation  possible 
for  them.  General  Flo}^d  expressed  himself  in  similar  terms,  and  in 
this  opinion  I  understood  General  Pillow  to  acquiesce.  For  reasons 
which  he  has  stated  General  Floyd  then  announced  his  purpose  to  leave, 
with  such  portions  of  his  division  as  could  be  transported  in  two  small 
steamers,  which  were  expected  about  daylight.  General  Pillow, 
addressing  General  Floyd,  then  remarked  that  he  thought  that  there 
were  no  two  persons  in  the  Confederacy  whom  the  Yankees  would  pre 
fer  to  capture  than  himself  and  General  Floyd,  and  asked  the  latter's 
opinion  as  to  the  propriety  of  his  accompanying  General  Floyd.  To 
this  inquiry  the  latter  replied  that  it  was  a  question  for  every  man  to 
decide  for  himself.  General  Pillow  then  addressed  the  inquiry  tome, 
to  which  I  remarked  that  I  could  only  reply  as  General  Floyd  had  done, 
that  it  was  a  question  for  every  officer  to  decide  for  himself,  and  that 
in  my  own  case  I  regarded  it  as  my  duty  to  remain  with  my  men  and 
share  their  fate,  whatever  it  might  be.  General  Pillow,  however, 
announced  his  purpose  to  leave;  when  General  Floyd  directed  me  to 
consider  myself  in  command.  I  remarked  that  a  capitulation  would 
be  as  bitter  to  me  as  it  could  be  to  any  one,  but  I  regarded  it  as  a 
necessity  of  our  position,  and  I  could  not  reconcile  it  with  my  sense  of 
duty  to  separate  my  fortune  from  those  of  my  command. 

It  is  clue  to  General  Pillow  to  state  that  sometime  after  the  com 
mand  had  been  transferred  to  me,  and  while  preparations  were  making 
for  his  departure,  he  returned  to  the  room  and  said  to  General  Floyd 


SURRENDER  OF  FORTS  DONELSON  AND  HENRY.  61 

and  myself  that  he  wished  it  understood  that  he  had  thought  it  would 
have  been  better  to  have  held  the  fort  another  day,  in  order  to  await 
the  arrival  of  steamers  to  transport  the  troops  across  the  river.  I 
again  recapitulated  my  reasons  for  thinking  it  impossible  to  hold  our 
position;  and,  whatever  may  have  been  General  Pillow's  opinion,  he 
certainly  impressed  me  with  the  belief  that  he  again  acquiesced  in  the 
necessity  of  a  surrender. 

It  was  now  near  daylight  on  Sunday  morning,  the  16th.  I  ordered 
the  troops  back  to  their  positions  in  intrenchments,  and  addressed  a 
note,  a  copy  of  which  is  enclosed,  to  the  Federal  Commander,  Brigadier- 
General  U.  S.  Grant.  His  reply  is  also  transmitted.  When  it  was 
received,  but  a  small  portion  of  the  troops  had  returned  to  their  lines. 
A  portion  of  my  field  guns  had  been  spiked  when  the  troops  had  been 
withdrawn  under  General  Floyd's  order.  The  gunners  had  not  yet 
returned  to  the  water  batteries.  A  degree  of  confusion,  amounting 
almost  to  a  state  of  disorganization,  resulting  from  the  knowledge  of 
our  position,  pervaded  a  considerable  portion  of  the  troops.  A  corps 
of  not  less  that  15,000  of  the  enemy,  with  fifteen  pieces  of  artillery, 
were  in  position  to  assault  the  extreme  right  of  the  line,  which  was 
effectually  turned  and  the  water  batteries  exposed  to  assault,  without 
the  power  of  resisting  the  attack.  At  the  point  most  strongly  threat 
ened  I  could  not  have  opposed  at  the  time  a  thousand  men.  Every 
road  leading  from  the  lines  was  effectually  closed.  Even  the  river 
road,  by  which  the  cavalry  had  left  and  which  was  impassable  by  infantry 
was  closed  by  a  force  of  the  enemy  within  fifteen  minutes  after  Forrest 
had  passed,  and  Over-ton's  cavalry  was  forced  to  return  to  the  lines. 
The  troops  were  broken  down  by  unusual  privations.  Most  of  them 
had  labored  or  fought  almost  incessantly  for  a  week.  From  Thursday 
morning  until  Saturday  night  they  had  been  almost  constantly  under  fire. 
From  Thursday  evening  until  Sunday  morning  they  had  suffered 
intensly  in  a  heavy  snowstorm  and  from  intense  cold,  almost  without 
shelter,  with  insufficient  food,  and  almost  without  sleep.  They  had 
behaved  with  a  gallantry  unsurpassed,  until  the  power  of  further 
endurance  was  exhausted.  The  supply  of  ammunition  was  very  small. 

The  aggregate  of  the  army,  never  greater  than  12,000,  was  now 
reduced  to  less  than  9,000  men  after  the  departure  of  General  Floyd's 
brigade.  The  investing  force  of  the  enemy  was  about  50,000  strong, 
and  considerably  exceeded  that  force  by  the  following  morning. 
Under  these  circumstances  no  alternative  was  left  me  but  to  accept  the 
terms  demanded  by  our  ungenerous  enemy.  A  copy  of  the  order  of 
General  Grant,  fixing  the  terms  of  surrender,  is  herewith  enclosed. 

I  do  not  seek  to  avoid  any  responsibility  which  in  the  judgment 
of  the  President  may  attach  to  my  action,  which  was  guided  in  every 
instance  by  a  feeling  of  duty.  My  chief  wish  is  that  he  will  find  it 
consistent  with  the  public  interest  to  permit  me  to  still  unite  my 
fortunes  in  the  contest  for  independence  with  those  of  the  brave  men 
whose  gallantry  I  have  witnessed,  whose  dangers  and  hardships  I  have 
shared,  and  in  common  with  whom  I  have  endured  the  privations  of 
imprisonment  among  a  vindictive  and  tyrannical  foe. 

I  cannot  close  this  report  without  calling  special  attention  to  the 


62  BATTLES  ANt)  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

gallant  and  able  conduct  of  my  brigade  commanders,  Colonel  John  C. 
Brown  of  the  Third  Tennesse,  Wm.  E.  Baldwin  of  the  Fourteenth 
Mississippi  and  R.  W.  Hanson  commanding  the  Second  Kentucky, 
detached  from  Breckinridge's  Kentucky  brigade. 

For  the  operations  of  Colonel  Baldwin's  troops  I  refer  to  his 
report  as  he  was  detached  from  my  command  during  the  siege.  But 
he  as  well  as  the  other  two  officers,  were  conspicuous  on  every  occasion 
for  their  gallantry  and  military  judgment,  and  merit  the  special  appro 
bation  of  the  Governor. 

Among  the  regimental  commanders,  Colonels  J.  M.  Lillard  and 

E.  C.  Cook  merit  the"  highest  commendation  for  their  gallant  bearing 
and   the   excellent   manner   in    which  they  handled  their  regiments. 
Major  W.  L.  Doss  behaved  with  marked  gallantry.     Major  George  B. 
Cosby,  my  chief-of-staff,  deserves  the  highest  commendation  for  the 
gallant  and  intelligent  discharge  of  his  duties,  and  the  other  members 
of  my  staff  are  entitled  to  my  thanks  for  their  gallantry  and  for  the 
efficient  discharge  of  their  appropriate  duties.     Lieutenants  Charles 

F.  Johnson,  aid-de-camp  and  T.  J.  Clay,  acting  aid;  Majors  Alexander 
Cassedy,  acting  inspector  general  and  S.  K.  Hayes,  quarter-master; 
Capt.  R.  C.  Wintersmith,  commissary  of  subsistance;  Major  Davidson, 
chief  of  artillery,  Messrs.  J.  M.  .Gallaher,  acting  aid;  Moore,  acting 
topographical  officer;  J.  Walker  Taylor,  commanding  a  detachment 
of  guides  and  D.  P.  Buckner,  volunteer  aid. 

Major  Barbour,  aid-de-camp  to  Brigadier  Tilgham,  though 
wounded,  remained  with  me  on  the  13th.  I  cannot  bestow  sufficient 
praise  upon  Captains  Porter  and  Rice  E.  Graves  and  their  officers 
and  men  for  the  gallant  and  efficient  handling  of  their  batteries. 
Artillery  was  never  better  served,  and  artillerists  never  behaved  under 
trying  circumstances  with  greater  coolness.  Porter's  battery  from  its 
exposed  position,  lost  more  than  half  its  gunners  and  its  intrepid  com 
mander  was  severely  wounded  late  in  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  being 
succeeded  in  command  by  the  gallant  Lieutenant  Morton.  Captain 
Jackson's  Virginia  battery  though  not  so  frequently  engaged  is 
entitled  to  notice. 

For  an  understanding  of  the  particular  operations  of  General 
Pillow's  Division,  I  refer  you  to  the  reports  of  his  Brigade  Com 
manders,  Colonels  Wm-  E.  Baldwin,  A.  Heiman  and  John  Gregg  and 
to  the  reports  of  their  subordinate  commanders. 

Accompanying  this  report  is  a  list  of  the  strength  of  my  division 
and  of  its  killed  and  wounded.  My  aggregate  force  at  the  beginning 
of  the  contests  which  was  constantly  diminishing  did  not  exceed  3,025 
infantry  and  two  batteries  of  artillery.  Two  of  my  regiments,  in 
addition  (344  men)  were  constantly  under  the  command  of  General 
Pillow.  The  length  of  my  lines  exceeded  three-fourths  of  a  mile. 
I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

S.  B.  BUCKNER, 
Brigadier-General,  C.  S.  Army. 

Lately  Commander,  Second  Division,  Central  Army  of  Kentucky. 
GENERAL,  S.  COOPER, 

Adj.  and  Insp.  Gen.  C.  S.  Army,  Ricmond,  Va. 


GENERAL  GRANTS  SPECIAL  ORDER.  63 

(Enclosures) 
Headquarters  Army  in  the  Field, 

Fort  Donelson,  Tenn.,  February  16,  1862. 
Special  Orders  | 
No.-  f 

All  prisoners  taken  at  the  surrender  of  Fort  Donelson  will  be 
collected  as  rapidly  as  practicable  near  the  village  of  Dover,  under 
their  respective  company  and  regimental  commanders,  or  in  such 
manner  as  may  be  deemed  best  by  Brig.  Gen.  S.  B.  Buckner,  and  will 
receive  two  days'  rations,  preparatory  to  embarking  for  Cairo. 

Prisoners  are  to  be  allowed  their  clothing,  blankets,  and  such 
private  property  as  may  be  carried  about  the  person,  and  commis 
sioned  officers  will  be  allowed  their  side-arms. 

By  order: 

U.  S.  GRANT, 

Brigadier-General. 


THE  BUILDING  OF  FORTS  HENRY  AND  DONELSON. 


MAJOR  WILBUR   F.    FOSTER,    OF   NASHVILLE   WHO     WAS    LIEUTENANT 
GENERAL  A.  P.   STEWART'S  CHIEF  ENGINEER.) 


MAJOR  W.  F.  FOSTER,  CHIEF  ENGINEER  GENERAL  A.  P. 
STEWART'S  CORPS. 

Shortly  after  enrollment  as  a   volunteer   in   Company    C,    First 
Tennessee  regiment  in  April  1861,  and  the  mustering  into  the  service 


BUILDING  OF  FORTS  HENRY  AND  DONELSON.  65 

of  the  state  of  Tennessee  of  said  regiment,  May  2nd,  this  writer  was 
ordered  by  Capt.  R.  C.  Foster,  commanding  his  company,  to  report 
to  Mr.  Adna  Anderson  at  Nashville  for  special  service,  and  thus  became 
familiar  with  the  following  facts,  not  generally  known,  with  regard 
to  the  location  and  construction  of  Fort  Donelson  on  the  Cumberland 
river  and  Fort  Henry  on  the  Tennessee. 

Mr.  Anderson  at  that  time,  was  receiver  of  the  Edgefield  &> 
Kentucky  railroad,  running  from  Nashville,  Tenn.,  to  Guthrie,  Ky., 
and  was  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  widely  known  engineers  in  the 
South.  As  chief  engineer,  he  had  located  and  built,  under  three  sep 
arate  corporations,  the  entire  line  of  railroad  from  Guthrie,  Ky., 
southwardly  to  the  state  line  of  Alabama,  which  now  forms  an 
important  part  of  the  Louisville  &  Nashville  railroad  system.  He 
had  also  had  large  experience  in  various  other  enterprises  in  the  South, 
and  was  one  whose  clear  judgment  and  great  ability  were  held  in  high 
esteem  by  all  who  knew  him. 

On  reporting  to  Mr.  Anderson  as  ordered,  he  stated  that  he  had 
been  directed  by  Gov.  Harris  to  locate  and  construct  defensive  works 
on  the  Cumberland  and  Tennessee  rivers,  and  that  he  wished  me  to 
organize  a  party  and  make  such  surveys  as  he  would  direct. 

On  the  10th  of  May  these  surveys  were  begun  near  Dover,  Mr. 
Anderson  being  present  in  person,  and  after  careful  examination  and 
study  of  all  the  topographical  details,  the  first,  or  water  battery  at 
Fort  Donelson  was  located  by  Mr.  Anderson,  the  work  laid  out,  and 
construction  begun  by  a  large  force  of  men  brought  from  Cumber 
land  iron  works  by  Mr.  Stacker. 

The  surveying  party  then  proceeded  at  once  to  the  Tennessee  river, 
and  the  same  careful  study  was  given  and  surveys  made,  extending 
from  a  point  shortly  above  the  mouth  of  Sandy  several  miles  north 
wardly  down  the  river.  The  location  of  the  proposed  fort  on  the 
Tennessee,  chosen  by  Mr.  Anderson,  was  shortly  below  the  mouth  of 
Standing  Stone  creek  and  nearly  opposite  the  mouth  of  Sandy. 

The  entire  country  between  the  two  rivers  was  thoroughly  examined 
and  maps  made  showing  the  location  of  both  forts  and  the  country 
between.  In  all  these  surveys  great  care  was  taken  to  ascertain  true 
high  water  mark  and  note  the  conditions  which  would  exist  in  time  of 
floods. 

On  the  28th  of  May,  Major  (afterwards  General)  Bushrod  Johnson, 
who  had  been  appointed  chief  engineer  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee 
with  the  rank  of  Major,  visited  the  party  in  the  field  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Anderson  who  explained  fully  to  Major  Johnson  all  that  had  been 
done  under  his  direction,  and  turned  over  to  him  all  maps, .plans,  etc., 
the  result  of  the  surveys.  Major  Johnson  then  assumed  the  further 
direction  of  the  work  and  Mr.  Anderson's  connection  therewith 
ended. 

The  work  at  Fort  Donelson  was  carried  forward  to  completion,  in 
the  main  as  designed  by  Mr.  Anderson,  but  the  point  selected  by  him 
for  the  defensive  work  on  Tennessee  river  was  not  approved  by  Major 
Johnson,  who  selected  a  location  some  five  miles  further  down  the  river 
at  Kirkman's  old  landing;  and  under  his  direction  this  writer  laid  out 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


Fort  Henry  at  that  place  and  the  work  was  begun  by  the  Tenth 
Tennessee  regiment,  commanded  by  Col.  A.  Heiman  on  Friday,  June 
14,  1861.  The  first  gun  was  mounted  and  fired  with  blank  cartridge 
on  Friday,  July  12th. 

Shortly  aferwards  this  writer,  at  his  own  request,  was  relieved  of 
special  duty  and  rejoined  his  regiment  in  West  Virginia. 


TABLE     GIVING    THE     NUMBER   OF   THE    FORCES   ENGAGED,    KILLED,    AND 
WOUNDED  AT  FORT  DONELSON,  FEBRUARY  12-15,   1862. 


REGIMENT. 

COMMANDER. 

ENGAGED 

KILLED 

WOUND  'D 

48th  Tennessee  .   . 

W.  M.  Voorhies  . 

230 

1 

42d  Tennessee    .  . 

W.  A.  Quarles      . 

498 

. 

11 

53d  Tennessee    .  . 

A.  H.  Abernathy  . 

280 

6 

12 

49th  Tennessee  .  . 

J.  E.  Bailey    .   .   . 

300 

4 

13 

18th  Tennessee  .  . 

J.  B.  Palmer  .  .  . 

615 

4 

40 

10th  Tennessee  .  . 

A.  Heiman  .... 

750 

1 

5 

26th  Tennessee  .   . 

J.  M.  Lillard    .  . 

400 

11 

85 

41st  Tennessee  .   . 

R.  Ferguson  .  .  . 

450 

2 

6 

32d  Tennessee    .   . 

E.  C.  Cook  .... 

558 

3 

35 

3d  Tennessee  .  .  . 

J.  C.  Brown    .   .   . 

650 

12 

75 

51st  Tennessee   .   . 

E.  A.  Clark    .  .  . 

80 

. 

. 

50th  Tennessee  .  . 

C.  A.  Sugg    .  .   . 

650 

2 

'  4 

2nd  Kentucky    .   . 

R.  W.  Hanson  .   . 

618 

13 

57 

8th  Kentucky     .  . 

H.  B.  Lyon     .   .   . 

300 

19 

60 

Tth  Texas     .  .  .  . 

John  Gregg    .  .  . 

300 

20 

30 

15th  Arkansas    .   . 

J.  M.  Gee    .... 

270 

7 

17 

27th  Alabama    .   . 

A.  A.  Hughes    .  . 

316 

.  . 

1 

1st  Mississippi  .  . 

J.  M.  Simonton    . 

280 

17 

76 

3rd  Mississippi  .   . 

John  B.  Deason    . 

500 

5 

19 

4th  Mississippi  .   . 

Joseph  Drake     .   . 

535 

8 

38 

14th  Mississippi    . 

W.  E.  Baldwin     . 

475 

17 

84 

20th  Mississippi    . 

D.  R.  Russell     .  . 

562 

19 

59 

26th  Mississippi    . 

A.  E.  Reynolds     . 

434 

.12 

71 

50th  Virginia     .   . 

Maj.C.E.Thorb'rn 

400 

8 

68 

51st  Virginia  .  .   . 

G.  C.  Wharton    . 

275 

5 

45 

56th  Virginia     .   . 

W.  D.  Stewart  .   . 

350 

. 

t 

36th  Virginia     .   .' 

J.  A.  McCausland 

250 

loss  severe 

unknown 

Colms'  Ten  Bat.    . 

Maj.  S.  H.  Colms 

270 

> 

f  . 

Tenn.  Battalion    . 

Maj.  Go  wan    .   .  . 

60 

3 

8 

9th  Bat.  Ten.  Cav. 

George  Gant  .  .  . 

227 

1 

1 

Ky.  Cavalry    .   .  . 

Forrest  

600 

8 

15 

Cavalry  Co.     .  .  . 

Capt.  Meters  .  .  . 

15 

Battery      

Murray      

80 

2 

Battery      

R.  E.  Graves      .  . 

113 

5 

Battery      

Frank  Maney     .  . 

55 

5 

9 

Battery 

Thomas  K.  Porter 

100 

7 

23 

Battery      

H.  D.  Green  .  .  . 

76 

1 

Battery      

Jackson 

34 

Heavy  Battery  .   . 

P.  K.  Stankeiwicz 

34 

'  i 

i 

Heavy  Battery  .   . 

Ross     

100 

1 

Heavy  Battery  .   . 

Girgardey    .  .   .  . 

84 

'. 

Heavy  Battery  .   . 

N.  B.  French     .  . 

48 

i 

.  . 

Heavy  Battery  .   . 

Guv 

58 

Total  .   .   . 

13,280 

221 

978 

Total  force  engaged  first  day  14,427;  Forrest  cavalry  escaped, 
about  600;  Floyd's  brigade  escaped,  about  1,200;  others  escaped, about 
500;  wounded  .sent  off  978;  total  3,278. 


68  BATTLES  ANb  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

•Report  of  General  A.  Sydney  Johnston,  C,  S.  Army,  commanding 

Western  Department. 

Headquarters  Western  Department. 

Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  February  25,  1862. 

Sir:  The  fall  of  Fort  Donelson  compelled  me  to  withdraw  the 
remaining  forces  under  my  command  from  the  north  bank  of  the 
Cumberland  and  to  obtain  the  defense  of  Nashville,  which  but  for  that 
disaster  it  was  my  intention  to  protect  to  the  utmost.  Not  more  than 
11,000  effective  men  were  left  under  my  command  to  oppose  a  column 
of  General  Buell's  of  not  less  than  40,000  troops,  moving  by  Bowling 
Green,  while  another  superior  force,  under  General  Thomas,  outflanked 
me  to  the  east,  and  the  army  from  Fort  Donelson,  with  the  gunboats 
and  transports,  had  it  in  their  power  to  ascend  the  Cumberland,  now 
swollen  by  recent  floods,  so  as  to  intercept  all  communications  with 
the  South.  The  situation  left  me  no  alternative  but  to  evacuate 
Nashville  or  sacrifice  the  army.  B}^  remaining,  the  place  would  have 
been  necessarily  subjected  to  destruction,  as  it  is  very  indefensible, 
and  no  adequate  force  would  have  been  left  to  keep  the  enemy  in  check 
in  Tennessee. 

Under  these  circumstances  I  moved  the  main  body  of  my  command 
to  this  place  on  the  17th  and  18th  instant,  and  left  a  brigade  under 
General  Floyd  to  bring  on  such  stores  and  property  as  were  at  Nash 
ville,  with  instructions  to  remain  until  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  and 
then  to  rejoin  me.  This  has  been  in  a  great  measure  effected;  and 
nearly  all  the  stores  would  have  been  saved,  but  for  the  heavy  and 
unusual  rains,  which  have  washed  away  the  bridges,  swept  away  por 
tions  of  the  railroad,  and  rendered  transportation  almost  impossible. 
General  Floyd  has  arrived  here. 

The  rear  guard  left  Nashville  on  the  night  of  the  23rd.  Edgefield 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  Cumberland,  opposite  the  city,  was  occupied 
yesterday  by  the  advanced  pickets  of  the  enemy. 

I  have  remained  here  for  the  purpose  of  augmenting  my  forces, 
and  securing  the  transportation  of  the  public  stores.  By  the  junction 
of  the  command  of  General  Crittenden,  and  the  fugitives  from  Fort 
Donelson,  which  have  been  reorganized  as  far  as  practicable,  the  force 
now  under  my  command  will  amount  to  about  17,000  men.  General 
Floyd,  with  a  force  of  some  2,500  men,  has  been  ordered  to  Chattanooga, 
to  defend  the  approaches  towards  Northern  Alabama  and  Georgia, 
and  the  communication  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Atlantic,  and 
with  the  view  to  increase  his  forces  by  such  troops  as  may  be  sent 
forward  from  the  neighboring  States. 

The  quartermaster's,  commissary,  and  ordinance  stores  which  are 
not  required  for  immediate  use,  have  been  ordered  to  Chattanooga,  and 
those  which  will  be  necessary  on  the  march  have  been  forwarded  to 
Huntsville  and  Decatur.  I  have  ordered  a  depot  to  be  established  at 
Atlanta,  for  the  manufacture  of  supplies  for  the  Quartermaster's 
Department,  and  also  a  laboratory  for  the  manufacture  of  percussion 
caps  and  ordinance  stores,  and  at  Chattanooga  depot  for  distribution 
of  the  supplies.  The  machinery  will  be  immediately  sent  forward. 

Considering  the  peculiar  topography  of  this  State,  and  the  great 


REPORT  OF  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  JOHN  B.  FLOYD.  69 

power  which  the  enenr^'s  means  of  transportation  affords  them  upon 
the  Tennessee  and  Cumberland,  it  will  be  seen,  that  the  forces  under 
my  command,  cannot  successfully  cover  the  whole  line  against  the 
advance  of  the  enemy.  I  am  compelled  to  elect  whether  he  shall  be 
permitted  to  occupy  middle  Tennessee,  or  turn  Columbus,  take  Memphis, 
and  open  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  To  me,  the  defense  of  the 
valley  appears  of  paramount  importance,  and,  consequently,  I  will 
move  this  corps  of  the  army,  of  which  I  have  assumed  the  immediate 
command,  towards  the  left  bank  of  the  Tennessee,  crossing  the  river 
near  Decatur,  in  order  to  enable  me  to  co-operate  or  unite  with 
General  Beauregard  for  the  defense  of  Memphis  and  the  Mississippi. 

The  department  has  sent  eight  regiments  to  Knoxville  for  the 
defense  of  east  Tennessee,  and  the  protection  of  that  region  will  be 
confided  to  them,  and  such  additional  forces  as  may  be  hereafter  sent 
from  the  adjacent  states.  General  Buckner  was  ordered  by  the  depart 
ment  to  take  command  of  the  trooops  at  Knoxville,  but  as  he  was  at 
that  time  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  the  order  was  not  fulfilled. 
As  it  would  be  almost  impossible  for  me,  under  present  circumstances, 
to  superintend  the  operations  at  Knoxville  and  Chattanooga,  I  would 
respectfully  suggest  that  the  local  commanders  at  those  points  should 
receive  orders  from  the  department  directly,  or  be  allowed  to  exercise 
their  discretion. 

I  have  the  honor  to  remain,  very  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  S.  JOHNSTON, 

General  C.  8.  Army. 
HON.  J.  P.  BENJAMIN, 

Secretary  of  War,  Richmond,  Va. 

Report  of  Brigadier-General  John  B.  Floyd,  C.  S.  Army. 

Knoxville,  Tenn.,  March  22,  1862. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  in  regard 
to  the  movements,  disposition,  and  transportation  of  my  command, 
from  the  date  of  my  arrival  at  Nashville,  until  I  reported  to  General 
A.  S.  Johnston,  at  Murfreesboro. 

I  arrived  at  Nashville  on  a  steamboat,  together  with  a  portion  of 
the  command  rescued  from  Fort  Donelson,  consisting  of  parts  of  the 
various  regiments  from  Virginia,  Texas,  Arkansas,  Kentucky,  and 
Tennessee,  at  7  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  17th  of  February. 
Immediately  on  coming  within  view  of  the  landing  at  the  city  I  beheld 
a  sight  which  is  worthy  of  notice.  The  rabble  on  the  wharf  were  in 
possession  of  boats  loaded  with  Government  bacon,  and  were  pitching 
it  from  these  boats,  to  the  shore,  and  carrying  what  did  not  fall  in  the 
water,  by  hand  and  carts,  away  to  various  places  in  the  city.  The 
persons  engaged  in  this  reprehensible  conduct  avowed  that  the  meat 
had  been  given  to  them  by  the  city  council.  As  soon  as  practicable, 
I  reported  to  General  Johnston  for  duty,  and  on  the  same  day,  I  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  city,  and  immediately  took  steps  to  arrest 
the  panic  that  pervaded  all  classes,  and  to  restore  order  and  quiet. 
One  regiment,  the  First  Missouri,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Rich,  together 
with  a  portion  of  Colonel  Forrest's  and  Captain  Morgan's  cavalry, 


70  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

were  added  to  my  command,  and  these  were  principally  occupied  in 
guarding  public  warehouses  and  the  streets  of  the  city.  The  only 
other  force  which  I  could  use  for  the  purposes  above  mentioned,  were 
the  fragments  of  regiments  that  I  had  brought  with  me,  and  all  of 
which  were  well-nigh  totally  exhausted  from  the  exertions  and 
fatigues  to  which  they  had  been  subjected  on  the  13th,  14th,  15th, 
and  16th  days  of  February. 

I  immediately  stopped  the  indiscriminate  distribution  of  the  public 
stores,  by  placing  guards  over  them,  and,  having  thus  secured  them 
from  the  grasp  of  the  populace,  I  commenced  the  work  of  saving  the 
stores  that  were  in  the  city.  Day  and  night  the  work  was  continued, 
being  only  temporarily  stopped  at  times  for  the  purpose  of  feeding 
the  teams  that  were  at  work,  transporting  articles  of  Government 
property  from  the  wharves  and  storehouses,  to  the  railroad  depot. 
My  men  worked  incessantly  with  commendable  perseverance  and 
energy,  under  my  immediate  supervision.  Owing  to  the  exhausted 
condition  of  the  men  thus  engaged,  it  became  absolutely  necessary  to 
force  the  able-bodied  men  who  were  strolling  about  the  city  unoccupied, 
to  assist  in  the  labor  before  me.  I  was  greatly  assisted  in  this  arduous 
duty  by  the  energy  of  Colonel  Wharton,  whose  brigade  was  principally 
engaged,  and  who  promptly  executed  the  orders  issued  by  me.  I 
likewise  would  express  my  appreciation  of  the  valuable  services  of 
Maj.  J.  Dawson,  of  General  Hardee's  command,  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Kennard,  and  of  Captains  Derrick,  Ellis,  and  Otey,  of  my  staff.  I 
finally  succeeded  in  loading  all  the  cars  standing  at  the  depot,  at  about 
4  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  20th  of  February. 

During  the  interval  between  the  morning  of  the  lYth  and  the 
evening  of  the  20th  of  February,  trains  were  loaded  and  dispatched  as 
fast  as  they  arrived.  Much  more  could  have  been  saved,  had  there 
been  more  system  and  regularity  in  the  disposition  of  the  transportation 
by  rail.  Several  trains  were  occupied,  in  carrying  off  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers.  The  weather  was  exceedingly  inclement,  during  the  entire 
time  occupied  as  above  mentioned,  and  there  was  an  excessively  heavy 
rain  on  the  19th  of  February. 

As  the  moment  for  destroying  the  bridges  had  been  left  to  my 
discretion,  up  to  a  certain  period,  I  allowed  them  to  stand  until  a  large 
amount  of  transportation,  a  large  number  of  cattle,  and  some  troops 
had  been  brought  from  the  north  side  of  the  river.  At  10  o'clock  on 
the  evening  of  the  19th,  the  destruction  of  the  suspension  bridge  was 
commenced;  the  wood  work  was  burned,  and  the  cables  on  the  south 
side  were  cut.  At  3  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  20th,  the  railroad 
bridge  was  destroyed.  I  was  greatly  aided  in  this  work  by  Lieutenant 
Crump  and  Lieutenant  Forsberg,  of  the  Engineers. 

During  the  period  embraced  by  this  report,  Colonel  Forrest  and 
Captain  Morgan,  with  their  cavalry,  rendered  signal  and  efficient 
service  in  dispersing  the  mobs,  which  gathered  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
warehouses,  containing  Government  property,  and  which  often  had  to 
be  scattered,  at  the  point  of  the  saber.  I  had  succeeded  in  collecting  a 
large  amount  of  stores,  of  various  kinds  at  the  depot,  but  as  I  had  no 
control  of  the  transportation  by  rail,  and  hence  was  obliged  to  await 


COL.  FORREST'S  RESPONSES  TO  INTERROGATORIES.  71 

the  action  of  others,  much  that  would  have  been  valuable  to  the 
Government,  was  necessarily  left  at  the  depot.  Among  the  articles 
saved  were  all  the  cannon,  caissons,  and  battery  wagons  of  which  we 
had  any  knowledge. 

At  4  o'clock  p.  m.  on  the  20th  of  February  I  started  with  my 
staff  for  Murfreesboro,  which  point  I  reached  on  the  morning  of 
the  21st,  where  I  reported  to  General  Johnston  in  person. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  B.  FLOYD, 

Brigadier-General. 
H.  P.  BREWSTER, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

Col.  Nathan  B.  Forrest's  responses  to  interrogatories  of  Committee 
of  Confederate  House  of  Representatives. 

Interrogatory  1:  I  was  not  at  the  city  of  Nashville  at  the  time 
of  its  surrender,  but  was  there  at  the  time  the  enemy  made  their 
entrance  into  that  part  of  the  city  known  as  Edgefield,  having  left 
Fort  Donnelson,  with  my  command,  on  the  morning  of  its  surrender, 
and  reached  Nashville  on  Tuesday,  February  18th,  about  10  a.  m.  I 
remained  in  the  city  up  to  Sunday  evening  following.  , 

Interrogatory  2:  It  would  be  impossible  to  state,  from  the  data 
before  me,  the  value  of  the  stores  either  in  the  quartermaster's 
or  commissary  department,  having  no  papers  then  nor  any  previous 
knowledge  of  the  stores.  The  stores  in  the  quartermaster's  depart 
ment  consisted  of  all  stores  necessary  to  the  department — clothing 
especially,  in  large  amounts,  shoes,  harness,  etc.,  with  considerable 
unmanufactured  material.  The  commissary  stores  were  meat,  flour, 
sugar,  molasses  and  coffee.  There  was  a  very  large  amount  of  meat 
in  store,  and  on  the  landing  at  my  arrival,  though  large  amounts  had 
already  been  carried  awa}^  by  citizens. 

Interrogatory  3:  A  portion  of  these  stores  had  been  removed 
before  the  surrender.  A  considerable  amount  of  meat  on  the  landing, 
I  was  informed,  was  thrown  into  the  river  on  Sunday,  before  my 
arrival,  and  carried  off  by  the  citizens.  The  doors  of  the  commissary 
depot  were  thrown  open,  and  the  citizens  in  dense  crowds  were  pack 
ing  and  hauling  off  the  balance,  at  the  time  of  my  arrival  on  Tuesday. 
The  quartermaster's  stores  were  also  open,  and  the  citizens  were 
invited  to  come  and  help  themselves,  which  the}^  did  in  larger  crowds, 
if  possible,  than  at  the  other  department. 

Interrogator}^  4:  On  Tuesday  morning  I  was  ordered  by  General 
Floyd  to  take  command  of  the  city,  and  attempted  to  drive  the  mob 
from  the  doors  of  the  departments,  which  mob  was  composed  of 
straggling  soldiers  and  citizens  of  all  grades.  The  mob  had  taken 
possession  of  the  city  to  that  extent  that  every  species  of  property 
was  unsafe.  Houses  were  closed,  carriages  and  wagons  were  concealed 
to  prevent  the  mob  from  taking  possession  of  them.  Houses  were 
being  seized  everywhere.  I  had  to  call  out  my  cavalry,  and,  after 
every  other  means  failed,  charge  the  mob  before  I  could  get  it  so  dis 
persed  as  to  get  wagons  to  the  doors  of  the  departments  to  load  up 


72  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

the  stores  for  transportation.  After  the  mob  was  partially  dispersed 
and  quiet  restored,  a  number  of  citizens  furnished  wagons,  and 
assisted  in  loading  them.  I  was  busily  engaged  in  this  work  on  Fri 
day,  Saturday  and  Sunday.  I  transported  700  large  boxes  of  clothing 
to  the  Nashville  &  Chattanooga  railroad  depot,  several  hundred  bales  of 
osnaburgs,  and  other  military  goods  from  the  quartermaster's 
department,  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  shoes  having  been  seized  by  the 
mob.  I  removed  about  700  or  800  wagon  loads  of  meat.  The  high 
water  having  destroyed  the  bridges  so  as  to  stop  transportation  over 
the  Nashville  &  Chattanooga  railroad,  I  had  large  amounts  of  •  this 
meat  taken  over  the  Tennessee  &  Alabama  railroad.  By  examination 
on  Sunday  morning  I  found  a  large  amount  of  fixed  ammunition,  in 
the  shape  of  cartridges  and  ammunition  for  light  artillery  in  the 
magazine,  which,  with  the  assistance  of  General  Harding,  I  conveyed 
over  seven  miles,  on  the  Tennessee  &  Alabama  railroad  in  wagons,  to 
the  amount  of  thirty  odd  wagon  loads,  after  the  enemy  had  reached 
the  river.  A  portion  was  sent  on  to  Murfreesboro  in  wagons.  The 
quartermaster's  stores  which  had  not  already  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
the  mob,  were  all  removed,  save  a  lot  of  rope,  loose  shoes,  and  a  large 
number  of  tents.  The  mob  had  already  possessed  themselves  of  a 
large  amount  of  these  stores.  A  large  quantity  of  meat  was  left  in 
store  on  the  river  bank,  and  some  at  the  Nashville  &  Chattanooga 
railroad  depot,  on  account  of  the  break  in  the  railroad.  I  cannot 
estimate  the  amount,  as  several  store-houses  had  not  been  opened,  up 
to  the  time  of  my  leaving.  All  stores  left,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy,  except  forty  pieces  of  artillery,  which  were  burned  and  spiked, 
by  order  of  General  Floyd,  as  were  the  guns  at  Fort  Zollicoffer.  My 
proposition  to  remove  these  stores,  made  by  telegraph  to  Murfreesboro, 
had  the  sanction  of  General  A.  S.  Johnston. 

Interrogatory  6:  No  effort  was  made,  save  by  the  mob,  who 
were  endeavoring  to  possess  themselves  of  these  stores,  to  prevent 
their  removal,  and  a  very  large  amount  was  taken  off  before  I  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  city. 

Interrogatory  7:  It  was  eight  days  from  the  time  the  Quarter 
master  left  the  city,  before  the  arrival  of  the  enemy;  commissaries  and 
other  parties  connected  with  these  departments,  leaving  at  the  same 
time.  With  proper  diligence  on  their  part,  I  have  no  doubt  all  the 
public  stores  might  have  been  transported  to  places  of  safety. 

Interrogatory  8:  Up  to  Saturday,  the  railroads  were  open,  and 
might  have  been  used  to  transport  these  stores.  Saturday,  the 
bridges  of  the  Nashville  &  Chattanooga  railroad  gave  way.  Besides 
these  modes  of  conveyance,  a  large  number  of  wagons  might  have 
been  obtained,  had  the  quiet  and  order  of  the  city  been  maintained, 
and  large  additional  amounts  of  stores  might  by  these  means  have 
been  transported  to  places  of  safety. 

Interrogatories  9  and  10:  I  saw  no  officer  connected  with  the 
quartermaster's  commissary  department,  except  Mr.  Patton,  who 
left  on  Friday.  I  did  not  at  any  time  meet  or  hear  of  Maj.  V.  K. 
Stevenson  in  the  city  during  my  stay  there. 

Interrogatories  11,  12  and  13:     From  my  personal  knowledge,   I 


COL.  FORREST'S  RESPONSES  TO  INTERROGATORIES.  73 

can  say  nothing  of  the  manner  in  which  Major  Stevenson  left  the  city. 
Common  rumor  and  many  reliable  citizens  informed  me,  that  Major 
Stevenson  left  by  a  special  train  Sunday  morning,  February  16th, 
taking  personal  baggage,  furniture,  carriage,  and  carriage  horses,  the 
train  ordered  by  himself,  as  president  of  the  railroad. 

Interrogatory  14:  All  the  means  of  transportation  were  actually 
necessary,  for  the  transportation  of  Government  stores,  and  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers,  many  of  whom  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  for 
want  of  it,  and  might  have  been  saved  by  the  proper  use  of  the  means 
at  hand.  The  necessity  for  these  means  of  tansportation  for  stores, 
will  be  seen  by  the  above  answers  which  I  have  given.  I  have  been 
compelled  to  be  as  brief  as  possible  in  making  the  above  answers,  my 
whole  time  being  engaged,  as  we  seemed  to  be  upon  the  eve  of  another 
great  battle.  The  city  was  in  a  much  worse  condition  than  I  can  con 
vey  an  idea  of  on  paper,  and  the  loss  of  public  stores  must  be  estimated 
by  millions  of  dollars.  The  panic  was  entirely  useless,  and  not  at  all 
justified  by  the  circumstances.  General  Harding  and  the  mayor  of 
the  city,  with  Mr.  Williams,  deserve  special  mention  for  assistance 
rendered  in  removing  the  public  property.  In  my  judgment,  if  the 
quartermaster  and  commissary  had  remained  at  their  posts  and  worked 
diligently  with  the  means  at  their  command,  the  Government  stores 
might  all  have  been  saved,  between  the  time  of  the  fall  of  Fort 
Donelson,  and  the  arrival  of  the  enemy  at  Nashville. 
Respectfully  submitted. 

N.  B.- FORREST, 
Colonel,  Commanding  Forrest's  Brigade  of  Cavalry. 


THE  BURNING  OF  THE  MINNE  TONKA. 

REPORT  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  H.  MORGAN,  ON    SCOUT    TO    NEAR    NASHVILLE, 
TENNESSEE,  AFTER  EVACTUATION. 


Buchanan,  Tenn.,  February  27,  1862. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  on  yesterday,  the  26th 
instant,  I  left  camp  with  twelve  men  for  Nashville.  About  300  yards 
this  side  of  last  tollgate  towards  town,  I  left  this  pike  and  crossed 
through  Mr.  Trabue's  farm  to  Lebanon  pike.  Left  one  man  near 
pike,  to  bring  us  intelligence  of  the  enemy,  if  any  should  come  along 
the  pike.  We  then  followed  the  Lebanon  pike  until  we  reached  the 
city.  When  inside  the  city  limits,  found  the  pike  covered  with  water, 
it  having  been  backed  up  by  the  great  rise  in  the  river.  Just  at  that 
point  met  a  farmer,  who  said  he  was  a  Union  man.  Pressed  him  in, 
and  made  him  guide  us  bver  the  backwater.  He  took  us  for  Federals, 
as  he  af erwards  told  me.  We  proceeded  into  the  city  on  Front  street, 
as  far  as  the  water- works,  and  there  saw  a  steamboat — the  Minne 
Tonka.  She  laid  about  300  yards  out  in  the  vast  field  which  covered 
the  whole  valley.  She  was  chained,  fore  and  aft,  to  trees.  She  lay 
not  over  500  yards  above  the  gunboats  and  their  large  fleet  of 
transports.  Could  see  the  soldiers  distinctly  sitting  upon  the  boats, 
and  they  were  full  of  them.  Young  Buckner,  Warfield  and  Garrett 
took  possession  of  a  skiff,  and  made  oars  of  a  piece  of  plank  fence; 
boarded  the  steamboat;  found  several  men  on  board,  who  seemed 
preparing  to  get  up  steam,  to  drop  down  the  stream  to  the  gunboats; 
made  the  crew  leave  in  a  boat,  and  set  fire  in  several  places  to  the 
steamer,  and  reached  the  shore  in  safety.  The  troops  in  the  transports 
could  see  what  we  were  doing.  My  orders  were  to  fire  the  boat,  and 
then  cut  her  loose,  and  let  her  drop  down  stream  and  set  the  other 
boats  on  fire;  but  this  I  found  impossible  to  do,  on  account  of  the 
steamer  being  so  securely  moored  with  chain  cables.  At  least  2,000 
citizens  gathered  around  us  while  we  were  waiting  for  the  boys  to 
get  back  from  the  steamer.  They  begged  us  to  leave;  told  us  the 
Federal  cavalry  were  scouring  the  city;  that  a  large  part}^  of  cavalry 
had  just  passed  through  the  streets  we  were  on.  Sent  all  my  men 
but  five  out  the  pike,  with  direction  to  halt  at  the  cemetery. 
Remained  with  the  five  men  about  thirty  minutes,  until  I  saw  a  large 
body  of  cavalry  going  out  to  the  Murfreesboro  pike  at  a  rapid  rate, 
then  started  after  my  command.  When  we  were  half  way  through 
the  water  that  was  upon  the  pike,  a  large  body  of  Federals  rode  after 


THE  BURNING  OF  THE  MINNE  TONKA.  75 

us  until  they  reached  the  water,  when  they  halted,  much  to  my 
satisfaction.  We  then  retraced  our  steps  back  to  the  pike;  reached 
our  man  who  was  standing  picket  just  before  sundown.  About  three 
minutes  before  we  reached  him  he  said  seven  officers — and  one  of  them 
a  general — had  passed  through,  and  stopped  at  the  gate  where  he  was 
standing,  not  twenty  yards  distant.  He  was  in  a  clump  of  cedars. 
When  we  reached  him  the  officers  were  not  over  TOO  yards  distant. 
Kept  our  position  about  an  hour.  A  Mr.  James  came  out  and  informed 
us  that  there  were  men  encamped  at  the  toll  gate,  that  had  refused 
him  a  permit  to  leave  the  city,  but  he  walked  along  with  them  as  they 
came  out,  and  as  they  were  going  into  camp  he  passed  along.  He 
had  just  left  when  another  man  rode  up.  I  halted  him.  He  asked 
me  if  I  was  one  of  our  pickets.  I  replied,  if  he  meant  Federals,  we 
were.  He  said  that  was  what  he  meant.  I  then  asked  him  for  his 
pass.  He  pulled  out  one  from  General  Mitchell,  allowing  him  to  pass 
and  repass  the  lines.  He  did  not  want  me  to  keep  it,  but  I  told  him 
it  might  be  forgery,  and  then  I  wished  to  take  it  in,  and  see  if  it  was 
all  right.  He  has  been  professing  to  be  a  Southern-right  (man;)  he  is 
a  Lincolnite.  Lieutenant  West  and  myself  then  rode  up  to  the  toll 
gate.  I  asked  the  man  who  lived  there,  who  wrere  the  officers  who 
had  just  passed  through.  Said  he  did  not  know,  but  that  they  were 
looking  out  for  a  place  to  camp.  While  talking,  heard  a  body  of 
cavalry  approaching.  We  fell  back  to  the  place  where  our  men  were. 
I  waited  a  few  minutes.  The  night  being  very  dark,  could  not  see 
more  than  fifty  yards  ahead  of  us.  While  sitting  listening,  I  heard  the 
clink  of  sabers  about  sixty  yards  from  us.  They  had  left  the  pike, 
and  were  riding  on  the  dirt  along  the  side  of  the  pike,  to  keep  their 
horses  from  making  a  noise.  We  were  close  to  the  fence  behind 
cedar  trees.  They  rode  up  within  fifty  feet  of  us,  and  stopped  about 
five  minutes.  I  dismounted  and  took  a  shot  gun  and  started  for  the 
fence,  where  I  could  easily  have  killed  two  or  three  of  them.  Just  as 
I  was  raising  to  put  my  gun  through  the  fence,  they  called  to  each 
other  to  fire,  which  they  did,  and  then  ran  for  the  city.  We  returned 
the  fire.  One  of  my  men  (Peter  Atherton)  was  severely  wounded, 
being  shot  through  the  thigh.  Reached  camp  at  12  o'clock  last  night. 

Respectfully, 

JOHN  H.  MORGAN, 

Commanding  Squadron. 
BRIGADIER-GENERAL  J.  C.  BRECKINRIDGE. 


(Inclosure) 

Headquarters,  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  February  24,  1862,  1  a.  m. 
Captain  Morgan: 

General  Hardee  has  information  that  200  or  300  Federal  cavalry 
crossed  over  into  Nashville  this  evening  on  a  steamboat.  General 
Hardee  deems  it  important  that  the  steamboat  should  be  burnt,  and 
wishes  you  to  have  it  done  if  it  can  be  done. 

Respectfully, 

W.   D.   PlCKETT, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General. 


LETTER   FROM   PRESIDENT   DAVIS   TO    GENERAL    A. 

JOHNSTON. 


Richmond,  Va.,  March  12,  1862. 
To  General  A.  Sidney  Johnston. 

My  Dear  General:  The  departure  of  Captain  Wickliffe  offers  an 
opportunity  of  which  I  will  avail  myself  to  write  you  an  unofficial 
letter.  We  have  suffered  great  anxiety  because  of  recent  events  in 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  and  I  have  been  not  a  little  disturbed  by 
the  repetition  of  reflections  upon  yourself.  I  expected  you  to  have 
made  a  full  report  of  events  precedent  and  consequent,  to  the  fall  of 
Fort  Donelson.  In  the  meantime,  I  made  for  you  such  defense  as 
friendship  prompted  and  many  years'  acquaintance  justified,  but  I 
needed  facts  to  rebut  the  wholesale  assertions  made  against  you,  to 
cover  others  and  to  condemn  my  administration.  The  public,  as  you 
are  aware,  have  no  correct  measure  for  militar}^  operations,  and 
journals  are  very  reckless  in  their  statements.  Your  force  has  been 
magnified,  and  the  movements  of  an  army  measured  by  the  capacity 
for  locomotion  of  an  individual.  The  readiness  of  the  people  among 
whom  you  are  operating  to  aid  you  in  every  method  has  been  constantly 
asserted,  the  purpose  of  your  army  at  Bowling  Green  wholly  mis 
understood,  and  the  absence  of  an  effective  force  at  Nashville  ignored. 
You  have  been  held  responsible  for  the  fall  of  Donelson  and  the 
capture  of  Nashville.  'Tis  charged,  that  no  effort  was  made  to  save 
the  stores  at  Nashville  and  that  the  panic  of  the  people  was  caused  by 
the  army.  Such  representations,  with  the  sad  forebodings  naturally 
belonging  to  them,  have  been  painful  to  me,  and  injurious  to  us  botk; 
but,  worse  than  this,  they  have  undermined  public  confidence  and 
damaged  our  cause. 

A  full  development  of  the  truth  is  necessary  for  future  success. 
I  respect  the  generosity  which  has  kept  you  silent,  but  would  impress 
upon  you,  that  the  subject  is  not  personal  but  public  in  its  nature; 
that  you  and  I  might  be  content  to  suffer,  but  neither  of  us  can 
willingly  permit  detriment  to  the  country. 

As  soon  as  circumstances  will  permit,  it  is  my  purpose  to  visit 
the  field  of  your  present  operations;  not  that  I  should  expect  to  give 
you  any  aid  in  the  discharge  of  your  duties  as  a  commander,  but  with 
the  hope  that  my  position  would  enable  me  to  effect  something  in 
bringing  men  to  your  standard. 

With  a  sufficient  force,  the  audacity  which  the  enemy  exhibits 
would  no  doubt  give  you  the  opportunity  to  cut  some  of  his  lines  of 


77 

communication,  to  break  up  his  plan  of  campaign,  and,  defeating  some 
of  his  columns,  to  drive  him  from  the  soil  of  Tennessee  as  well  as  of 
Kentucky.  We  are  deficient  in  arms,  wanting  in  discipline,  and 
inferior  in  numbers.  Private  arms  must  supply  the  first  want;  time 
and  the  presence  of  an  enemy,  with  diligence  on  the  part  of  command 
ers  will  remove  the  second,  and  public  confidence  will  overcome  the 
third. 

General  Bragg  brings  you  disciplined  troops,  and  you  will  find  in 
him  the  highest  administrative  capacity.  General  E.  K.  Smith  will 
soon  have  in  East  Tennessee,  a  sufficient  force  to  create  a  strong 
diversion  in  your  favor;  or  if  his  strength  cannot  be  made  available  in 
that  way,  you  will  best  know  how  to  employ  it  otherwise.  I  suppose 
the  Tennessee  or  Mississippi  river  will  be  the  object  of  the  enemy's 
next  campaign,  and  I  trust  you  will  be  able  to  concentrate  a  force 
which  will  defeat  either  attempt. 

The  fleet  which  you  will  soon  have  on  the  Mississippi  river,  if  the 
enemy's  gunboats  ascend  the  Tennessee,  may  enable  you  to  strike  an 
effective  blow  at  Cairo;  but  to  one  so  well  informed  and  vigilant,  I 
will  not  assume  to  offer  suggestions  as  to  when  and  how  the  ends 
you  seek  may  be  obtained. 

With  the  confidence  and  regard  of  many  years,  I  am,  very  truty, 
your  friend, 

JEFFERSON  DAVIS. 


Decatur,  Ala.,  March  18,  1862. 
To  President  Davis. 

My  Dear  General:  I  received  the  dispatch  from  Richmond,  with 
your  private  letter,  by  Captain  Wickliffe,  three  days  since,  but  the 
pressure  of  affairs  and  the  necessity  of  getting  my  command  across 
the  Tennessee,  prevented  me  from  sending  you  an  earlier  reply. 

I  anticipated  all  that  you  tell,  as  to  the  censures  which  the  fall  of 
Fort  Donelson  drew  upon  me,  and  the  attacks  to  which  you  might  be 
subjected,  but  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  gather  the  facts  for  a 
detailed  report,  or  spare  the  time  required  to  extricate  the  remainder 
of  my  troops,  and  save  the  large  accumulation  of  stores  and  pro 
visions  after  the  disheartening  disaster. 

I  transmitted  the  reports  of  Generals  Floyd  and  Pillow,  without 
examining  or  analyzing  the  facts,  and  scarcely  with  time  to  read  them. 

When  about  to  assume  command  of  the  department,  the  Govern 
ment  charged  me  with  the  duty  of  deciding  the  question  of  occupying 
Bowling  Green,  which  involved  not  only  military  but  political  con 
siderations.  At  the  time  of  my  arrival  at  Nashville,  the  action  of  the 
Legislature  of  Kentucky  had  put  an  end  to  the  latter,  by  sanctioning 
the  formation  of  camps  menacing  Tennessee,  by  assuming  the  cause  of 
the  Government  at  Washington,  and  by  abandoning  the  neutrality  it 
professed,  and  in  consequence  of  their  action,  the  occupation  of 
Bowling  Green  became  accessary  as  an  act  of  self-defense,  at  least,  in 
the  first  step. 


78  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

About  the  middle  of  September,  General  Buckner  advanced  with 
a  small  force  of  about  4,000  men,  which  was  increased  by  the  15th  of 
October  to  12,000,  and,  though  accessions  of  force  were  received, 
continued  at  about  the  same  strength  till  the  end  of  the  month  of 
November  (measles  etc.,  keeping  down  the  effective  force.)  The 
enemy's  force  then  was,  as  reported  to  the  War  Department,  50,000, 
and  an  advance  impossible.  No  enthusiasm,  as  we  imagined  and 
hoped,  but  hostilit}7,  was  manifested  in  Kentucky.  Believing  it  to  be 
of  the  greatest  moment  to  protect  the  campaign,  as  the  dearth  of 
cotton  might  bring  strength  from  abroad  and  discourage  the  North 
and  to  gain  time  to  strengthen  myself  by  new  troops  from  Tennessee 
and  other  States,  I  magnified  my  forces  to  the  enemy,  but  made  known 
my  true  strength  to  the  Department  and  the  Governors  of  the  States. 
The  aid  given  was  small.  At  length,  when  General  Beauregard  came 
out,  in  February,  he  expressed  his  surprise  at  the  smallness  of  the 
force,  and  was  impressed  with  the  danger.  I  admitted  what  was  so 
manifest,  and  laid  before  him  my  views  for  the  future,  in  which  he 
entirely  concurred  and  sent  me  a  memorandum  of  our  conference,  a 
copy  of  which  I  send  to  you.  I  determined  to  fight  for  Nashville  at 
Donelson,  and  gave  the  best  part  of  my  army  to  do  it,  retaining  only 
14,000  men  to  cover  my  front,  and  giving  16,000  to  defend  Donelson. 
The  force  at  Donelson  is  stated  in  General  Pillow's  report  at  much 
less,  and  I  do  not  doubt  the  correctness  of  his  statement,  for  the  force 
at  Bowling  Green,  which  I  supposed  14,000  men  (the  medical  report 
showing  only  a  little  over  500  sick  in  hospitals)  was  diminished  more 
than  5,000  by  those  who  were  unable  to  stand  the  fatigue  of  a  march 
and  made  my  effective  force  on  reaching  Nashville  less  than  10,000 
men.  I  inclose  medical  director's  report.  Had  I  wholly  uncovered  my 
front  to  defend  Donelson,  Buell  would  have  known  it,  and  marched 
directly  to  Nashville.  There  were  only  ten  small  steamers,  only  three 
of  which  were  available  at  Nashville,  in  the  Cumberland,  in  imperfect 
condition,  while  transportation  of  the  enemy  was  great. 

The  evacuation  of  Bowling  Green  was  imperatively  necessary, 
and  was  ordered  before  and  executed  while  the  battle  was  being  fought 
at  Donelson.  I  had  made  every  disposition  for  the  defense  of  the 
fort  my  means  allowed,  and  the  troops  were  among  the  best  of  my 
forces,  and  the  generals— Floyd,  Pillow  and  Buckner — were  high  in 
the  opinion  of  officers  and  men  for  skill  and  courage,  and  among  the 
best  officers  of  my  command.  They  were  popular  with  the  volunteers, 
and  all  had  seen  much  service.  No  re-enforcements  were  asked.  I 
waited  the  event  opposite  Nashville.  The  result  of  the  conflict  each 
day  was  favorable.  At  midnight  on  the  15th  I  received  the  news  of  a 
glorious  victory;  at  dawn,  a  defeat.  My  column  was  during  the  day 
and  night  (of  the  16)  thrown  over  the  river.  A  battery  had  been 
established  below  the  city  to  secure  the  passage.  Nashville  was 
incapable  of  defense  from  its  position,  and  from  the  forces  advancing 
from  Bowling  Green,  and  up  the  Cumberland.  A  rear  guard  was 
left  under  General  Floyd,  to  secure  the  stores  and  provisions,  but  did 
not  completely  effect  the  object.  The  people  were  terrified,  and  some 
of  the  troops  were  disheartened.  The  discouragement  was  spreading, 


GENERAL  A.  s.  JOHNSON  ^s  REPL^.  79 

and  I  ordered  the  command  to  Murfreesboro,  where  I  managed,  by 
assembling  Crittenden's  division,  and  the  fugitives  from  Donelson,  to 
collect  an  army  able  to  offer  battle.  The  weather  was  inclement;  the 
floods  excessive,  and  the  bridges  were  washed  away,  but  most  of  the 
stores  and  provisions  were  saved  and  conveyed  to  new  depots.  This 
having  been  accomplished,  though  with  serious  loss,  in  conformity 
with  my  original  design  I  marched  southward  and  crossed  the  Tennessee 
at  this  point  so  as  to  co-operate  or  unite  with  General  Beauregard 
for  the  defense  of  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  The  passage  is 
almost  completed,  and  the  head  of  my  column  is  already  with  General 
Bragg,  at  Corinth. 

The  movement  was  deemed  too  hazardous  by  the  most  experienced 
members  of  my  staff,  but  the  object  warranted  the  risk.  The  diffi 
culty  of  effecting  a  junction  is  not  wholly  overcome,  but  it  approaches 
completion.  Day  after  to-morrow,  unless  the  enemy  interrupts  me, 
my  force  will  be  with  Bragg,  and  my  army  nearly  50,000  strong. 
This  must  be  destroyed  before  the  enemy  can  attain  his  object. 

I  have  given  this  sketch  so  that  you  may  appreciate  the  embar 
rassment  which  surrounded  me,  in  my  attempts  to  avert  or  remedy 
the  disaster  of  Donelson,  before  alluding  to  the  conduct  of  the  generals. 

When  the  force  was  detached,  I  was  in  hopes  that  such  dispositions 
would  have  been  made,  as  would  have  enabled  the  forces  to  defend  the 
fort  or  withdraw  without  sacrificing  the  army. 

On  the  14th  I  ordered  General  Floyd,  by  telegram,  "if  he  lost 
the  fort,  to  get  his  troops  back  to  Nashville."  It  is  possible  this 
might  have  been  done,  but  justice  requires  to  look  at  events  as  they 
appear  at  the  time,  and  not  alone  by  the  light  of  subsequent  infor 
mation. 

All  the  facts  in  relation  to  the  surrender  will  be  transmitted  to 
the  Secretary  of  War,  as  soon  as  they  can  be  collected,  in  obedience 
to  his  order.  It  appears  from  the  information  received,  that  General 
Buckner  (being  the  junior  officer)  took  the  lead  in  advising  the  sur 
render,  and  General  Floyd  acquiesced,  and  they  all  concurred  in  the 
belief  that  their  force  would  not  maintain  their  position.  All  con 
curred  that  it  would  involve  a  great  sacrifice  of  life  to  extricate  the 
command.  Subsequent  events  show  that  the  investment  was  not  so 
complete  as  their  information  from  their  scouts  led  them  to  believe. 
The  conference  resulted  in  the  surrender.  The  command  was  irreg 
ularly  transferred,  and  devolved  on  the  junior  general,  but  not 
apparently  to  avoid  any  just  responsibility  or  from  any  want  of 
personal  or  moral  intrepidity. 

The  blow  was  most  disastrous  and  almost  without  remedy.  I 
therefore  in  my  first  report  remained  silent.  This  silence  you  were 
kind  enough  to  attribute  to  my  generosity.  1  will  not  lay  claim  to 
the  motive  to  excuse  my  course.  I  observed  silence,  as  it  seemed  to 
me  the  best  way  to  serve  the  cause  and  the  country.  The  facts  were 
not  fully  known,  discontent  prevailed,  and  criticism  or  condemnation 
were  more  likely  to  augment  than  to  cure  the  evil.  I  refrained,  well 
knowing  that  heavy  censures  would  fall  upon  me,  but  convinced  tha  t 
it  was  better  to  endure  them  for  the  present,  and  defer  to  a  more 


80  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

propitious  time  an  investigation  of  the  conduct  of  the  generals;  for  in 
the  meantime  their  services  were  required,  and  their  influence  useful. 
For  these  reasons  Generals  Floyd  and  Pillow  were  assigned  to  duty, 
for  I  still  felt  confidence  in  their  gallantry,  their  energy,  and  their 
devotion  to  the  Confederacy. 

I  have  thus  recurred  to  the  motives  by  which  I  have  been  governed 
for  from  a  deep  personal  sense  of  the  friendship  and  confidence  you 
have  always  shown  me,  and  from  the  conviction  that  they  have  not 
been  withdrawn  from  me  in  adversity. 

All  the  reports  requisite  for  a  full  official  investigation  have  been 
ordered. 

You  mention  that  you  intend  to  visit  the  field  of  operation  here. 
I  hope  soon  to  see  you,  for  your  presence  would  encourage  my  troops, 
inspire  the  people,  and  augment  the  army.  To  me  personally  it  would 
give  the  greatest  satisfaction.  Merely  a  soldier  myself,  and  having 
no  acquaintance  with  the  statesmen  or  leaders  of  the  South  I  cannot 
touch  springs  familiar  to  you.  Were  you  to  assume  command,  it 
would  afford  me  the  most  unfeigned  pleasure  to  help  you  to  victory 
and  the  country  to  independence.  Were  you  to  decline,  still  your 
presence  alone  would  be  of  inestimable  advantage.  The  enemy  are 
nowCat  Nashville,  about  50,000  strong,  advancing  in  this  direction  by 
Columbia.  He  has  also  forces,  according  to  the  report  of  General 
Bragg,  landing  at  Fittsburg,  from  25,000  to  50,000,  and  moving  in 
the  direction  of  Purely. 

This  army  corps  moving  to  join  Bragg  is  about  20,000  strong. 
Two  brigades  (Hindman's  and  Wood's)  are,  I  suppose,  at  Corinth;  one 
regiment  of  Hardee's  division  (Lieutenant-Colonel  Patton  commanding) 
is  moving  by  cars  today  (20th  March,)  and  Statham's  brigade  (Crit- 
tenden's  division.)  The  brigade  will  halt  at  luka;  the  regiment  at 
Burnsville.  Cleburne's  brigade,  Hardee's  division,  except  regiment 
at  Burnsville  and  Carroll's  brigade,  Crittenden's  division  and  Helm's 
cavalry,  at  Tuscumbia;  Bo  wen's  brigade  at  Courtland;  R.  Breckinridge's 
brigade  here,  the  regiments  of  cavalry  of  Adams  and  Wharton  on  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  river;  Scott's  Louisiana  cavalry  at  Pulaski, 
sending  forward  supplies;  Morgan's  cavalry  at  Shelby  ville  ordered  on. 

Tomorrow  Breckinridge's  brigade  will  go  to  Corinth;  then 
Bowen's.  When  these  pass  Tuscumbia  and  luka,  transportation  will 
be  ready  there  to  further  other  troops  to  follow  immediately  from 
these  points,  and,  if  necessary,  from  Burnsville.  The  cavalry  will 
cross  and  move  forward  as  soon  as  their  trains  can  be  passed  over  the 
railroad  bridge. 

I  have  troubled  you  with  these  details,  as  I  cannot  possibly  com 
municate  them  by  telegram.  The  test  of  merit  in  my  profession  with 
the  people  is  success.  It  is  a  hard  rule,  but  I  think  it  right.  If  I 
join  this  corps  to  the  forces  of  Beauregard  (I  confess  a  hazardous 
experiment,)  those  who  are  now  declaiming  against  me  will  be  with 
out  an  argument. 

Your  Friend, 

A.  S.  JOHNSTON. 

I  will  prepare  answers  to  the  questions  propounded  by  General 


GENEKAL  A.   S.  JOHNSTON'S  REPLY.  81 

Foote,  chairman  of  the  committe  to  investigate  the  causes,  etc.,  of  the 
loss  of  the  forts,  as  soon  as  practicable;  but,  engaged  as  I  am  in  a 
most  hazardous  movement  of  a  large  force,  even  the  most  minute 
details  requiring  my  attention  for  its  accomplishment,  I  cannot  say 
when  it  will  be  forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  to  be  handed  to 
him  if  he  thinks  it  proper  to  do  so. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  S.  JOHNSTON, 

General,  C.  S.  Army. 

When  Donelson  fell  Columbus,  Ky.,  had  to  be  given  up  and 
General  Polk  retired  sending  some  of  his  troops  to  Island  No.  10  and 
Fort  Pillow  and  with  the  main  body  of  his  army  fell  back  to  Hum- 
boldt.  He  had  command  of  the  first  grand  division  while  Major- 
Generals  Bragg  and  Hardee  commanded  the  Second  grand  division  at 
Grand  Junction  and  Grenada.  General  Johnston  met  them  at  Shiloh 
and  the  concentration  was  the  conception  of  a  grand  plan  to  strike 
the  enemy  in  detail.  It  resulted  in  the  great  battle  of  Shiloh,  by  the 
Army  of  the  Mississippi,  which  name  said  Army  retained  throughout 
the  Kentucky  campaign  and  until  they  came  back  to  Murfreesboro 
when  and  where  the  Army  of  Tennessee  was  organized  against  the 
newly  organized  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SHILOH. 

AFTER   THE    CONFEDERATE    DETACHMENTS    UNDER   GENERALS    POLK,  HAR- 

DEE,    BRAGG,    BEAUREGARD    AND    JOHNSTON    CONCENTRATED     AT 

CORINTH,  THE  FOLLOWING  FAMOUS  BATTLE  ORDER  WAS 

ISSUED  TO  THE    HURRIEDLY  ORGANIZED   ARMY 

OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 


Headquarters  Army  of  The  Mississippi. 

'  Corinth,  Miss.,  April  3,  1862. 
Soldiers  of  the  Army  of  the  Mississippi: 

I  have  put  you  in  motion  to  offer  battle  to  the  invaders  of  your 
country.  With  the  resolution  and  disciplined  valor  becoming  men 
fighting,  as  you  are,  for  all  worth  living  or  dying  for,  you  can  but 
march  to  a  decisive  victory  over  agrarian  mercenaries,  sent  to  sub 
jugate  and  despoil  you  of  your  liberties,  property  and  honor. 
Remember  the  precious  stake  involved.  Remember  the  dependence 
of  your  mothers,  your  wives,  your  sisters  and  your  children  on  the 
result.  Remember  the  fair,  broad  abounding  land,  the  happy  homes, 
and  ties  that  will  be  desolated  by  your  defeat.  The  eyes  and  hopes  of 
8,000,000  of  people  rest  upon  you.  You  are  expected  to  show  your 
selves  worthy  of  your  valor  and  lineage;  worthy  of  the  women  of  the 
South,  whose  noble  devotion  in  this  war  has  never  been  exceeded  in 
any  time.  With  such  incentives  to  brave  deeds  and  with  the  trust  that 
God  is  with  us,  your  generals'  will  lead  you  confidently  to  the  combat, 
assured  of  success. 

A.  S.  JOHNSTON, 

General  Commanding. 

On  the  same  date  General  Johnston  issued  his  order  of  battle  as 
shown  in  the  following  Special  order  No.  8,  mentioned  in  General 
Beau  regard's  report  as  Enclosure  "A." 

(Enclosure.) 
Headquarters  Army  of  The  Mississippi. 

Corinth,  Miss.,  April  3,  1862. 
Special  Order.  ) 
No.    8.  f 

In  the  impending  movement,  the  corps  of  the  Army  will  march, 
assemble  and  take  order  of  battle  in  the  following  manner,  it  being 
assumed  that  the  enemy  is  in  a  position  about  a  mile  in  advance  of 
Shiloh  Church,  with  his  right  resting  on  Owl  creek,  and  his  left  on 
Lick  creek. 


BATTLE  OF  SHILOH. 


1st:  The  Third  corps  under  Major-General  Hardee,  will  advance 
as  soon  as  practicable  on  the  Ridge  road  from  Corinth  to  what  is  known 
as  the  Bark  road,  passing  about  a  half  a  mile  northward  of  the  work 
house.  The  head  of  this  column  will  bivouac,  if  possible,  tonight  at 
Mickey's  house,  at  the  intersection  of  the  road  from  Monterey  to 
Savannah.  The  cavalry,  thrown  well  forward  during  the  march,  to 

reconnoitre  and  pre 
vent  surprise,  will 
halt  in  front  of  the 
Mickey  house,  on 
the  Bark  road. 

2nd :  Major 
W  add  ell,  aid-de 
camp  to  General 
Beauregard,  with 
two  good  guides, 
will  report  for  ser 
vice  to  Major-Gen 
eral  Hardee. 

3rd:  At  3 
o'clock  a.  »m .  tomor 
row  the  Third  corps, 
with  the  left  in  front, 
will  continue  to 
advance  by  the  Bark 
road  until  within 
sight  of  the  enemy's 
outposts  or  advanc 
ed  positions,  when 
it  will  be  deployed 
in  line  of  battle, 
according  to  the 
nature  of  the 

GENEKAL  ALBERT  SIDNEY  JOHNSTON.  g  r  O  U  n  d  ,      its    left 

resting  on  Owl 

creek,  its  right  towards  Lick  creek,  supported  on  that  flank 
by  one-half  of  its  cavalry,  the  left  flank  being  supported  by  the  other 
half.  The  interval  between  the  extreme  right  of  this  corps  and  Lick 
creek  will  be  filled  by  a  brigade  or  division,  according  to  the  extent 
of  the  ground,  from  the  Second  corps. 

3rd-l:  These  troops  during  the  battle  will  also  be  under  the 
command  of  Major-General  Hardee.  He  will  make  the  proper  dis 
position  of  the  artillery  along  the  line  of  battle,  remembering  that 
the  rifled  guns  are  of  long  range  and  should  be  placed  on  any  com 
manding  position  in  rear  of  the  infantry  to  fire  mainly  on  the  reserves 
and  second  line  of  the  enemy,  but  will  occasionally  be  directed  on  his 
batteries  and  heads  of  columns. 

3rd-2:  The  Second  corps,  under  Major-General  Braxton  Bragg, 
will  assemble  on  Monterey  and  move  tnence  as  early  as  practicable, 
the  right  wing,  with  left  in  front,  by  the  road  from  Monterey  to 


84  BATTLES  ANt>  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Savannah,  the  head  of  column  to  reach  the  vicinity  of  Mickey's  house 
at  the  intersection  of  the  Bark  road  before  sunset.  The  cavalry  with 
this  wing  will  take  position  on  the  road  to  Savannah  beyond  Mickey's 
as  far  as  Owl  creek,  having  advance  guards  and  pickets  well 
to  the  front.  The  left  wing  of  this  corps  will  advance  at  the  same 
time,  also  left  in  front,  by  the  road  from  Monterey  to  Purdy,  the 
head  of  the  column  to  reach  by  night  the  intersection  of  that  road 
with  the  Bark  road.  This  wing  will  continue  the  movement  in  the 
morning  as  soon  as  the  rear  of  the  Third  corps  shall  have  passed  the 
Purdy  road,  which  it  will  then  follow.  The  Second  corps  will  then 
form  the  second  line  of  battle  about  1,000  yards  in  rear  of  the  first 
line.  It  will  be  formed,  if  practicable,  with  regiments  in  double 
columns  at  half  distance,  disposed  as  advantageously  as  the  nature  of 
the  ground  will  admit,  and  with  a  view  to  facility  of  deployment,  the 
artillery  placed  as  may  seem  best  to  Major-General  Bragg. 

3rd-3:  The  First  corps,  under  Major-General  Polk,  with  the 
exception  of  the  detached  division  at  Bethel,  will  take  up  its  line  of 
march  by  the  Ridge  road,  hence  to  Pittsburg,  half  an  hour  after  the 
rear  of  the  Third  corps  shall  have  passed  Corinth  and  will  bivouac 
tonight  in  the  rear  of  that  corps,  and  on  tomorrow  will  follow  the 
movements'  of  said  corps  with  the  same  interval  of  time  as  today. 
When  its  head  of  column  shall  reach  the  vicinity  of  the  Mickey  house 
it  .will  be  halted  in  column  or  massed  on  the  line  of  the  Bark  road, 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  ground,  as  a  reserve.  Meantime  one 
regiment  of  its  cavalry  will  be  placed  in  observation  on  the  road  from 
Johnston's  house  to  Stantonville  with  advance  guards  and  pickets 
thrown  out  well  in  advance  towards  Stantonville.  Another  regiment 
or  battalion  of  cavalry  will  be  posted  in  the  same  manner  in  the  road 
from  Monterey  to  Purdy,  with  its  rear  resting  on  or  about  the  inter 
section  of  that  road  with  the  Bark  road,  having  advance  guards  and 
pickets  in  the  direction  of  Purdy.  The  forces  at  Bethel  and  Purdy 
will  defend  their  position,  as  already  instructed,  if  attacked;  other 
wise  they  will  assemble  on  Purdy.  and  thence  advance  with  advance 
guards,  flankers  and  all  other  prescribed  military  precautions,  by  the 
road  thence  to  Monterey,  forming  a  junction  with  the  next  of  the  First 
corps,  at  the  intersection  of  that  road  with  the  Bark  road  leading  from 
Corinth. 

4:  The  reserve  of  the  forces  will  be  concentrated  by  the  shortest 
and  best  routes  at  Monterey  as  soon  as  the  rear  of  the  Second  corps 
shall  have  moved  out  of  that  place.  Its  commander  will  take  up  the 
best  position  whence  to  advance,  as  required,  either  in  the  direction  of 
Mickey's  or  of  Pratt's  house  on  the  direct  road  to  Pittsburg,  if  that 
road  is  found  practicable,  or  in  the  -direction  of  the  Ridge  road  to 
Hamburg,  throwing  all  its  cavalry  on  the  latter  road  as  far  as  its 
intersection  with  the  one  to  Pittsburg,  passing  through  Guersford,  on 
Lick  creek.  This  cavalry  will  throw  well  forward  advance  guards 
and  videttes  towards  Guersford  and  in  the  direction  of  Hamburg,  and 
during  the  impending  battle,  when  called  to  the  field  of  combat,  will 
move  by  the  Guersford  road.  A  regiment  of  infantry  reserve  will  be 
thrown  forward  to  the  intersection  of  the  Gravel  Hill  road  with  the 


BATTLE  OF  SHILOH.  85 


Ridge  road  to  Hamburg,  as  a  support  to  the  cavalry.  The  reserve  will 
be  formed  of  Breckinridge's,  Bowen's  and  Statham's  brigades  as  now 
organized,  the  whole  under  command  of  Brigadier-General 
Breckinridge. 

5:  General  Bragg  will  detach  the  Fifty-first  and  Fifty-second 
regiments  Tennessee  volunteers,  Blount's  Alabama,  and  Desha's 
Arkansas  battalion,  and  Bains'  battery  from  his  corps,  which,  with  two 
of  Carroll's  regiments  now  enroute  for  these  headquarters,  will  form 
a  garrison  for  the  post  and  depot  of  Corinth. 

6:  Strong  guards  will  be  left  at  the  railroad  bridges  between 
luka  and  Corinth,  to  be  furnished  in  due  proportion  from  the  com 
mands  at  luka,  Burnsville,  and  Corinth. 

7:  Proper  guards  will  be  left  at  the  camps  of  the  several  reg 
iments  of  the  forces  in  the  field.  Corps  commanders  will  determine 
the  strength  of  these  guards. 

8:  Wharton's  regiment  of  Texas  cavalry  will  be  ordered  forward 
at  once  to  scout  on  the  road  from  Monterey  to  Savannah  between 
Mickey's  and  its  intersection  with  the  Pittsburg-Purdy  road.  It  will 
annoy  and  harass  any  force  of  the  enemy  moving  by  the  latter  way 
to  assail  Cheatham's  division  at  Purdy. 

9:  The  chief  engineer  of  the  forces  will  take  all  the  measures 
and  precautions  and  give  all  requisite  orders  for  the  repair  of  the 
bridges,  causeways,  and  roads  on  which  our  troops  may  move  in  the 
execution  of  these  orders. 

10:  The  troops,  individually  so  intelligent,  and  with  such  great 
interests  involved  in  the  issue,  are  urgently  enjoined  to  the  observance 
of  the  orders  of  their  superiors  in  the  hour  of  battle.  Their  officers 
must  constantly  endeavor  to  hold  them  in  hand  and  prevent  the  waste 
of  ammunition  by  heedless,  aimless  firing.  The  fire  should  be  slow, 
always  at  a  distinct  mark.  It  is  expected  that  much  and  effective 
work  will  be  done  with  the  bayonet. 

By  command  of 

General  A.  S.  JOHNSTON. 
THOMAS  JORDAN, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  April  under  this  famous  order  the 
battle  of  Shiloh  began  and  after  the  battle  "raged  and  thundered"  for 
ten  hours,  General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston  fell,  gallantly  leading  his 
troops,  after  driving  the  enemy  from  every  position.  The  command 
having  fallen  upon  General  Beauregard,  his  report  of  the  famous  battle 
follows  as  perhaps  the  most  authentic  account  on  the  Southern  side. 

Report  of  General  G.  T.  Beauregard,  C.  S.  Army,  commanding  Army 
of  the  Mississippi,  with  orders  for  the  battle,  return  of  casual 
ties,  etc. 

Battlefield  of  Shiloh,  Miss.,  April  6,  via  Corinth,  Miss.,  via  Chatta 
nooga,  Tenn.,  April  7,  1862. 
We  this  morning  attacked  the  enemy  in  strong  position  in  front 

of  Pittsburg,  and  after  a  severe  battle  of  ten  hours,  thanks  be  to  the 

Almighty,  gained  a  complete  victory,  driving  the  enemy  from  every 


86 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


position.  Loss  on  both  sides  heavy,  including  our  commander-in- 
chief,  General  A.  S.  Johnston,  who  fell  gallantly  leading  his  troops 
into  the  thickest  of  the  fight. 

G.  T.  BEAUREGARD, 

General  Commanding. 
General  S.  COOPER, 

Assistant  Adjutant- General. 

Headquarters  Army  of  the'  Mississippi. 

Corinth,  Miss.,  April  11,  1862. 

General:  On  the  2nd  ultimo,  having  ascertained  conclusively, 
from  the  movements  of  the  enemy  on  the  Mississippi  river  and  from 
reliable  sources  of  information,  that  his  aim  would  be  to  cut  off  my 
communications  in  West  Tennessee  with  the  Eastern  and  Southern 
States,  by  operating  from  the  Tennessee  river,  between  Crump's  land 
ing  and  Eastport  as  a  base,  I  determined  to  foil  his  designs  by  con 
centrating  all  my  available  forces  at  and  around  Corinth. 

Meanwhile,  having  called  on  the  Governors  of  the  States  of  Ten 
nessee,  Mississippi,  Alabama  and  Louisiana  to  furnish  additional 

troops,  some  of  them  (chiefly 
regiments  from  Louisiana)  soon 
reached  the  vicinity,  and  with 
two  divisions  of  General  Folk's 
command  from  Columbus,  and 
a  corps  of  troops  from  Mobile 
and  Pensacola,  under  Major- 
General  Bragg,  constituted  the 
Army  of  the  Mississippi.  At 
the  same  time  General  Johnston, 
being  at  Murfreesboro  on  the 
march  to  form  a  junction  of  his 
forces  with  mine,  was  called  on 
to  send  at  least  a  brigade  by 
railroad,  so  that  we  might  fall 
on  and  crush  the  enemy  should 
he  attempt  an  advance  from 
under  his  gunboats. 

The  call  on  General  John 
ston  was  promptly  complied 
with.  His  entire  force  was  also 
hastened  in  this  direction  and 
by  April  1st  our  united  forces 
were  concentrated  along  the 
Mobile  &  Ohio  railroad  from  Bethel  to  Corinth,  and  on  the  Memphis 
&  Charleston  railroad  from  Corinth  to  luka. 

It  was  then  determined  to  assume  the  offensive,  and  strike  a  sud 
den  blow  at  the  enemy,  in  position  under  General  Grant  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Tennessee  at  Pittsburg,  and  in  the  direction  of  Savannah, 
before  he  was  re-enforced  by  the  army  under  General  Buell,  then  known 
to  be  advancing  for  that  purpose  by  rapid  marches  from  Nashville 


GENERAL  G.   T.   BEAUREGARD. 


BATTLE  OF  SHILOII.  87 


via  Columbia.  About  the  same  time  General  Johnston  was  advised 
that  such  an  operation  conformed  to  the  expectations  of  the  President. 

By  a  rapid  and  vigorous  attack  on  General  Grant,  it  was  expected 
he  would  be  beaten  back  into  his  transports  and  the  river,  or  captured, 
in  time  to  enable  us  to  profit  by  the  victory,  and  remove  to  the  rear 
all  the  stores  and  munitions  that  would  fall  into  our  hands  in  such  an 
event  before  the  arrival  of  General  Buell's  army  on  the  scene.  It 
was  never  contemplated,  however,  to  retain  the  position  thus  gained 
and  abandon  Corinth,  the  strategic  point  of  the  campaign. 

Want  of  general  officers  needful  for  the  proper  organization  of 
divisions  and  brigades  of  an  army  brought  thus  suddenly  together,  and 
other  difficulties  in  the  way  of  an  effective  organization,  delayed  the 
movement  until  the  night  of  the  2nd  instant,  when  it  was  heard  from 
a  reliable  quarter  that  the  junction  of  the  enemy's  armies  was  near  at 
hand.  It  was  then  at  a  late  hour  determined  that  the  attack  should  be 
attempted  at  once,  incomplete  and  imperfect  as  were  our  preparations 
for  such  a  grave  and  momentous  adventure.  Accordingly,  tnat  night 
at  1  a.  m.  the  preliminary  orders  to  the  commanders  of  corps  were 
issued  for  the  movement. 

On  the  following  morning  the  detailed  orders  for  the  movement, 
a  copy  of  which  is  herewith  enclosed  marked  "A"  were  issued,  and 
the  movement,  after  some  delay,  commenced;  the  troops  being  in 
admirable  spirits.  It  was  expected  we  should  be  able  to  reach  the 
enemy's  line  in  time  to  attack  him  earty  on  the  5th  instant.  The  men 
however,  for  the  most  part,  were  unused  to  marching,  and  the  roads 
narrow  and  traversing  a  densely  wooded  country,  became  almost 
impassable  after  a  severe  rainstorm  on  the  night  of  the  4th,  which 
drenched  the  troops  in  bivouac;  hence  our  forces  did  not  reach  the 
intersection  of  the  roads  from  Pittsburg  and  Hamburg,  in  the  imme 
diate  vicinity  of  the  enemy,  until  late  Saturda}^  afternoon. 

It  was  then  decided  that  the  attack  should  be  made  on  the  next 
morning  at  the  earliest  hour  practicable,  in  accordance  with  the  orders 
of  movement;  that  is,  in  three  lines  of  battle,  the  first  and  second 
extending  from  Owl  creek  on  the  left,  to  Lick  creek  on  the  right,  a 
distance  of  about  three  miles,  supported  by  the  third  and  the  reserve. 
The  first  line  under  Major-General  Hardee,  was  constituted  of  his 
corps,  augmented  on  his  right  by  Gladden's  brigade,  of  Major-Gen- 
eral  Bragg's  corps  deployed  in  line  of  battle,  with  their  respective 
artillery  following  immediately  by  the  main  road  to  Pittsburg  and  the 
cavalry  in  the  rear  of  the  wings.  The  second  line,  composed  of  the 
other  troops  of  Bragg's  corps,  followed  the  first  at  a  distance  of  500 
yards  in  the  same  order  as  the  first.  The  army  corps  under  General 
Polk  followed  the  second  line,  at  a  distance  of  about  800  yards,  in  lines 
of  brigades  deployed,  with  their  batteries  in  rear  of  each  brigade, 
moving  by  the  Pittsburg  road,  the  left  wing  supported  by  cavalry. 
The  reserve  under  Brigadier-General  Breckinridge,  followed  closely 
the  third  line  in  the  same  order,  its  right  wing  supported  by  cavalry. 

These  two  corps  constituted  the  reserve,  and  were  to  support  the 
front  lines  of  battle,  by  being  deployed,  when  required,  on  the  right 
and  left  of  the  Pittsburg  road,  or  otherwise  act  according  to  the 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


exigencies  of  the  battle. 

At  5  a.  m.  on  the  6th  instant,  a  reconnoitering  party  of  the  enemy 
having  become  engaged  with  our  advance  pickets,  the  commander  of 
the  forces  gave  orders  to  begin  the  movement  and  attack  as  determined 
upon,  except  that  Trabue's  brigade  of  Breckinridge's  division  was 
detached  and  advanced  to  the  support  of  the  left  of  Bragg's  right; 
and  at  the  same  time  Maney's  regiment  of  Folk's  corps  was  advanced 
by  the  same  road  to  re-enforce  the  regiment  of  cavalry  and  batter}7  of 
four  pieces  already  thrown  forward  to  watch  and  guard  Greer's,  Tan 
ner's  and  Borland's  fords,  on  Lick  creek. 

At  5:30  a.  m.  our  lines  and  columns  were  in  motion,  all  animated, 
evidently,  by  a  promising  spirit.  The  front  line  was  engaged  at  once, 
but  advanced  steadily,  followed  in  due  order  with  equal  resolution  and 
steadiness  by  the  other  lines  which  were  brought  successfully  into 
action  with  rare  skill,  judgment,  and  gallantry  by  the  several  corps 
commanders  as  the  enemy  made  a  stand  with  his  masses  rallied  for 
the  struggle  for  the  encampments. 

Like  an  Alpine  avalanche  our  troops  moved  forward,  despite  the 
determined  resistance  of  the  enemy,  until  after  6 'p.  m.,  when  we 
were  in  possession  of  all  his  encampments  between  Owl  and  Lick 
creeks  but  one;  nearly  all  of  his  field  artillery;  about  thirty  flags, 
colors  and  standards;  over  3,000  prisoners,  including  a  division  com 
mander  (General  Prentiss)  and  several  brigade  commanders,  thousands 
of  small  arms,  an  immense  supply  of  subsistence,  forage  and  munitions 
of  war  and  a  large  amount  of  means  of  transportation — all  the  sub 
stantial  fruits  of  a  complete  victory,  such  indeed  as  rarely  have 
followed  the  most  successful  battles;  for  never  was  an  army  so  well 
provided  as  that  of  our  enemy. 

The  remnant  of  his  army  had  been  driven  in  utter  disorder  to  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  Pittsburg,  under  the  shelter  of  the  heavy  guns 
of  his  iron  clad  gunboats,  and  we  remained  undisputed  masters  of  his 
well  selected,  admirably  provided  cantonments,  after  over  twelve  hours 
of  obstinate  conflict  with  his  forces,  who  had  been  beaten  from  them 
and  the  contiguous  covert,  but  only  by  a  sustained  onset  of  all  the 
men  we  could  bring  into  action. 

Our  loss  was  heavy,  as  will  appear  from  the  accompanying  return, 
marked  "B."  Our  commander-in-chief,  General  A.  S.  Johnston,  fell 
mortally  wounded,  and  died  on  the  field  at  2:30  p.  m.,  after  having 
shown  the  highest  qualities  of  the  commander,  and  a  personal  intre 
pidity  that  inspired  all  around  him  and  gave  resistless  impulsion  to 
nis  columns  at  critical  moments. 

The  chief  command  then  devolved  upon  me,  though  at  the  time  I 
was  greatly  prostrated  and  suffering  from  the  prolonged  sickness  with 
which  I  had  been  afflicted  since  early  in  February.  The  responsibility 
was  one  which  in  my  physical  condition,  I  would  have  gladly  avoided, 
though  cast  upon  me  when  our  forces  were  successfully  pushing  the 
enemy  back  upon  the  Tennessee  river,  and  though  supported  on  the 
immediate  field  by  such  corps  commanders  as  Major-Generals  Polk, 
Bragg  and  Hardee,  and  Brigadier-General  Breckinridge,  commanding 
the  reserve. 


BATTLE  OF  SHILOH.  89 


It  was  after  6  p.  m.,  as  before  said,  when  the  enemy's  last 
position  was  carried,  and  his  forces  finally  broke  and  sought  refuge 
behind  a  commanding  eminence  covering  the  Pittsburg  landing,  not 
more  than  a  half  mile  distant,  and  under  the  guns  of  the  gunboats, 
which  opened  on  our  eager  columns  a  fierce  and  annoying  fire  with 
shot  and  shell  of  the  heaviest  description. 

Darkness  was  close  at  hand;  officers  and  men  were  exhausted  by  a 
combat  of  over  twelve  hours  without  food,*  and  jaded  by  the  march  of 
the  preceding  day  through  mud  and  water.  It  was,  therefore, 
impossible  to  collect  the  rich  and  opportune  spoils  of  war  scattered 
broadcast  on  the  field  left  in  our  possession,  and  impracticable  to  make 
any  effective  dispositions  for  their  removal  to  the  rear. 

I  accordingly  established  my  headquarters  at  the  Churctfof  Shiloh, 
in  the  enemy's  encampments  with  Major-General  Bragg,  and  directed 
our  troops  to  sleep  on  their  arms  in  such  positions  in  advance  and 
rear  as  corps  commanders  should  determine,  hoping,  from  news 
received  by  a  special  dispatch,  that  delays  had  been  encountered  by 
General  Buell  in  his  march  from  Columbia,  and  that  his  main  force, 
therefore,  could  not  reach  the  field  of  battle  in  time  to  save  General 
Grant's  shattered  fugitive  forces  from  capture  or  destruction  on  the 
following  day. 

During  the  night  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  adding  to  the  discom 
forts  and  harassed  condition  of  the  men.  The  enemy,  moreover,  had 
their  rest  broken  by  a  discharge  at  measured  intervals  of  heavy  shells 
thrown  from  the  gunboats;  therefore  on  the  following  morning  the 
troops  under  my  command  were  not  in  condition  to  cope  with  equal 
force  of  fresh  troops,  armed  and  equipped  like  our  adversary,  in  the 
immediate  possession  of  his  depots  and  sheltered  by  such  an  auxiliary 
as  the  enemy's  gunboats. 

About  6  o'clock  -on  the  morning  of  April  7th,  however,  a  hot  fire 
of  musketry  and  artillery,  opened  from  the  enemy's  quarters  on  our 
advanced  line,  assured  me  of  the  junction  of  his  forces,  and  soon  the 
battle  raged  with  fury  which  satisfied  me  I  was  attacked  by  a  largely 
superior  force.  But  from  the  outset  our  troops,  notwithstanding  their 
fatigue  and  losses  from  the  battle  of  the  day  before,  exhibited  the 
most  cheering,  veteran-like  steadiness.  On  the  right  and  center  the 
enemy  was  repulsed  in  every  attempt  he  made  with  his  heavy  columns 
in  that  quarter  of  the  field.  On  the  left  however,  and  nearest  to  the 
point  of  arrival  of  his  re-enforcements,  he  drove  forward  line  after 
line  of  his  fresh  troops,  which  were  met  with  a  resolution  and  courage 
of  which  our  country  may  be  proudly  hopeful.  Again  and  again  our 
troops  were  brought  to  the  charge,  invariably  to  win  the  position  in 
issue;  invariablv  to  drive  back  their  foe.  But  hour  by  hour  thus 
opposed  to  an  enemy  constantly  re-enforced,  our  ranks  were  percept 
ibly  thinned  under  the  unceasing,  withering  fire  of  the  enemy,  and  by 
12  m.  eighteen  hours  of  hard  fighting  had  sensibly  exhausted  a  large 
number. 

My  last  reserve  had  necessarily  been  disposed  of,  and  the  enemy 
was  evidently  receiving  fresh  re-enforcements  after  each  repulse. 
Accordingly  at  1  p.  m,  I  determined  to  withdraw  from  so  unequal  a 


90  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

conflict,  securing  such  of  the  results  of  the  victory  of  the  day  before 
as  was  then  practicable. 

Officers  of  my  staff  were  immediately  dispatched  with  the  neces 
sary  orders  to  make  the  best  disposition  for  a  deliberate,  orderly  with 
drawal  from  the  field,  and  to  collect  and  post  a  reserve  to  meet  the 
enemy  should  he  attempt  to  push  after  us. 

In  this  connection  I  will  mention  particularly  my  Adjutant-General 
Colonel  Jordan,  who  was  of  much  assistance  to  me  on  this  occasion, 
as  he  had  already  been  on  the  field  of  battle  on  that  and  the  preceding 
day. 

About  2  p.  m.  the  lines  in  advance,  which  had  repulsed  the  enemy 
in  their  last  fierce  assault  on  our  left  and  center,  received  the  orders  to 
retire.  This  was  done  with  uncommon  steadiness  and  the  enemy 
made  no  attempt  to  follow. 

The  line  of  troops  established  to  cover  this  movement  had  been 
disposed  on  a  favorable  ridge  commanding  the  ground  of  Shiloh 
Church.  From  this  position  our  artillery  pla}^ed  upon  the  woods 
beyond  for  a  while,  but  upon  no  visible  enemy  and  without  reply. 
Soon  satisfied  that  no  serious  pursuit  would  be  attempted  this  last  line 
was  withdrawn,  and  never  did  troops  leave  the  battlefield  in  better 
order,  even  the  stragglers  fell  into  the  ranks  and  marched  off  with 
those  who  had  stood  steadily  by  their  colors. 

A  second  strong  position  was  taken  up  about  a  mile  in  the  rear, 
where  the  approach  of  the  enemy  was  awaited  for  nearly  an  hour,  but 
no  effort  to  follow  was  made,  and  only  a  small  detachment  of  horse 
men  could  be  seen  at  a  distance  from  this  last  position  warily  observ 
ing  our  movements. 

Arranging  through  my  staff  officers  for  the  completion  of  the 
movements  thus  begun,  Brigadier-General  Breckinridge  was  left  with 
his  command  as  a  rear  guard  to  hold  the  ground  we  had  occupied  the 
night  preceding  the  first  battle,  just  in  front  of  the  intersection  of  the 
Pittsburg  and  Hamburg  roads,  about  four  miles  from  the  former 
place,  while  the  rest  of  the  army  passed  to  the  rear  in  excellent  order. 

On  the  following  day  General  Breckinridge  fell  back  about  three 
miles,  to  Mickey's,  which  position  we  continued  to  hold  with  our 
cavalry  thrown  considerably  forward  in  immediate  proximity  to  the 
battlefield. 

Unfortunately,  toward  night  of  the  7th  instant,  it  began  to  rain 
heavily.  This  continued  throughout  the  night;  the  roads  became 
almost  impassable  in  many  places,  and  much  hardship  and  suffering 
now  ensued  before  all  the  regiments  reached  their  encampments;  but 
despite  their  heavy  casualties  of  the  two  eventful  days  of  April  6th 
and  7th,  this  army  is  more  confident  of  ultimate  success  than  before 
its  encounter  with  the  enemy. 

To  Major-Generals  Polk,  Bragg  and  Hardee,  commanding  corps, 
and  to  Brigadier-General  Breckinridge,  commanding  the  reserve,  the 
country  is  greatly  indebted  for  the  zeal,  intelligence,  and  energy  with 
which  all  orders  were  executed;  for  the  foresight  and  military  ability  they 
displayed  in  the  absence  of  instructions  in  the  many  exigencies  of  the 
battle,  on  a  field  so  densely  wooded  and  broken,  and  for  their  fearless 


BATTLE  OF  SHILOH.  91 


deportment  as  they  fearlessly  led  their  commands  personally  to  the 
onset  upon  their  powerful  adversary.  It  was  under  these  circum 
stances  that  General  Bragg  had  two  horses  shot  under  him;  that 
Major-General  Hardee  was  slightly  wounded,  his  coat  rent  by  balls, 
and  his  horse  disabled;  and  that  Brigadier-General  Breckinridge  was 
twice  struck  by  spent  balls. 

For  the  services  of  their  gallant  subordinate  commanders  and 
other  officers,  as  well  as  for  the  details  of  the  battlefield,  I  must  refer 
to  the  reports  of  corps,  division,  and  brigade  commanders,  which 
shall  be  forwarded  as  soon  as  received. 

To  give  more  in  detail  the  operations  of  the  two  battles  resulting 
from  the  movement  on  Pittsburg  than  now  attempted,  must  have 
delayed  this  report  for  weeks  and  interfered  materially  with  the 
important  duties  of  my  position.  But  I  may  be  permitted  to  say  that 
not  only  did  the  obstinate  conflict  of  twelve  hours  on  Sunday  leave  the 
Confederate  army  masters  of  the  battlefield  and  our  adversary  beaten, 
but  we  left  that  field  on  the  next  day  only  after  eight  hours'  incessant 
battle  with  a  superior  army  of  fresh  troops  whom  we  had  repulsed  in 
every  attack  on  our  lines— so  repulsed  and  crippled,  indeed,  as  to  leave 
it  unable  to  take  the  field  for  the  campaign,  for  which  it  was  collected 
and  equipped  at  such  enormous  expense,  and  with  such  profusion  of 
all  the  appliances  of  war. 

These  successful  results  were  not  achieved,  however,  as  before 
said,  without  severe  loss-  -a  loss  not  to  be  measured  by  the  number  of 
the  slain  and  wounded,  but  by  the  high  social  and  personal  worth  of 
so  large  a  number  of  those  who  were  killed  or  disabled,  including  the 
commander  of  the  forces,  whose  high  qualities  will  be  greatly  missed 
in  the  momentous  campaign  impending. 

I  deeply  regret  to  record  also  the  death  of  the  Hon.  George  W. 
Johnson,  Provisional  Governor  of  Kentucky,  who  went  into  action 
with  the  Kentucky  troops,  and  continually  inspired  them  by  his  words 
and  example.  Having  his  horse  shot  under  him  on  Sunday,  he  entered 
the  ranks  of  a  Kentucky  regiment  on  Monday,  and  fell  mortally 
wounded  toward  the  close  of  the  da^y.  Not  his  State  alone,  but  the 
whole  Confederacy,  has  sustained  a  "great  loss  in  the  death  of  this  brave, 
upright,  and  able  man. 

Another  gallant,  able  soldier  and  captain  was  lost  to  the  service 
of  the  country  when  Brigadier-General  Gladden,  commanding  the 
First  brigade,  Withers'  division,  second  army  corps,  died  from  a 
severe  wound  received  on  the  6th  instant,  after  having  been  con 
spicuous  to  his  whole  corps  and  the  army  for  courage  and  capacity. 

Major-General  Cheatham,  commanding  First  division,  first  corps, 
was  slightly  wounded  and  had  three  horses  shot  under  him. 

Brigadier-General  Clark,  commanding  Second  division,  of  the 
first  corps,  received  a  severe  wound  also  on  the  first  day,  which  will 
deprive  the  army  of  his  valuable  services  for  some  time. 

Brigadier-General  Hindman,  engaged  in  the  outset  of  the  battle, 
was  conspicuous  for  a  cool  courage,  efficiently  employed  in  leading  his 
men  ever  in  the  thickest  of  the  fray,  until  his  horse  was  shot  under 
him,  and  he  was  unfortunately  so  severely  injured  by  the  fall  that  the 


92  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

army  was  deprived  on  the  following  day  of  his  chivalrous  example. 

Brigadier-Generals  B.  R.  Johnson  and  Bowen,  most  meritorious 
officers,  were  also  severely  wounded  in  the  first  combat,  but  it  is  hoped 
will  soon  be  able  to  return  to  duty  with  their  brigades. 

To  mention  the  many  field  officers  who  died  or  were  wounded, 
while  gallantly  leading  their  commands  into  action,  and  the  many 
brilliant  instances  of  individual  courage  displayed  by  officers  and  men 
in  the  twenty  hours  of  battle  is  impossible  at  this  time,  but  their 
names  will  be  duly  made  known  to  their  countrymen. 

The  immediate  staff  of  the  lamented  commander-in-chief,  who 
accompanied  him  to  the  field,  rendered  efficient  service,  and  either 
by  his  side  or  in  carrying  his  orders,  shared  his  exposure  to  the 
casualties  of  the  well  contested  battlefield.  I  beg  to  commend  their 
names  to  the  notice  of  the  War  department,  namely:  Captains  H.  P. 
Brewster  and  N.  Wickliffe.  of  the  adjutant  and  inspector-general's 
department:  Captain  Theodore  O'Hara.  acting  inspector-general; 
Lieutenants  George  Baylor  and  Thomas  M.  Jack,  aides-de-camp; 
volunteer  aides-de-camp  Colonel  William  Preston.  Major.  D.  J. 
Hayden,  E.  W.  Munford.  and  Calhoun  Benham,  Major  Albert  J. 
Smith  and  Captain  Wickham.  of  the  quartermaster's  department. 

To  these  gentlemen  was  assigned  the  last  sad  duty  of  accompanying 
the  remains  of  their  lamented  chief  from  the  field,  except  Captains 
Brewster  and  Wickliffe.  who  remained  and  rendered  valuable  services 
as  staff  officers  on  April  Tth. 

Governor  Isham  G.  Harris,  of  Tennesssee.  went  upon  the  field 
with  General  Johnson,  was  by  his  side  when  he  was  shot,  aided  him 
from  his  horse,  and  received  him  in  his  arms  when  he  died.  Subse 
quently  the  governor  jgined  my  staff  and  remained  with  me  through 
out  the  next  day,  except  when  carrying  orders  or  employed  in 
encouraging  the  troops  of  his  own  State,  to  whom  he  gave  a  conspicuous 
example  of  coolness,  zeal  and  intrepidity. 

I  am  also  under  many  obligations  to  my  own  general,  personal, 
and  volunteer  staff,  many  of  whom  have  been  so  long  associated  with 
me.  I  append  a  list  of  those  present  on  the  field  on  both  days  and 
whose  duties  carried  them  constantly  under  fire:  namely:  Colonel 
Thomas  Jordan,  Captain  Clifton  H.  Smith,  and  Lieutenant  John  M. 
Otey,  adjutant-general's  department:  Major  George  W.  Brent,  acting 
inspector-general:  Colonel  R.  B.  Lee.  chief  of  subsistence,  whose 
horse  was  wounded:  Lieutenant-Colonel  S.  W.  Ferguson  and  Lieutenant 
A.  R.  Chisolm.  aides-de-camp.  Volunteer  aides-de-camp  Colonel 
Jacob  Thompson:  Majors  Numa  Augustin  and  H.  E.  Peyton,  and 
Captains  Albert  Ferry  and  B.  B.  Waddell.  Captain  W.  W.  Porter, 
of  Major-General  Crittenden's  staff,  also  reported  for  duty,  and  shared 
the  duties  of  my  volunteer  staff  on  Monday.  Brigadier-General 
Trudeau,  of  Louisiana  volunteers,  also  for  a  part  of  the  first  day's 
conflict  was  with  me  as  a  volunteer  aide.  Captain  E.  H.  Cummins, 
signal  officer,  also  was  actively  employed  as  staff  officer  on  both  days. 
Nor  must  I  fail  to  state  'that  private  W.  E.  Goolsby,  Eleventh 
regiment  Virginia  volunteers,  orderly  to  my  headquarters  since  last 
June,  repeatedly  employed  to  carry  my  verbal  orders  to  the  field, 


BATTLE  OF  SHILOH.  93 


discharged  the  duty  with  great  zeal  and  intelligence. 

Other  members  of  my  staff  were  necessarily  absent  from  the 
immediate  field  of  battle,  intrusted  with  responsible  duties  at  these 
headquarters,  namely:  Captain  F.  H.  Jordan,  assistant  adjutant- 
general,  in  charge  of  general  headquarters;  Major  Eugene  E.  McLean, 
chief  quartermaster,  and  Captain  E.  Deslonde,  quartermaster's 
department. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Ferguson,  aid-de-camp,  early  on  Monday  was 
assigned  to  command  and  directed  the  movements  of  a  brigade  of  the 
Second  corps. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Gilmer,  chief  engineer,  after  having  performed 
the  important  and  various  duties  of  his  place  with  distinction  to  him 
self  and  material  benefit  to  the  country,  was  wounded  late  on  Monday. 
I  trust,  however,  I  shall  not  bng  be  deprived  of  his  essential  services. 

Captain  Lockett,  engineer  corps,  chief  assistant  to  Colonel  Gil 
mer,  after  having  been  employed  in  the  duties  of  his  corps  on  Sunday, 
was  placed  by  me  on  Monday  in  command  of  a  battalion  without  field 
officers. 

Captain  Fremaux,  provisional  engineers,  and  Lieutenants  Steel 
and  Helm  also  rendered  material  and  even  dangerous  service  in  the 
line  of  their  duty. 

Major-General  (now  General)  Braxton  Bragg,  in  addition  to  his 
duties  of  chief  of  staff,  as  has  been  before  stated,  commanded  his 
corps — much  the  largest  in  the  field— on  both  days  with  signal 
capacity  and  soldiership. 

Surgeons  Foard,  medical  director;  R.  L.  Brodie  and  S.  Choppin, 
medical  inspectors,  and  D.  W.  Yandell,  medical  director  of  the  West 
ern  department,  with  General  Johnston,  were  present  in  the  discharge 
of  their  arduous  and  high  duties,  which  they  performed  with  honor  to 
their  profession. 

Captain  Tom  Saunders,  Messrs.  Scales  and  Metcalf,  and  Mr. 
Tully  of  New  Orleans,  were  of  material  aid  on  both  days,  ready  to 
give  news  of  the  enemy's  positions  and  movements  regardless  of 
exposure. 

While  thus  making  mention  of  some  of  those  who  rendered  bril 
liant,  gallant,  or  meritorious  service  on  the  field,  I  have  aimed  merely 
to  notice  those  whose  position  would  most  probably  exclude  the  record 
of  their  services  from  the  reports  of  corps  or  subordinate  command 
ers. 

From  this  agreeable  duty  I  turn  to  one  in  the  highest  degree 
unpleasant;  one  due,  however,  to  the  brave  men  under  me  as  a  con 
trast  to  the  behavior  of  mosc  of  the  army  who  fought  so  heroically. 
I  allude  to  the  fact  that  some  officers,  non-commissioned  officers  and 
men  abandoned  their  colors  early  on  the  first  day  to  pillage  the  cap 
tured  encampments;  others  retired  shamefully  from  the  field  on  both 
days,  while  the  thunder  of  cannon  and  the  roar  and  rattle  of  musketry 
told  them  that  their  brothers  were  being  slaughtered  by  the  fresh 
legions  of  the  enemy.  I  have  ordered  the  names  of  the  most  con 
spicuous  in  this  roll  of  laggards  and  cowards  to  be  published  in  orders. 

It  remains  to  state  that  our  loss  on  the  two  clays,  in  killed  out- 


94  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

right,    was    1,728;    wounded    8,012    and    missing    959,     making    an 
aggregate  of  casualties,  10,699. 

This  sad  list  tells  in  simple  language  of  the  stout  tight  made  by 
our  countrymen  in  front  of  the  rude  log  chapel  of  Shiloh,  especially 
when  it  is  known  that  on  Monday,  from  exhaustion  and  other  causes, 
not  20,000  men  on  our  side  could  be  brought  into  action, 

Of  the  losses  of  the  enemy  I  have  no  exact  knowledge.  Their 
newspapers  report  it  as  very  heavy.  Unquestionably  it  was  greater 
even  in  proportion  than  our  own  on  both  days,  for  it  was  apparent  to 
all,  that  their  dead  left  on  the  field  outnumbered  ours  two  to  one. 
Their  casualties,  therefore,  cannot  have  fallen  many  short  of  20,000  in 
killed,  wounded,  prisoners  and  missing. 

Through  information  derived  from  many  sources,  including'  the 
newspapers  of  the  enemy,  we  engaged  on  Sunday  the  divisons  of 
Generals  Prentiss,  Sherman,  Hurlbut,  McClernand  and  Smith,  of 
9,000  men  each,  or  at  least  45,000  men.  This  force  was  re-enforced 
Sunday  night  by  the  divisions  of  Generals  Nelson,  McCook,  Crittenden 
and  Thomas,  of  Major-GenerrJ  Buell's  army,  some  25,000  strong, 
including  all  arms;  also  General  L.  Wallace's  division,  of  General 
Grant's  army,  making  at  least  33.000  fresh  troops,  which,  added  to 
the  remnant  of  General  Grant's  forces — on  Monday  morning  amount 
ing  to  over  20,000 — made  an  aggregate  force  of  some  53,000  men,  at 
least,  arrayed  against  us  on  that  day. 

In  connection  with  the  results  of  the  battle,  I  should  state  that 
most  of  our  men  who  had  inferior  arms  exchanged  them  for  the 
improved  arms  of  the  enemy;  also  that  most  of  the  property, 
public  and  personal,  in  the  camps  from  which  the  enemy  was  driven 
on  Sunday  was  rendered  useles  or  greatly  damaged,  except  some  of  the 
tents. 

With  this  are  transmitted  certain  papers,  to- wit:  Order  of  move 
ment,  marked  "A;"  a  list  of  the  killed  and  wounded,  marked  "B;"  a 
list  of  captured  flags,  marked  "C;"  and  a  map  of  the  field  of  battle, 
marked  "D." 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted  through  my  volunteer  aide- 
de-camp,  Col.  Jacob  Thompson,  of  Mississippi,  who  lias  in  charge  the 
flags,  standards,  and  colors  captured  from  the  enemy. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  General,  your  obedient  servant, 

G.  T.  BEAUREGARD, 

General  Commanding. 
General  S.  COOPER, 

Adjutant  and  Inspector  General  C.  S.  Arm}7,  Richmond,  Va. 

Headquarters  Department  of  South  Carolina,  Georgia  and  Florida. 

Charleston,  S.  C.,  March  20,  1863. 

General:  My  report  of  the  battle  of  Shiloh  was  written  without 
opportunity  to  consult  reports  of  army  corps  commanders  and  of  their 
subordinate  officers.  These  have  never  been  furnished  me,  except 
the  report  and  accompanying  papers  in  relation  to  the  operations  of 
the  corps  under  General  Braxton  Bragg,  copies  of  which  were  furnished 
me  at  this  place  from  your  office.  I  hear  that  the  reports  of  the  corps 


BATTLE  OF  SHILOH.  95 


under  Lieutenant-General  Polk,  have  been  handed  in;  if  so,  please 
have  copies  sent  to  me  as  early  as  practicable;  also  oi  the  reports  of 
Major-Generals  Hardee  and  Breekinridge,  if  at  your  disposition,  as 
these  papers  are  necessary  in  the  preparation  of  a  detailed  report, 
which  I  find  it  will  be  proper  for  me  to  prepare  and  render. 
Respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

G.  T.  BEAUREGAKD, 

General  Commanding. 
General  S.  COOPER, 

Adjutant  and  Inspector- General,  Richmond,  Va. 

Headquarters  Army  of  the  Mississippi. 

Corinth  Miss.,  April  16,  1862. 
Soldiers  of  the  Army  of  the  Mississippi: 

You  have  bravely  fought  the  invaders  of  your  soil  for  two  da}rs 
in  his  own  position.  Fought  your  superiors  in  numbers,  in  arms,  in 
all  the  appliances  of  war.  Your  success  has  been  signal.  His  losses 
have  been  immense,  outnumbering  yours  in  all  except  the  personal 
worth  of  the  slain.  You  drove  him  from  his  camps  to  the  shelter  of 
his  iron-clad  gunboats,  which  alone  saved  him  from  complete  disaster. 
You  captured  his  artillery,  more  than  twenty-five  flags  and  standards, 
and  took  over  3,000  prisoners. 

You  have  done  your  duty.  Your  commanding  general  thanks 
you.  Your  countrymen  are  prcud  of  your  deeds  on  the  bloody  field 
of  Shiloh;  confident  in  the  ultimate  results  of  your  valor. 

Soldiers,  untoward  events  saved  the  enenry  from  annihilation. 
His  insolent  presence  still  pollutes  your  soil,  his  hostile  flag  still  flaunts 
before  you.  There  can  be  no  peace  so  long  as  these  things  are. 

Trusting  that  God  is  with  us,  as  with  our  fathers,  let  us  seek  to 
be  worthy  of  His  favor,  and  resolve  to  be  independent  or  perish  in  the 
struggle. 

G.  T.  BEAUREGARD, 

General  Commanding. 


THE  EPITAPH  TO  GENERAL  ALBERT  SIDNEY  JOHNSTON. 

(BY  JOHN  DIMITRY  OF  NEW  ORLEANS.) 


Behind  this  stone  is  laid  for  a  season 

Albert  Sidney  Johnston, 

A  General  in  the  Army  of  the  Confederate  States, 
Who  fell  at  Shiloh,  Tenn., 
On  the  6th  day  of  April,  A.  D. 
Eighteen  Hundred  and  Sixty  Two, 
A  man  tried  in  many  high  offices 
And  critical  enterprises, 
And  found  faithful  in  all; 

His  life  was  one  long  sacrifice  of  interest  to  conscience; 
And  even  that  life  on  a  woeful  Sabbath, 

Did  he  yield  as  a  holocaust  to  his  country's  need, 
Not  wholly  understood  was  he  where  he  lived; 

But  in  his  death  his  greatness  stands  confessed 

In  a  people's  tears. 

Resolute,  moderate,  clear  of  envy,  yet  not  wanting 
In  that  finer  ambition  which  makes  men  great  and  pure; 
In  his  honor  impregnable; 
In  simplicity  sublime; 

No  country  e'er  had  a  truer  son,  no  cause  a  nobler  champion; 
No  people  a  bolder  defender,  no  principle  a  purer  victim, 
Than  the  dead  soldier 
Who  sleeps  here. 

The  cause  for  which  he  perished  is  lost, 
The  people  for  whom  he  fought  are  crushed, 
The  hopes  in  which  he  trusted  are  shattered, 
The  flag  he  loved  guides  no  more  the  charging  lines; 
But  his  fame,  consigned  to  the  keeping  of  that  time  which, 
Happily,  is  not  so  much  the  tomb  of  virtue  as  its  shrine, 
Shall,  in  the  years  to  come,  fire  modest  worth  to  noble  ends. 
In  honor  now  our  great  captain  rests; 

A  bereaved  people  mourn  him; 
Three  commonwealths  proudly  claim  him; 

And  history  shall  cherish  him 
Among  those  choicer  spirits  who,  holding  their  conscience  unmixed 

with  blame, 

Have  been,  in  all  conjunctures,  true  to  themselves,  their  people,  and 
their  God. 


GEN.  JOHN  H.   MORGAN'S   WAR-HORSE,    "BLACK  BESS," 
AT  BATTLE  OF  LEBANON. 


After  Shiloh,  Colonel  John  H.  Morgan  was  sent  into 
Tennessee— with  his  squadron  to  harass  and  annoy  the  enemy 
as  he  had  previously  done  on  General  Johnston's  retreat  from 
Tennessee.  His  reputation^at  this  juncture  had  grown  world 
wide.  He  turned  up  more  mysteriously,  was  in  more  places 
and  performed  more  wonderful  feats  than  any  of  the  dashing 
cavaliers  of  the  South.  He  had  a  horse  fleet  on  foot,  quick 
in  action  and  growing  like  her  master  in  the  hearts  of  our 
people,  as  an  animal  superior  to  any  in  her  day.  The  sketch 
following  will  give  you  her  pedigree  and  some  instances^of 
her  worth  superlative. 

Did  you- ever  hear  of  Black  Bess,  Gen.  John  Morgan's  fine  mare? 
One  day  after  our  Army  had.  fallen  back  from  Nashville  to  Shiloh, 

and  after  Shiloh 
jbattle,  Morgan's 
squadron  made 
its  appearance  in 
the  enemy's  rear, 
passing  old  Jef 
ferson,  between 
Nashville  and 
M  u  r  f  r  e  e  sboro. 
Morgan  the  ubi 
quitous  raider, 
had  dropped  from 
the  sky,  like  a 
meteor,  with  a 
squadron.  H  e 
stopped  for  a 
time,  and  citizens 
rushed  out  to 
greet  them.  An 
orderly  was  lead 
ing  an  animal  that 
all  eyes  centered 
upon.  She  was 
trim  and  perfect 
— not  like  a  racer,  not  as  bulky  asVtrotter,  nor  as  swaggy  in  get  up  as  a 


98  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

pacer,  but  of  a  combination  that  made  her  a  paragon  of  beauty.  She 
was  an  animal  given  to  Colonel  Morgan  by  some  admirer  from  his 
native  Kentucky,  and  they  called  her  "Black  Bess."  She  was  to  bear 
the  dashing  Rebel  chieftain  through  many  dangerous  places.  There 
was  gossip  in  every  mouth  about  his  daring  feats.  I  looked  and  lingered 
upon  Black  Bess  ant  I  the  part  she  was  to  play  in  her  master's  career. 

In  reporting  how  she  impressed  me  1  employ  Hardy  Crier's  des 
cription  of  his  famous  horse  Gray  Eagle.  He  said  that  he  drove  Gray 
Eagle  through  the  streets  of  Gallatin,  and  the  high  and  low  stopped 
to  watch  his  action.  He  stopped  on  the  square,  and  a  crowd  collected, 
among  them  a  deaf  and  dumb  man,  who  critically  examined  the  horse, 
and  in  a  moment  of  utter  abstraction  took  out  his  slate  and  pencil  and 
wrote  the  words  "magnificent!  magnificent!"  and  handed  it  around  to 
the  crowd.  This  was  my  idea  of  Black  Bess.  Every  bone,  joint,  and 
tendon  of  the  body,  from  head  to  foot,  seemed  molded  to  beauty.  A 
flowing  mane  and  tail,  eyes  like  an  eagle,  color  a  shining  black,  height 
about  fifteen  hands,  compactly  built,  feet  and  legs  without  blemish, 
and  all  right  on  her  pasterns — she  was  as  nimble  as  a  cat  and  as  agile 
as  an  antelope.  My  idea  of  a  wild  horse  of  Tartary,  of  La  Pic  of  Tur- 
ena,  of  the  Al  Borak  of  Mahomet,  could  not  surpass  the  pattern  that 
Black  Bess  presented.  Quick  of  action,  forceful  in  style,  besides 
running  qualities,  a  touch  of  the  ear  would  bring  her  from  a  run  to  a 
lope,  from  a  lope  to  a  single-foot,  from  that  to  a  fox- walk.  She  was 
as  pretty  as  a  fawn,  as  docile  as  a  lamb,  and  I  imagined  her  as  fleet  as 
a  thoroughbred. 

When  the  squadron  left  Old  Jefferson,  on  the  night  of  May  4th, 
1862,  they  went  to  Lebanon,  eighteen  miles.  The  citizens  were 
enthused.  It  was  a  hotbed  of  Southern  sentiment  throughout  the 
march,  a  number  of  citizens  riding  all  the  way  to  talk  to  Middle  Ten 
nessee  soldiers.  One  of  these  citizens,  Hickman  Weakley,  our  clerk 
and  master,  was  the  owner  of  the  "Mountain  Slasher  Farm"  near 
Jefferson;  and,  while  delighted  with  friends,  his  greatest  pleasure  was 
to  look  upon  and  admire  Black  Bess.  Slasher's  colts  had  reached  the 
acme  of  Tennessee's  boast  in  saddle-horses,  yet  nothing  he  had  seen 
could  equal  or  compare  with  her. 

That  night  in  Lebanon  kindness  to  Morgan  and  his  men  was  so 
great  that  his  squadron  was  permitted  to  camp  almost  anywhere.  The 
Yankee  nation  was  bewildered  with  their  daring,  and  the  Confederates 
were  tickled.  Forsooth — the  squadron  grew  careless  over  triumphs. 
When  least  expected,  Morgan  turned  up.  No  straggling  soldiery  with 
the  enemy  then,  for  fear  of  being  captured.  Telegraph  wires  under 
control  of  his  operator,  and  upon  every  tongue  would  come  the  query : 
"Have  you  heard  anything  of  John  Morgan?"  The  wires  were  hot 
with  messages  to  intercept  him,  and  couriers  were  busy  to  unite  com 
mands.  General  Dumont  with  800  came  from  Nashville;  Colonel 
Duffield  with  a  large  force  from  Shelbyville  and  Murfreesboro,  and 
Colonel  Woolford  from  Gallatin;  truly  the  Federal  cavalry  from  every 
adjacent  section  were  after  him;  for  the  chiefs  in  Scotland's  mountain 
fastness  were  not  more  feared.  That  night  Morgan's  men  camped  in 
the  court  house,  livery  stables,  and  the  college  campus,  and  the 


BLACK  BESS.  90 


people  were  preparing  to  give  them  a  grand  breakfast  the  next  morn 
ing,  when  about  4  o'clock  May  5th,  2,000  Federal  cavalry  made  a 
dash,  went  in  with  the  Confederate  pickets,  and  completely  surprised 
Morgan  and  his  men.  The  horses  were  stabled  so  that  the  squadron 
could  not  reach  them.  It  was  at  this  critical  time  that  Colonel  Morgan 
called  into  requisition  Black  Bess.  Every  street  was  jammed  with 
blue  coats.  The  dash  was  so  sudden  that  concert  of  action  was 
impossible.  One  hundred  and  fifty  of  his  men  (nearly  all)  had  been 
taken,  and  hundreds  were  after  the  redoubtable  John  Morgan  himself. 
He  mounted  his  mare,  and  with  a  few  of  his  men,  rode  out  on  the 
Rome  and  Carthage  pike  pursued  by  Dumont's  cavalry.  With  Black 
Bess  under  rein  Morgan  began  a  ride  more  thrilling  than  that  of 
McDonald  on  his  celebrated  Selim  and  of  a  different  kind  from  that  of 
Paul  Revere.  General  Morgan  was  an  expert  in  firing  from  his 
saddle  while  being  pursued;  so  he  waited  until  the  foe  got  within  gun 
shot,  wheeled,  and  emptied  his  pistols,  and  then  touched  up  Black 
Bess  until  he  could  reload.  The  victors  tried  for  dear  life  to  catch 
him.  The  prize  would  immortalize  them.  Dumont  with  a  loss  of 
only  six  killed  and  twelve  wounded,  as  shown  by  his  report  of  the 
battle  of  Lebanon  in  "Records  of  the  Rebellion,"  would  have  a 
triumph  sure  enough  could  he  catch  the  cavalier  who  was  bewildering 
the  nation.  The  run  was  fifteen  miles,  but  at  the  end  of  it  Black  Bess 
pricked  her  ears  and  champed  her  bit,  as  if  ready  for  another  fifteen. 
It  was  more  rapid  than  Prentice's  fancied  ride  in  a  thunder-storm. 
When  Black  Bess  got  to  the  ferry  on  the  Cumberland  river  she  was 
full  of  foam,  with  expanded  nostrils  and  panting  breath;  yet  with  fire 
in  her  eyes,  she  looked  the  idol  of  old  Kentucky  breeding  and  her 
bottom  grew  better  the  farther  she  went.  Aye!  SHE  WAS  THE  MARVEL 
OF  HER  DAY,  and  Dick  Tur pin's  Black  Bess  could  not  have  been  her 
equal. 

Black  Bess  landed  John  Morgan  out  of  danger  of  his  enemies  and 
into  the  embrace  of  his  friends.  I  have  often  thought  of  this  fine 
mare  and  wondered  whether  she  was  shot  in  battle  or  captured, 
recalling  how  our  women  prized  clippings  from  her  mane  and  tail. 

In  this  country,  before  the  war,  we  had  the  Rattler-Saddlers,  the 
Mountain  Slashers,  the  Travelers,  and  the  Roanokes;  since  the  war, 
the  Hal  Pointers,  Bonesetters,  Little  Brown  Jugs,  McCurdy's 
Hambletonians,  and  Lookouts;  but  for  aimiability,  ease  and  grace, 
nothing  in  my  mind  has  equaled  Black  Bess,  the  pride  of  the  old 
squadron  and  the  idol  of  John  H.  Morgan. 

In  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  when  John  C.  Breckinridge,  John  C. 
Brown,  and  E.  C.  Walthall  appeared  on  horseback,  they  were 
mentioned  as  the  handsomest  of  our  generals  and  the  outfit  complete; 
but  to  see  John  Morgan  in  Confederate  uniform  and  mounted  on 
prancing  Black  Bess,  upheaded,  animated,  apt  and  willing,  as  horse 
flesh  should  be,  the  equipment  was  simply  perfect,  the  accoutrement 
grand. 


I  submitted  this  article  to  General  Basil  Duke,  Morgan's  right 
arm  in  war  times,  who  replied  in  substance  that  Black  Bess  was  pre- 


lOO  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

sented  to  Colonel  Morgan  by  a  Mr.  Viley,  of  Woodford  county,  Ky. ; 
that  she  was  captured  at  the  Cumberland  river  on  this  famous  run; 
and  that  after  the  war  Mr.  Viley  offered  by  advertisement  a  large  sum 
for  her  to  anyone  who  would  give  information  concerning  her.  She 
was  sired  by"  Drennon,  a  famous  saddle  stock  of  Kentucky,  and  her 
dam  was  a  thoroughbred.  Her  saddle  qualities  were  superior.  About 
fifteen  hands  high,  she  was  a  model  of  beauty,  though  a  little  hard- 
mouthed.  Morgan  was  much  wrought  up  over  her  loss. 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE  OF  MURFREESBORO. 


Sir:  We  left  Chattanooga  on  July  9th  with  the  Texas  Rangers, 
under  Colonel  Wharton,  and  the  Second  Georgia  cavalry,  under 
Colonel  Lawton.  We  made  a  forced  march  of  nearly  fifty  miles, 
reaching  Altamont  on  the  night  of  the  10th  instant.  After  resting 
one  night  we  passed  on  to  McMinnville,  where  I  was  joined  on  the 
night  of  the  llth  by  Colonel  Morrison  with  a  portion  of  the  First 
Georgia  cavalry,  two  companies  of  Colonel  Spiller's  battalion,  under 
Major  Smith,  and  two  companies  of  Kentuckians,  under  Captains 
Taylor  and  Waltham.  After  this  junction  my  whole  force  was  about 
1,400  men,  and  both  men  and  horses  were  much  jaded  and  worn  by 
their  long  travel.  After  feeding  and  refreshing  for  a  single  day,  and 
being  joined  by  some  few  volunteers  I  left  on  the  12th  at  1:00  o'clock 
for  Murfreesboro.  It  was  over  fifty  miles  to  our  designation,  but 
there  was  no  halt  except  for  a  short  time  to  feed  the  men  and  horses. 

We  approached  Murfreesboro  about  4:30  a.  m.  and  fortunately 
captured  the  pickets  of  the  enem}^  without  firing  a  gun.  I  then 
learned  that  there  were  two  regiments  in  and  near  Murfreesboro,  one 
the  Ninth  Michigan  and  the  other  the  Third  Minnesota,  200  Pennsyl 
vania  cavalry,  100  of  the  Eighth  Kentucky,  and  Captain  Hewitt's 
battery  of  four  guns,  numbering  in  all  1,400  or  1,500  men  under  the 
command  of  General  Thomas  Crittenden,  of  Indiana.  There  were 
said  to  be  two  camps,  one  in  Murfreesboro  of  one  infantry  regiment 
and  the  cavalry,  the  other  with  the  artillery  about  a  mile  distant,  and 
a  small  force  with  the  officers  in  the  court  house  and  private  houses 
around  the  public  square.  I  decided  immediately  to  attack  the  camp 
in  town  and  the  buildings,  while  the  camp  with  the  artillery  should 
be  held  in  check  until  the  first  was  stormed  and  surrendered.  Colonel 
Wharton  with  his  Texas  Rangers  was  ordered  to  charge  the  camp  in 
town.  He  moved  forward  in  gallant  style  at  the  head  of  his  men,  but 
owing  to  the  urgent  necessity  of  using  a  portion  of  the  Rangers  for 
the  attack  on  the  buildings  he  did  not  carry  with  him  but  two  of  his 
companies.  This  fact,  however,  did  not  abate  his  courage  or  that  of 
his  men.  They  charged  over  the  tent  ropes  right  into  the  camp. 
Colonel  Wharton  was  soon  severely  wounded  and  the  command  of  his 
Rangers  devolved  on  Colonel  Walker. 

Colonel  Morrison  with  a  portion  of  the  Second  Georgia  was 
ordered  to  storm  the  court  house  while  the  balance  of  the  Texas 


COURT    HOUSE     AT    MURFREESBORO,     TENNESSEE. 


FIRST  BATTLE  OF  MURFREESBORO.  103 

Rangers  were  attacking  the  private  buildings.  After  two  or  three 
hours'  hard  struggle  the  court  house  was  fired  and  surrendered  to 
Colonel  Morrison.  The  private  buildings  were  also  cleared  by  the 
Rangers  and  General  Crittenden  and  his  staff  surrendered. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  (Arthur)  Hood,  of  the  Second  Georgia,  with  a 
portion  of  his  force  was  ordered  to  storm  the  jail,  which  he  did, 
releasing  many  prisoners  confined  for  political  offenses;  he  also  took 
the  telegraph  office,  capturing  the  operator. 

Colonel  Lawton,  with  the  First  Georgia,  the  Tennesseeans  and 
Kentuckians,  was  ordered  to  attack  the  second  camp  with  the  artillery, 
which  he  did  with  great  efficiency  for  several  hours.  The  Tennessee 
ans,  under  Major  Smith  and  Kentuckians  under  Captain  Taylor  and 
Waltham,  stood  the  fire  of  shot  and  shell  like  veterans.  The  Gfeorgian 
under  Captain  Dunlop  and  Major  Harper,  made  a  gallant  charge 
almost  to  the  mouth  of  the  cannon.  After  fighting  them  in  front  two 
or  three  hours  I  took  immediate  command  of  this  force  and  charged 
the  rear  of  the  enemy  into  their  camps  and  burned  their  camps  and 
stores,  demoralizing  their  force  and  weakening  their  strength. 

The  force  of  the  Texas  Rangers  sent  to  attack  the  first  camp  was 
so  small  that  although  they  fought  with  desperate  courage  and  great 
skill,  they  were  gradually  driven  back. 

After  the  court  house  and  private  buildings  were  surrendered  and 
the  fight  had  lasted  five  or  six  hours  I  prepared  my  whole  force  to 
storm  both  camps  and  summoned  them  to  surrender.  After  some 
parley  Colonel  Duffield  surrendered  the  infantry  and  artillery. 

My  aide,  Colonel  Saunders,  rendered  me  efficient  aid  until  he  was 
wounded  by  a  ball  from  the  court  house.  Major  Strange,  my  adjutant, 
also  performed  his  whole  duty.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Walker  and 
Major  Harrison,  of  the  Rangers,  actied  with  their  usual  daring  and 
bravery.  All  the  officers  and  men  who  acted  bravety  cannot  be  par 
ticularly  mentioned,  but  they  acted  their  part  nobly. 

After  the  action  was  over  I  detached  Major  Smith  to  burn  a  rail 
road  bridge  below  Murfreesboro,  which  he  executed  well.  I  intended 
to  burn  a  railroad  bridge  above  Murfreesboro  and  gave  orders  for  the 
purpose,  but  by  mistake  they  were  not  executed.  I  had  the  telegraph 
wire  cut  and  a  large  portion  of  the  railroad  track  torn  up.  I  found 
four  car  loads  of  provisions  on  the  railroad  track  and  the  depot  house 
full  of  stores,  all  of  which  I  burned. 

There  were  between  1,100  and  1,200  private  and  non-commis 
sioned  officers  captured  and  brought  to  McMinnville  and  paroled  on 
condition  not  to  serve  until  exchanged.  The  officers  have  been 
already  sent  to  Knoxville  in  charge  of  Colonel  Wharton  (and  I  trust 
have  safely  reached  their  destination)  except  one  or  two  who  were 
wounded  and  left  at  Murfreesboro  on  condition  to  surrender  when 
restored  to  health. 

I  captured  four  pieces  of  artillery — three  brass  pieces  and  one 
Parrott  gun — which  are  still  in  my  possession,  with  harness  and 
ammunition.  There  were  some  fifty  or  sixty  large  road  wagons  with 
the  mule  teams,  harness,  etc. ,  captured.  I  burnt  some  of  the  wagons, 
which  could  not  be  got  away,  and  sent  you  the  balance.  There  were 


104  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

a  large  number  of  cavalry  horses,  saddles  and  small  arms,  with  the 
ammunition  captured,  and  such  as  I  have  not  been  compelled  to  use 
are  also  forwarded  to  you. 

In  consequence  of  our  being  compelled  to  leave  Murfreesboro  and 
not  having  received  reports  of  the  killed  from  some  of  our  command, 
it  is  impossible  to  report  accurately  my  loss.  My  best  information  is 
that  we  nad  about  twenty-five  killed  and  from  forty  to  sixty  wounded. 
Among  those  killed  is  Lieutenant  Green,  of  the  Tennessee  battalion. 
The  reports  of  the  officers  under  my  command  when  finished  will 
show  more  definitely  the  loss. 

The  enemy  lost  about  seventy-five  killed  and  125  wounded.  The 
pecuniary  loss  to  the  enemy  must  be  near  a  half  million  of  dollars. 

Yours  respectfully, 

N.  B.  FORREST, 

Brigadier-General,  Commanding  Brigade  of  Cavalry. 
MAJOR  H.  L.  CLAY, 

Adjutant-General,  Army  of  East  Tennessee. 

E.  KERBY  SMITH, 

General  Commanding. 


s      O 


s 

o  o 


8 


OQ    2 


il 


DETAILED  ACCOUNT  OF  FORREST'S  BATTLE  AT  MUR- 

FREESBORO. 


(BY  COL.   BAXTER  SMITH.) 

After  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  the  evacuation  of  Corinth,  the 
Army  of  the  Mississippi,  General  Beauregard  .commanding,  made  a 
stand  at  Tupelo,  Miss.,  where  it  was  re-organized,  many  commands 
being  consolidated,  which  was  necessitated  by  their  decimated  ranks 
after  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  Buell  was  then  at  Huntsville,  Ala.  At 
this  juncture  the  Confederate  authorities  determined  to  throw  the 
army  at  Tupelo  into  Kentucky  by  the  most  expeditious  route,  threat 
ening  Louisville,  and  at  the  same  time  send  the  army  under  General 
E.  Kirby  Smith,  then  at  Knoxville,  into  Kentucky  by  way  of  Rich 
mond  and  Lexington,  threatening  Cincinnati.  These  movements  it 
was  conceived,  would  necessarily  force  Buell  to  evacuate  Huntsville, 
and  proceed  with  all  expedition,  to  the  protection  and  defense  of 
Louisville,  and  this  was  the  result.  It  was  a  matter  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  Buell  that  he  should  keep  the  Nashville  &  Chattanooga 
railroad  open  as  far  East  and  south  of  Nashville  towards  the  Tennessee 
river  as  possible,  as  that  was  his  chief  line  of  communication  in  getting 
his  troops  to  Nashville  enroute  to  Louisville.  Realizing  the  import 
ance  of  breaking  up  and  destroying  this  line  of  communication  as 
much  as  possible,  Colonel  James  Saunders,  a  patriotic  citizen  of 
Courtland,  Ala.,  applied  to  General  Beauregard  to  send  an  efficient 
cavalry  command  to  Middle  Tennessee  for  this  purpose,  suggesting, 
as  the  commander  of  the  same,  ^ the  name  of  Colonel  Forrest,  who 
had  already  rendered  conspicuous  service  in  Southern  Kentucky, 
and  at  Fort  Donelson,  he  having  refused  to  surrender  his  command 
with  the  balance  of  the  army  at  the  latter  place,  and  had  brought  his 
regiments  out.  He  had  also  recently  passed  through  Shiloh  with 
fresh  laurels. 

General  Beauregard  finally  agreed  to  the  proposition,  and  Colonel 
Forrest  left  Tupelo  early  in  June,  1862,  with  a  small  staff,  for  the 
scenes  of  his  new  operations.  Proceeding  across  the  country  to 
Knoxville  he  reported  to  General  Smith,  who  assigned  him  to  the 
command  of  a  brigade  of  cavalry,  the^various  commands  of  which 
were  ordered  to  report  at  a  place  known  as  Rock  Martins  about  seven 
miles  east  of  McMinnville.  There,  Forrest's  First  brigade  was  formed, 
and  consisted  of  the  Eighth  Texas  (Terry's  Rangers)  regiment,  Colonel 
Jno,  A.  Wharton;  Second  Georgia  regiment,  Colonel  J.  K.  Lawton; 


106 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


first  Georgia  battalion,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Morrison;  and  a  battalion 
consisting  of  a  squadron  of  Tennesseeans  detached  from  Spiller's 
battalion  in  East  Tennessee,  and  a  squadron  of  Kentuckians,  formerly 
of  Helm's  regiment,  all  placed  under  command  of  Major  (afterwards 
Colonel)  Baxter  Smith.  The  entire  effective  force,  armed,  numbered 
about  1,000  men,  all  cavalry,  many  of  whom  had  seen  but  little 
service,  and  what  they  would  accomplish  under  their  new  leader  had 

to  be  determined  by  testing 
them.  Keliable  scouts 
were  sent  out  along  the 
line  of  railroad  as  far  as 
and  beyond  Murfreesboro, 
and  information  of  an 
important  character  was 
obtained,  particularly  of 
the  situation  at  Murfrees 
boro.  It  was  found  that 
the  latter  place  was  gar 
risoned  by  a  force  of  about 
2,000  men,  two  regiments 
of  infantry,  a  battalion  of 
cavalry  and  four  new  field 
pieces  of  artiller}7  and  a 
company  of  125  men. 

With  this  information 
at  hand,  Forrest  held  per 
haps  his  first  council  of 
war,  where  all  the  news 
brought  in  by  scouts  was 
laid  before  the  council. 
All  the  field  officers  were 
present  as  well  as  several 
gentlemen  of  distinction, 
who  were  volunteer  aids 
on  Forrest's  staff,  among 
the  number  Colonel  Saun- 
ders,  already  mentioned, 
the  Hon.  Andrew  Ewing, 
a  distinguished  lawyer  from  Nashville  and  F.  C.  Dunnington,  former 
editor  of  the  Nashville  Union.  As  the  result  of  the  conference,  at 
which  it  was  evident  Forrest  was  the  master  spirit,  it  was  determined 
to  make  a  descent  on  Murfreesboro,  and  the  command  was  put  in 
motion  late  on  Saturday,  July  12,  1862,  with  orders  to  "keep  well 
closed  up,"  and  to  make  Murfreesboro  by  daylight  next  morning,  a 
distance  of  forty  miles.  After  it  had  been  determined  to  make  a 
descent  on  Murfreesboro,  Forrest  had  his  brigade  drawn  up  and  made 
a  stirring  appeal  to  the  officers  and  men  to  sustain  him  in  the  effort 
he  was  about  to  make.  He  told  them  that  the  next  day  (July,  13) 
would  be  the  anniversary  of  his  birth,  and  that  he  would  like  to  cele 
brate  it  at  Murfreesboro,  near  his  birthplace,  in  a  becoming  manner. 


COL.  BAXTER  SMITH,  4:TH  TENN.  CAVALRY, 
FORREST'S  COMMAND. 


FORREST'S  BATTLE  AT  MURFREESBORO.  107 

All  of  the  command  promised  that  they  would  contribute  what  they 
could  to  the  felicitation  of  the  occasion. 

To  Captain  Edwin  Arnold,  afterwards  sheriff  of  Rutherford  county, 
Colonel  Forrest  was  indebted  for  much  information  connected  with 
the  expedition. 

The  command  moved  at  a  rapid  rate,  reached  Woodbury  about 
midnight,  where  the  whole  population  of  the  town  seemed  to  be  on 
the  streets.  The  ladies  of  the  town  gathered  about  Colonel  Forrest, 
and  related  to  him  and  his  command  the  events  of  the  evening  before, 
when  a  large  detachment  of  Federal  soldiers  had  swooped  down  on 
the  town  and  had  taken  and  carried  away  almost  every  man  in  town, 
young  and  old,  and  had  rushed  them  off  to  prison  in  Murfreesboro. 
These  ladies  appealed  to  Colonel  Forrest  in  the  most  moving  tones  to 
rescue  their  husbands,  fathers  and  brothers,  and  restore  them  to  their 
families.  As  his  eyes  flashed  like  fire  he  pledged  them  that  he  would 
restore  their  fathers,  husbands  and  brothers  to  their  homes  before 
sunset  the  next  day,  a  promise  that  he  literally  fulfilled. 

Richard  Coeur-de-Lion  never  had  brighter  resolve  to  rescue  the 
Holy  Sepulchre  from  the  Infidel,  when  he  donned  his  armor  and  went 
forth  to  battle  with  the  Saracens,  than  did  Forrest  on  this  occasion. 

After  partaking  of  a  bountiful  repast  for  men  and  horses,  the 
movement  was  rapidly  resumed,  Murfreesboro  being  still  some 
eighteen  or  twent}T  miles  distant.  Reaching  the  vicinity  of  the  city 
in  the  grey  dawn  of  the  morning,  the  scouts  that  had  been  sent  for 
ward  reported  that  the  pickets  were  stationed  a  short  distance  ahead, 
and  a  small  detachment  was  sent  forward  by  Colonel  Wharton,  who 
was  in  the  advance,  and  the  pickets  were  captured,  leaving  an 
unobstructed  road  into  the  city.  About  this  time  other  scouts 
reported  that  the}7  had  just  returned  from  the  city  and  had  passed 
near  all  the  encampments,  and  that  all  was  quiet,  and  no  notice  of  the 
impending  danger  seemed  to  have  been  given,  and  that  they  appeared 
not  to  apprehend  it.  Among  the  scouts  performing  this  dangerous 
and  important  service,  were  Captain  Fred  James,  a  gallant  soldier  of 
Bragg' s  army  and  a  native  of  Murfreesboro,  who  afterwards  fell  at 
the  great  battle  of  Murfreesboro,  Dec.  31,  1862,  in  sight  of  his  home. 
Another  was  Captain  J.  W.  Nichol,  who  is  happily  spared  to  us.  He 
afterwards,  and  until  the  close  of  the  war,  commanded  company  G. 
(chiefly  Rutherford  and  Cannon  county  men)  in  Colonel  Baxter 
Smith's  Fourth  Tennessee  cavalry  regiment.  No  truer  or  better 
soldier  ever  went  forth  to  battle.  He  was  wounded  so  often  that  it  is 
doubtful  if  he  knows  himself  how  often,  the  last  wound  having  been 
received  at  Bentonville. 

Everything  being  ready,  dispositions  were  made  for  the  attack, 
the  expectation  being  to  surprise  the  garrison.  It  was  desired  to 
attack  the  enemy  at  all  points  simultaneously.  The  first  force  to  be 
encountered  was  the  Ninth  Michigan  infantry  and  a  squadron  of 
cavalry,  located  on  the  Liberty  pike.  The  order  was  to  form  fours, 
and  the  Eighth  Texas  to  charge  into  the  encampment,  in  columns  of 
platoons,  which  was  executed  in  handsome  style,  and  very  shortly 
they  were  in  the  midst  of  the  Federal  cantonment.  The  soldiers  for 


108  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

the  most  part  were  in  their  tents  enjoying  their  Sunday  morning 
sleep,  but  they  were  very  soon  rallied  and  put  up  a  sharp  fight  from 
behind  wagons  or  any  other  protection  they  could  get,  many  of  them 
being  undressed.  In  the  first  outset  Colonel  Wharton  was  wounded, 
as  well  as  Colonel  Duffield,  the  Federal  commander,  in  the  effort  to 
rally  his  men.  Colonel  Wharton  was  at  a  disadvantage  in  that  four 
of  his  rear  companies,  mistaking  the  orders,  followed  the  lead  of 
Colonel  Morrison,  who  charged  into  the  public  square  of  the  city,  in 
the  center  of  which  stood  the  court  house,  which  was  garrisoned. 
After  a  sharp  contest,  the  Eighth  Texas  withdrew  on  the  McMinnville 
road  with  a  large  number  of  prisoners,  there  being  still  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  Ninth  Michigan  in  their  encampment  which  afterwards 
surrendered. 

Major  Baxter  Smith  was  ordered  to  charge  the  cavalry  encamp 
ment,  somewhat  detached  from  the  infantry,  which  was  done,  and  they 
were  captured  just  as  they  were  preparing  to  mount  their  horses. 
While  these  movements  were  progressing  Colonel  Morrison  wTas  ordered 
to  take  his  battalion  and  charge  upon  the  court  house,  which  he  did, 
taking,  by  mistake,  four  companies  of  the  Eight  Texas,  as  already 
stated,  and  surrounding  the  court  house  which  was  garrisoned  by  one 
company  of  the  Ninth  Michigan.  This  garrison  was  so  well  protected 
that  they  could  not  be  reached  by  the  Confederates  from  the  outside, 
but  the  latter  were  picked  off  in  every  direction,  as  they  surrounded 
the  court  house.  Among  many  others  who  fell  here  was  the  accom 
plished  Colonel  Saunders  of  the  staff,  who  was  shot,  the  ball  passing 
entirely  through  the  body  and  one  lung.  After  lingering  long  he 
happily  recovered. 

There  was  much  firing  from  houses  and  behind  fences  in  different 
parts  of  the  city,  where  Federal  soldiers  were  billeted  or  concealed 
and  were  practically  in  ambush.  In  this  exigency  Colonel  Forrest 
came  upon  the  scene  and  the  men  hastily  procuring  axes,  the  Texans 
and  Georgians  led  by  Forrest  sprang  forward  in  front  of  the  court 
house,  while  Morrison  brought  up  his  men  to  the  rear  or  west  side. 
The  doors  were  quickly  battered  down  and  the  Confederates  swarmed 
inside  and  captured  the  garrison.  Here  it  was  found  that  the  court 
house  and  jail  were  filled  with  citizens  (about  150)  of  the  town  and  sur 
rounding  country,  including  those  brought  in  from  Woodbury  the 
day  before.  These  persons  had  been  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison 
at  the  instance,  mainly,  of  informers,  on  various  pretexts.  Six  of  the 
number,  men  of  prominence,  were  at  the  time  under  sentence  of  death 
or,  as  expressed  by  a  newspaper  correspondent  from  there  just  before 
this  time,  were  to  "expiate  their  crimes  on  the  gallows."  Among 
this  number  was  Judge  Richardson,  now  an  honored  member  of 
Congress  from  the  Huntsville,  Ala.  district. 

By  the  time  that  the  court  house  was  opened,  and  there  was  a 
general  delivery  at  the  jail,  whose  doors  were  also  forced  open,  the 
city  seemed  alive  with  people,  who  were  of  the  families  and  friends  of 
the  captives,  and  the  shouting  and  rejoicing  will  never  probably  be 
equaled  in  that  community  again.  The  cavalry  had  surrendered  and 
the  garrison  of  the  court  house,  but  there  was  formidable  work  yet  to 


FORREST'S  BATTLE  AT  MURFREESBORO.  109 

be  accomplished. 

The  Third  Minnesota  regiment  of  infantry  was  stationed  north 
west  of  the  city  near  Stone  river,  and  at  a  point  near  by  were  four 
guns  that  had  been  firing  most  of  the  day,  when  opportunit}^  offered. 
It  was  now  past  noon.  Forrest  now  made  his  disposition  to  attack 
the  Federal  forces  in  this  quarter.  Accordingly  he  made  a  rapid  detour 
to  the  right  at  the  head  of  Major  Smith's  battalion,  and  the  Georgia 
troops,  also  a  small  company  of  twenty  men  under  P.  F.  Anderson. 
Seeing  the  Confederates  approach,  the  Federals,  then  about  500  yards 
south  of  their  camp,  halted  and  formed  line  of  battle,  some  nine 
companies  of  infantry  and  four  pieces  of  artillery.  Directing  the 
Georgians  to  confront  and  menace  the  enemy  and  engage  with  skirm 
ishers,  taking  Major  Smith  with  his  battalion,  which  included  the 
Kentuckians,  and  three  companies  of  Morrison's  Georgians  under 
Major  Harper,  Forrest  pushed  rapidly  around  to  the  right  and  rear 
of  the  encampment,  which  proved  to  be  still  occupied  by  about  100 
men,  posted  behind  a  strong  barricade  of  wagons  and  some  large  lime 
stone  ledges  which  afforded  excellent  protection,  difficult  to  carry. 
He  therefore  "ordered  a  charge,  which  was  promptly  and  handsomely 
made,  Majors  Smith  and  Harper  leading  their  men.  They  were  met, 
however,  with  a  stubborn,  brave  defense.  Twice,  indeed,  the  Con 
federates  v  ere  repulsed.  But  Forrest,  drawing  his  men  up  for  a 
third  effort,  made  a  brief  appeal  to  their  manhood,  and  putting  him 
self  at  the  head  of  the  column,  the  .charge  was  again  ordered,  this  time 
with  success.  The  encampment  was  penetrated  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  Federals  were  either  killed  or  captured". 

The  above  in  quotation  marks  is  taken  from  Forrest's  account  of 
this  part  of  the  affair.  An  incident  occurred  at  this  point  which  has 
been  grossly  misrepresented  to  Forrest's  prejudice.  While  passing 
through  the  encampment  he  was  fired  at  several  times  bv  a  negro, 
who  suddenly  emerged  from  one  of  the  tents.  Forrest  returned  the 
fire  and  killed  him,  and  did  exactly  what  he  ought  to  have  done. 
This  came  under  the  personal  observation  of  the  writer. 

The  Georgians  that  had  been  left  to  confront  the  main  body  of 
the  enemy,  hearing  the  continued  struggle  in  the  encampment,  and 
mistaking  it  for  an  attack  in  the  rear  of  the  Federal  force  that  they 
were  confronting,  charged  in  front  and  broke  their  line,  and  swept  to 
the  rear.  Finding  that  the  Federals  quickly  reformed  their  sundered 
line,  and  held  their  ground  firmhT  on  an  elevated  ridge,  from  which 
position  it  was  manifest  they  would  be  hard  to  dislodge,  Forrest 
thereupon  promptly  changed  his  plan  of  operation,  with  that  fertility 
of  resource  so  characteristic  of  him.  Placing  Major  Harper  with  his 
three  companies  around,  so  as  to  cut  off  retreat  towards  Nashville, 
disposing  of  Morrison's  other  four  companies  as  skirmishers  in  front 
to  prevent  movement  on  Murfreesboro,  and  sending  off  the  prisoners 
just  taken  on  the  McMinnville  road  with  munition  captured,  Forrest 
led  Lawton's  regiment  and  Lurith's  battalion  rapidlv  back  to  Mur 
freesboro,  sending  a  staff  officer  at  the  same  time  for  the  Eighth 
Texas,  who  he  found  had  gone  about  four  miles  on  the  McMinnville 
road. 


110  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

It  was  now  about  1  o'clock  and  as  yet  little  of  a  decisive 
character  had  been  accomplished,  while  among  many  of  his  officers  there 
was  manifest  want  of  confidence  in  the  final  success  in  the  movement. 
Some  officers,  indeed,  urged  Colonel  Forrest  to  be  contented  with 
what  had  been  accomplished.  But  instead  of  heeding  this  advice, 
Forrest  dismounting  Major  Smith's  battalion,  threw  him  forward  with 
directions  to  engage  in  a  skirmish  with  the  Federal  force  that  was 
still  occupying  the  encampment  oi  the  Ninth  Michigan.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Hood  of  the  Second  Georgia  at  the  same  time  was  ordered  to 
lead  that  regiment  to  a  point  to  the  left  of  the  Federal  position  and 
prepare  for  a  charge  dismounted,  while  Colonel  Lawton  was  detained 
to  write  a  demand  for  the  enemy's  immediate  surrender. 

All  the  while  as  the  report  of  Forrest  shows  "Lurith  and  hismen 
were  maintaining  a  brisk  skirmish",  and  just  as  the  Confederate 
demand  was  presented,  Wharton's  regiment  came  opportunely  in  view. 
The  effect  was  most  fortunate;  without  further  parley,  and  much  to 
the  surprise  of  many  of  the  Confederate  officers,  the  surrender  was  at 
once  made  of  the  Michigan  regiment.  This  accomplished,  detachments 
were  made  who  collected  the  large  wagon  train  filled  with  supplies 
most  necessary,  destroying  what  could  not  be  carried  off. 

Colonel  Forrest  with  no  loss  of  time,  sent  his  adjutant,  Major 
Strange,  to  the  beleaguered  Minnesota  regiment,  demanding  its  sur 
render.  The  Colonel  of  the  regiment  (Lester)  asked  to  be  allowed  to 
interview  Colonel  Duffield  of  the  Ninth  Michigan,  who  was  wounded 
and  a  prisoner  at  the  Maney  house  near  wrhere  the  Ninth  Michigan 
was  encamped.  The  interview  was  accorded,  but  Colonel  Lester  asked 
an  hour's  further  delay  to  confer  with  his  officers,  and  wTas  given 
thirty  minutes,  at  the  end  of  which  time  Forrest  ostentatiously  dis 
played  his  troops  along  the  path  that  Colonel  Lester  was  led  in  going 
and  returning  from  his  interview  with  Colonel  Duffield,  so  as  to  make 
him  believe  his  strength  was  greater  than  it  was.  The  object  was 
accomplished,  and  just  before  night  of  that  long  summer  day  the  last 
of  the  Federal  forces  at  Murfreesboro  capitulated. 

This  last  surrender  embraced  the  artillery.  On  account  of  the 
proximity  of  the  large  Federal  forces  at  other  points,  Colonel  Forrest 
had  everything  destroyed  that  could  not  be  taken  away,  and  by  6 
o'clock  his  brigade  was  in  motion  for  McMinnville. 

The  result  of  this  affair  were  some  1,765  prisoners  including 
Brigadier- General  Crittenden,  commanding  the  post,  600  head  of 
horses  and  mules,  forty  or  fifty  wagons,  five  or  six  ambulances,  four 
pieces  of  artillery  and  1,200  stand  of  arms.  A  Federal  writer  from 
Murfreesboro  estimated  their  loss  in  property  and  munition  at 
$1,000,000. 

In  addition  to  the  prisoners  captured  and  taken,  about  100  strag 
glers  came  in  the  next  day  and  were  paroled  by  Colonel  Saunders, 
desperately  wounded  as  he  was. 

After  the  troops  and  prisoners  were  put  in  motion  en  the 
McMinnville  road,  together  with  the  captured  property,  Major  Baxter 
Smith  was  ordered  to  proceed  along  the  line  of  the  railroad  as  far 
southward  as  Christiana,  and  destroy  the  bridges,  then  to  return  to 


FORREST'S  BATTLE  AT  MURFREESBORO.  Ill 

Murfreesboro  and  destroy  the  bridge  there  across  Stone's  river. 
This  order  was  executed  resulting  in  the  destruction  of  the  bridges 
and  the  capture  of  a  small  garrison,  guarding  a  bridge  some  five  miles 
from  the  city.  The  last  of  of  these  orders  was  executed  about  mid 
night  of  Sunday,  and  Murfreesboro  was  unoccupied  by  soldiers  of 
either  side,  except  the  wounded,  who  could  not  be  carried  away. 

This  hasty  and  imperfect  account  of  one  of  Forrest's  most  brilliant 
victories,  and  that  made  him  a  general,  cannot  be  closed  without  saying 
a  word  about  the  people  of  the  city.  Murfreesboro  was  noted  before 
the  war  as  being  a  seat  of  culture,  wealth  and  refinement.  Large 
bodies  of  troops  were  sent  to  the  Confederate  army  from  the  city  and 
count}^  but  the  glorious  women  who  had  sent  forth  their  husbands, 
brothers  and  sweethearts  to  battle,  were  there  to  greet  us  when  we 
dashed  into  their  midst  that  July  morning  before  they  had  arisen  from 
their  couches,  but  their  joy,  God  bless  them,  knew  no  ordinary 
restraints;  and  as  we  charged  down  the  streets,  and  they  got  a  sight 
of  the  dear  old  gray  uniforms,  they  would  throw  open  the  doors,  or 
throw  up  the  windows,  while  yet  in  dishabille,  waiving  their  handker 
chiefs  and  giving  every  token  of  the  most  unbounded  joy.  Their 
beauty,  their  grace  and  loveliness  made  an  impression  on  the  Con 
federate  soldier  on  that  early  summer  morning  not  to  be  effaced  by 
time. 

One  little  girl  was  badly  shot  in  this  battle,  namely,  Miss  Mollie 
Nelson,  now  Mrs.  Dr.  John  Nelson;  shot  in  the  face  and  now,  after 
forty-three  years,  is  wearing  the  scar  of  battle. 


BEERSHEBA  SPRINGS,  (TENN.)  IN  WAR  TIMES. 


There  comes  a  voice  that  awakens  my  soul, 
It  is  the  voice  of  years  that  are  gone, 
They  roll  before  me  with  all  their  deeds. 

Those  lines  of  Ossfan  recall  to  me  memories.  They  take  me  back 
to  the  sixties,  when  the  days  of  my  boyhood  were  filled  with  the  scenes 
of  grim-visaged  war  raging  in  all  its  fury;  when  every  man's  house 
was  his  castle  in  the  Sunny  South,  and  every  owner  of  a  big  plantation 
was  a  nabob.  I  can  see  the  consummation  of  the  crisis — the  general  in 

his  stars  and 
wreath,  the  fire 
side  general  in 
his  castle,  the 
prominent  civil 
ian,  the  quiet 
citizen  growing 
into  a  soldier, 
the  raging  bul- 
1  y ,  with  his 
cockade  in  civil 
life,  becoming  a 
c-o  ward  in  war. 
I  can  recall 
the  stagnation 
of  all  trades,  and 
the  hurry  of  the 
conflict  giving 
place  to  the  sig- 
nul,  of  "the 
spi  r  it- stirring 
drum,  the  ear- 
piercing  fife." 

Among  the 
celebrities  of 
those  day  si  will 
recallJudge  Na 
than  Green, 

Robert  L.  Caruthers,  Governor  Isham  G.  Harris,   Henry  S.  Foote, 
Andrew  Ewing,  Colonel  Joe  C.  Guild,  Emmett  Thompson  (the  founder 


COL.  JOHN   AKMF1ELD   OF   BEERSHEBA   SPRINGS. 


1BEERSHEBA  SPRINGS  IN  WAR  TIMES.  113 

of  the  Tennessee  Coal  &  Iron  Company,  and  member  of  the  Confeder 
ate  Congress),  A.  S.  Colyar,  Colonel  John  Armfield  (of  Beersheba 
Springs),  and  others,  whose  precepts  moulded  my  young  mind  to  the 
idea  of  warranted  provocation  in  offering  myself  a  sacrifice  in  oppos 
ing  the  attempted  outrage  of  violently  taking  from  the  Southern  peo 
ple  their  heritage. 

"As  the  twig  was  bent,  so  has  the  tree  inclined."  As  the  scion 
of  Southern  sentiment  was  engrafted,  the  propagation  followed. 
Beersheba  Springs  was  a  place  I  frequented,  and  scenes  of  Southern 
culture  at  that  old  resort,  together  with  the  thrilling  and  hazardous 
sights  in  the  war,  make  its  recollections  historic. 

Colonel  Armfield  was  a  man  of  wealth,  and  his  wife  a  woman  of  pol 
ish.  They  established  it,  and  gave  cottages  to  families  of  prominence. 
Bishops  Otey  and  Polk,  Mrs.  L.  Virginia  French  (the  Southern  poet 
ess),  and  the  families  of  Charles  Egbert  Craddock,  K.  L.  Caruthers, 
Hockett,  Anderson,  General  Hill,  and  persons  of  like  caste  formed 
the  society. 

And  when  the  hotel  was  allowed  to  open  as  a  grand  Southern 
resort,  it  was  with  the  published  notice  that  no  illegal  or  immoral 
amusements  would  be  allowed,  and  no  gamblers  could  get  accommo 
dation  even  for  a  night.  The  sisterhood  of  grand  Southern  women 
summering  there,  made  the  reputation  of  Beersheba  grow  into  fame. 
Twenty  miles  from  McMinnville  and  two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea, 
the  health  and  altitude  of  the  place  brought  together  not  only  minds 
that  moulded  the  policies  of  the  country,  but  conceived  the  establish 
ment  of  the  grand  Episcopal  University  of  the  South  at  Sewanee,  and 
the  wild  flowers  of  our  mountains  were  suddenly  beautiful  by  the  rich 
mental  roses  of  our  valleys. 

In  conversation  once  with  Judge  John  M.  Lea,  of  Nashville, 
touching  the  founder  of  Beersheba,  he  spoke  of  the  bold,  big  hearted 
man  thus:  "I  shall  never  forget  the  pleasant  old  home  on  the  brow  of 
the  mountain,  overlooking  a  panorama  as  extensive  and  grand  as  was 
ever  presented  to  the  human  eye.  There  is  within  a  few  feet  of  the 
precipice  a  'Druidical  rock'  which  equalled  the  character  of  Colonel 
Armfield.  'A  child  could  give  to  it  a  gentle  movement,  but  no  human 
strength  could  cause  it  to  topple  or  be  overturned;  so  his  kind  feelings 
could  be  touched  by  the  slightest  appeal  to  generosity,  but  in  all 
matters  where  duty  and  principle  were  involved,  he  was  firm  and 
immovable."'  When  war's  dread  alarm  was  sounded  his  Southern 
blood  began  to  boil,  and  his  purse  sprang  open  to  help  all  he  could  in 
the  struggle,  "until  wild  war's  deadly  blast  was  blown."  Too  old  for 
active  service,  he  called  up  the  neighboring  mountaineers  of  Grundy 
county,  equipped  and  put  into  the  field  a  company,  and  took  care  of 
their  families  while  they  were  away,  establishing  a  post  office  in  his 
own  house,  and  had  his  family  to  write  to  and  receive  letters  from 
them.  He  became  so  popular  with  those  old  mountaineers  that  he 
was  the  arbiter  of  every  dispute.  The  lawyers  of  Altamont  said  that 
they  could  not  live,  because  of  the  dearth  of  fees.  Colonel  Armfield 
died  after  the  war  and  was  buried  at  Beersheba.  The  heaviest  mourn 
ers  at  his  grave  were  those  sturdy  mountaineers,  who  won  for  them- 


114  BATTLES  ANt)  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

selves  glory  in  every  battle. 

In  July,  1862,  Forrest  was  cantoned  near  there  preparatory  to 
making  his  grand  raid  resulting  in  the  capture  of  3,000  prisoners  at 
Murfreesboro.  As  his  soldiers  filed  by  Beersheba,  Mrs.  Armfield  had 
several  sacks  of  coffee  opened,  and  the  haversack  of  every  orderly 
was  filled  for  his  mess. 

Beersheba  was  the  half-way  house  between  Chattanooga  and 
Nashville,  and  in  the  line  of  march  between  Bragg  and  Rosecrans. 
The  spectacle  was  grand,  to  sit  in  the  observatory  and  see  columns  of 
gray  at  times  going  back  and  at  others  going  forward,  and  likewise 
the  blue  pursuing  and  being  pursued.  But  there  was  a  class  between 
the  lines  that  the  citizens  feared,  and  that  was  a  terror  to  everybody. 
They  were  mountain  bushwhackers  and  robbers.  Colonel  John  Arm- 
field,  being  a  man  of  wealth,  afforded  a  target,  and  but  for  his  bravery 
and  absolute  fearlessness  he  could  never  have  lived  in  the  wild,  rugged 
mountain  home. 

The  raids  became  so  frequent  that  with  the  soldiers  it  was  every 
day  talk,  wondering  how  the  robbers  of  Beersheba  were  treating 
Colonel  Armfield,  and  whether  they  would  not  finally  kill  him.  I 
happened  to  be  up  there  at  one  time  when  the  home  of  Colonel  Arm- 
field  had  filled  with  old  gentlemen  visitors.  The  Colonel  emerged 
from  the  rear  of  the  house,  and  said  that  one  of  his  mountain  friends 
had  come  to  tell  him  that  robbers  would  be  in  on  him  that  night.  So 
he  went  to  work  getting  his  guns  ready.  Those  old  gentlemen  planned 
for  the  battle.  The  two  visiting  boys  were  to  make  a  scout  about 
nightfall  along  the  road  where  the  robbers  were  expected,  and  if  they 
were  discovered,  to  fire  and  run  in,  these  old  gentlemen  agreeing  not 
to  open  until  we  returned.  "The  tramp  down  the  road  in  the  still 
night,  without  the  chirp  of  a  bird  or  the  sound  of  a  cat,"  when  any 
sound  would  have  frightened  a  couple  of  fifteen  out  of  their  wits,  was 
one  of  the  trying  scenes  of  Beersheba;  and  now,  when  I  look  back  and 
think  of  our  imprudence  in  firing  anyhow,  and  running  back  to  give 
the  old  gentlemen  a  scare,  I  pause  to  think  of  the  dangerous  experi 
ment.  These  old  fellows  were  ready  to  fight,  and  they  would  have 
done  it  had  they  seen  an  enemy. 

There  was  a  robber  terror  up  there  by  the  name  of  Ainsworth, 
said  to  be  a  Chicago  jail  bird.  He  had  to  have  ransom,  like  the  old 
sheik  around  the  Pyramids  in  Egypt,  to  insure  safety.  His  clan 
would  loot  Beersheba,  but  Armfield  and  family  would  be  passed  with 
out  violence,  Colonel  Armfield  always  secretly  feathered  the  leader's 
nest. 

Did  you  ever  strike  a  rattlesnake  den  in  the  mountains?  On  one 
of  the  projections  of  the  cliff  I  wandered  with  a  friend  one  day  off  to 
an  isolated  spot,  and  walked  out  on  a  log  overlooking  a  crevice.  All 
at  once  a  rattler  began  to  ring  his  bell  on  the  right,  another  one  took 
up  the  refrain  on  the  left,  and  without  anything  to  throw  at  them  I 
stood  and  saw  about  twenty  enter  the  holes  of  the  crevice  descending 
the  mountain. 

One  day,  whilst  passing  through  the  caverns  along  the  road 
from  McMinnville  to  Beersheba,  a  native  said  that  he  spied  two  bend- 


BEEKSHEBA  SPRINGS  IN  WAR  TIMES. 


115 


ing  trees  that  seemed  to  touch  each  other.  He  noticed  a  rustle  of  the 
meeting  branches,  and  took  it  at  first  to  be  a  bird,  but  on  closer 
inspection  found  it  was  a  black  snake,  coiled  around  and  looking  down 
at  him,  as  if  he  intended  to  leap.  The  habits  of  the  python  in  Africa 
came  upon  him,  and  he  saw  him  here  in  miniature.  Over  there  on  that 
precipitous  crag  they  say  a  mountain  eagle  had  his  eyrie.  Down  in 
those  rugged  gorges  the  bear,  the  deer,  and  other  animals  stayed. 

The  sides  of  the  mountain  were  the  haunts  of  the  bushwhackers 
and  robbers.  Ensconced  on  those  mountain  sides  they  could  whip  a 
regiment,  and  the  trying  experience  of  both  parties  in  those  mountain 
canyons  were  had  amongst  the  divided  factions. 

Did  you  ever  hear  or  see  those  catamounts  in  the  Cumberland? 
A  friend  told  me  that  he  arrived  one  night  at  the  foot  of  Beersheba  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  from  the  top,  and  as  he  wound  around  the  dismal, 
dreary,  ascent  a  catamount  followed  him  with  the  most  fearful  shrieks. 
It  frightened  his  horse  almost  beyond  management,  and  after  he  got 
to  Beersheba  he  did  not  get  over  the  night's  experience  for  a  week. 
It  was  at  Tantallon,  in  the  Cumberland  mountains,  on  the  Nashville 
&  Chattanooga  railroad  in  1866,  just  after  the  war,  when  E.  B. 
Teachout,  a  telegraph  operator,  was  at  work  over  his  instrument,  a 
hungry  catamount  jumped  through  the  window  of  his  room  and  stuck 

his  fangs  in  the 
back  of  the  oper 
ator's  neck.  His 
wife  interfered 
and  together  they 
finally  killed  the 
animal.  After 
wards  the  opera 
tor  went  to  his 
instrument  and 
telegraphed  Wil 
liam  P.  Innis  (su 
perintendent)  to 
send  another  op 
erator,  that  the 
horrors  of  the 
Cumberland  h  e 
could  not  stand, 
and  he  would  give 
up  his  place — and 
he  did.  Presi 
dent  John  W. 
Thomas  alludes 
to  this  incident  as 
one  of  the  thril 
ling  experiences 
of  the  railroader. 
He  was  auditor 
and  paymaster  of 


MRS.  JOHN  ARMFIELD  OF  BEERSHEBA  SPRINGS. 


116  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

the  Nashville  &  Chattanooga  at  the  time. 

When  1  think  of  my  boyhood  terror  of  the  mountains,  and  couple 
it  with  the  moral  turpitude  brought  about  between  men  in  war,  I 
shudder  over  the  "used  to  be"  in  those  old  days. 

Mrs.  Armtield  (formerly  Miss  Franklin.'  of  Sumner  county,)  is 
still  in  good  health  and  tine  mental  vigor.  Even  her  pearly  teeth  are 
as  in  days  of  yore.  She  is  living  at  Bell  Air,  Md.,  with  her  niece, 
Mrs.  G.  L.  Van  Bidder.  She  is  now  eighty -six  years  old,  still  living 
for  others,  and  attributes  her  long  life  to  the  mountain  air  and  pure 
water  of  Beersheba.  In  a  letter  to  me  she  says  she  is  as  busy  as  ever 
with  her  needle,  devoted  to  her  church,  and  tries  to  make  others  hap 
py  with  her  little  remembrances.  She  has  no  children,  but  has  raised 
and  educated  more  than  a  dozen.  She  was  one  of  the  loveliest  female 
characters  Tennessee  has  ever  produced.  This  testimony  of  my  boy 
hood  memory  is  strengthened  in  the  fact  of  the  devotion  between 
herself  and  my  honored  father  and  mother. 

Touching  resolutions  on  the  character  and  liberality  and  useful 
ness  af  John  Arntield  are  made  enduring  in  the  minutes  of  the  county 
at  Altamont,  his  county  town,  and  the  prominent  of  the  old  South 
will  recall  him  as  one  of  the  useful  citizens  of  the  day. 


REPORT  OF  GEORGE  A.  ELSWORTH,  TELEGRAPH  OPERA 
TOR,  MORGAN'S  COMMAND. 


Knoxville,  Tenn.,  July  30,  1862. 

SIK:— On  July  10th,  General  Morgan,  with  a  body  guard  of  fifteen 
men  and  myself,  arrived  at  a  point  half  a  mile  below  Horse  Cave,  on  the 
Louisville  &  Nashville  railroad,  where  I  took  down  the  telegraph  line 
and  connected  my  pocket  instrument  for  the  purpose  of  taking  off  all 
dispatches  as  they  passed  through.  Owing  to  a  heavy  storm  prevail 
ing  south  the  atmospheric  electricity  prevented  me  from  communicat 
ing  with  Bowling  Green  or  Nashville.  The  first  1  heard  was  Nashville 
calling  Bowling  Green.  I  immediately  put  on'  my  ground  wire  south 
and  noticing  particularly  at  the  same  time  what  change  it  would  make 
in  the  circuit.  1  did  make  it  stronger,  but  owing  to  the  storm  men 
tioned  above  affecting  telegraphs  more  or  less,  Louisville  did  not 
suspicion  anything  wrong,  and  I  answered  for  Bowling  Green,  when 
I  received  the  following  message: 

"Louisville,  Ky.,  July  10,  1862. 
S.  D.  BRUCE,  Commanding  Bowling  Green: 

You  and  Colonel  Stoughton  move  together.  I  fear  the  force  of 
Colonel  Stoughton  is  too  small  to  venture  to  Glasgow'.  The  whole 
force  should  move  together,  as  the  enemy  are  mounted.  We  cannot 
venture  to  leave  the  road  too  far,  as  they  may  pass  around  and  ruin  it. 

J.  T.  BOYLE, 
Brigadier-General  Commanding." 

I  returned  the  usual  signal,  after  receiving  the  message,  of  O.  K. 
Louisville  immediately  called  Nashville,  and  I  answered  for  Nashville. 
Receiving  business  for  two  hours.  This  business  was  mostly  of  a 
private  nature  and  I  took  no  copies.  It  could  be  plainly  seen  by  the 
tenor  of  the  messages  that  Morgan  was  in  the  country,  and  all  orders 
to  send  money  and  valuables  by  railroad  were  countermanded  (as  they 
supposed);  but  little  did  the  operator  at  Louisville  think  that  all  of  his 
work  would  have  to  be  repeated  the  next  day.  Louisville  also  sent 
the  news  of  the  day,  and  thus  we  were  furnished  with  New  York  and 
Washington  dates  of  that  day.  During  the  whole  of  the  time  it  was 
raining  heavy;  my  situation  was  anything  but  an  agreeable  one,  sitting 
in  the  mud,  with  my  feet  in  the  water  up  to  my  knees. 

At  11 :00  p.  m.  the  general  being  satisfied  that  1  had  drained 
Louisville  of  all  the  news,  concluded  to  close  for  the  night,  and  he 
verbally  gave  me  the  following  message  to  send,  dating  and  signing  it 
as  below. 


118 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


"Nashville,  Term.,  July  10,  1862. 
HENRY  DENT,  Provost-Marshall,  Louisville,  Ky. : 

General  Forrest,  commanding  brigade,  attacked  Murfreesboro, 
routing  our  forces,  and  is  now  moving  on  Nashville.  Morgan  is  re 
ported  to  be  between  Scottsville  and  Gallatin,  and  will  act  in  concert 
with  Forrest,  it  is  believed.  Inform  general  commanding. 

STANLEY  MATTHEWS,  Provost- Marshall." 

I  am  not 
aware  that  Gen- 
e  r  a  1  Morgan 
claims  to  be  a 
prophet  or  a 
son  of  a  proph 
et,  but  Forrest 
did  attack  Mur 
freesboro,  and 
rout  the  enemy. 
On  arriving 
at  Lebanon  July 
12,  1  accompan 
ied  the  advance 
guard  into  town 
and  took  charge 
of  the  telegraph 
office  immedi 
ately.  This  was, 
as  you  know,  at 
3:30  a.  m.  I 
adjusted  the  in 
strument  and 
examined  the 
circuit.  No/oth 
er  operator  on 
the  line  appear 
ed  to  be  on  hand 
this  early.  I 
then  examined 
all  the  dispatch 
es  of  the  day 
previous  ;among 
them  I  found 
the  following: 
July  11  1862. 


GEORGE  A.  ELSWORTH,  MORGAN'S  OPERATOR. 


"Lebanon,  Ky 
GENERAL  BOYLE,  Louisville,  Ky. : 

I  have  positive  information  that  there  are  400  maurauders  in 
twenty  miles  of  this  place,  on  the  old  Lexington  road,  approaching 
Lebanon.  Send  re-inforcements  immediately. 

A.  Y.  JOHNSON, 

' 'Lieutenant- Colonel,  Commanding. 
At  7:30  a.  m.  an  operator,  signing  Z,  commenced  calling  B,  which 


REPOKT  OF  GEORGE  A.  ELS  WORTH.  119 

I  had  ascertained  by  the  books  in  the  office  was  the  signal  for  Lebanon 
office.  I  answered  the  call,  when  the  following  conversation  between 
Z  and  myself  ensued: 

To  B:  What  news?  Any  more  skirmishing  after  your  last 
message  ?  Z. 

To  Z:     No:  we  drove  what  little  cavalry  there  was  away.     B. 

To  B:     Has  the  train  arrived  yet?     Z. 

To  Z:     No.     About  how  many  troops  are  on  train?     B. 

To  B:     About  500.     Z. 

My  curiosity  being  excited  as  to  what  station  Z  was,  and  to 
ascertain  without  creating  any  suspicion,  I  adopted  the  following  plan: 

To  Z:  A  gentleman  here  in  the  office  bets  me  the  cigars  you 
cannot  spell  the  name  of  your  station  correctly.  B. 

To  B:  Take  the  bet.  L-e-b-a-n-on  Junction.  Is  this  not  right? 
How  did  he  think  1  would  spell  it?  Z. 

To  Z:  He  gives  it  up.  He  thought  you  would  put  two  b's  in 
Lebanon.  B. 

To  B:     Ha!  ha!     He  is  a  green  one.     Z. 

To  Z:     Yes;  that's  so.     B. 

To  Z:     What  time  did  train  with  soldiers  pass,  Z?     B. 

To  B:     At  8:30  last  night.     Z. 

To  Z:     Very  singular  where  the  train  is.     B. 

To  B:     Yes  it  is.     Let  me  know  when  it  arrives.     Z." 

At  8:20  Z  called  me  up  and  says: 

uTo  B:  The  train  has  returned.  They  had  a  fight  with  the 
Rebels  at  New  Hope.  The  commanding  officer  awaits  orders  here.  Z." 

To  Z.  Give  the  particulars  of  the  fight.  Colonel  Johnson  is 
anxious  to  know  all  about  it.  B. 

To  B:     I  will  as  soon  as  possible.     Z. 

To  B:     Here  is  Moore's  message  to  General  Boyle: 

"Lebanon  Junction,  Ky.',  July  12,  1862. 
"GENERAL  BOYLE,  Louisville,  Ky.: 

At  11:00  o'clock  last  night,  at  New  Hope  station,  five  miles  be 
yond  New  Haven,  part  of  my  command  encountered  a  force  of  rebel 
cavalry  posted  on  the  county  road  one- half  a  mile  south  of  the  railroad. 
After  a  brisk  fire  of  musketry  for  twenty  minutes  the  enemy  was 
routed  and  fled.  Skirmishers  were  sent  out  in  different  directions, 
but  were  unable  to  find  the  enemy. 

At  3  o'clock  this  morning,  apprehending  that  an  effort  might  be 
made  to  destroy  the  bridges  in  our  rear,  we  moved  down  to  New 
Haven  and  remained  until  after  daylight,  when  the  train  went  back  to 
the  scene  of  the  skirmish.  A  Mr.  Forraan,  of  Owen  county,  was 
found  mortally  wounded.  He  reported  the  rebel  force  at  450,  under 
command  of  Captain  Jack  Allen,  and  that  they  had  fallen  back  towards 
Greenburg.  One  horse  was  killed  and  three  captured.  The  books 
of  the  company  were  found.  In  the  field  blood  was  found  at  different 
places,  showing  that  the  enemy  was  severely  punished.  No  casualties 
on  our  side.  Here  with  train  awaiting  orders. 

O.  F.  MOORE, 

Commanding." 


120  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Lebanon  Junction  being  the  repeating  station  for  Louisville 
business,  he  forwarded  the  following  telegram  just  from  Louisville, 

9  a.  m.: 

"Louisville,  Ky.,  July  12,  1862. 
COLONEL  JOHNSON,  Lebanon  Ky.: 

Leave  good  guard  and  join  Colonel  Owen.  Pursue  the  enemy 
and  drive  him  out.  Be  cautious  and  vigorous.  Make  no  delay. 

J.  T.  BOYLE, 
Brigadier-General,  Commanding. 

Louisville,  Ky.,  July  12,  1862. 
COLONEL  OWEN,  Lebanon,  Ky. : 

You  will  move  after  the  enemy  and  pursue  him. 

J.  T.  BOYLE, 

Brigadier-General,  Commanding. 

You  will  see  by  the  above  message  that  Colonel  Owen  must  have 
been  en  route  for  Lebanon. 

Up  to  the  time  of  our  leaving  Lebanon,  which  was  about  noon, 
Colonel  Moore,  in  command  of  those  500  troops  at  Lebanon  Junction, 
had  not  received  his  orders  or  1  could  furnish  you  with  them.  This 
I  greatly  regretted,  but  General  Morgan,  having  no  fears  of  "Lin 
coln's  web-foot  soldiery,"  told  me  I  could  close  my  office,  and  to  allay 
all  suspicion  at  not  being  able  to  commumicate  with  Lebanon  during 
the  forenoon  I  told  the  operator  at  Lebanon  Junction  as  follows: 

To  Z:     I  have  been  up  all  night  and  am  very  sleepy.     If  you 
have  no  objections  I  will  take  a  nap  until  two  or  three  o'clock.     B. 
To  B:     All  right;  don't  oversleep  yourself.     Z. 
Wonder  if  I  did! 
Arrived  at  Midway  on  the  Lexington  &  Louisville  railroad,  about 

10  a.  m.     At  this  place  I    surprised  the  operator,  who  was  quietly 
sitting  on  the  platform  of  the  depot  enjoying  himself  hugely.     Little 
did  he  suspicion  that  Morgan  was  in  his  vicinity.     1  asked  him  to 
call  Lexington  and  to  ask  Lexington  the  time  of  day.     He  did  so.     I 
demanded  this  for  the  purpose  of  getting  his  style  of  handling  the 
key,   which  corroborated  my  first  impression,  from  the  fact  that  I 
noticed  paper  in  the  instrument;  to  use  a  telegraphic  phrase,  he  was 
a  "plug  operator."     I  adopted  his  style  of  writing  and  commenced 
operations. 

In  this  office  1  found  a  signal  book,  which  by  the  way,  came  very 
useful.  It  contained  the  call  for  all  the  offices.  Dispatch  after  dis 
patch  was  going  to  and  from  Lexington,  Georgetown,  Paris,  and 
Frankfort;  all  containing  something  in  reference  to  Morgan.  I 
tested  the  line  and  found  by  applying  my  ground  wire  it  made  no  dif 
ference  with  the  circuit,  and  as  Lexington  was  headquarters  I  cut 
Frankfort  off.  I  omitted  to  state  that  on  commencing  operations  at 
this  place  I  discovered  that  there  were  two  wires  on  this  railroad. 
One  was  what  we  term  a  through  wire,  running  direct  from  Lexing 
ton  to  Frankfort  and  not  entering  any  of  the  way  offices.  _  I  found 
that  all  military  business  was  sent  over  that  wire,  and  as  it  did  not 
enter  Midway  office  I  ordered  it  cut,  thus  forcing  Lexington  on  the 
wire  that  did  run  into  this  office.  Midway  was  called  and  I  answered, 


REPORT  OF  GEORGE  A.  ELS  WORTH.  121 

when  I  received  the  following: 

"Lexington,  Ky.,  July  15,  1862. 
J.  W.  WOOLUMS,  operator,  Midway,  Ky.: 

Will  there  be  any  danger  in  coming  to  Midway  ?  Is  everything 
right? 

TAYLOR,  Conductor." 

I  inquired  of  my  prisoner  if  he  knew  a  man  by  name  of  Taylor. 
He  said  Taylor  was  conductor.  I  immediately  gave  Taylor  the  fol 
lowing  reply: 

"Midway,  Ky.,  July  15,  1862. 
"TAYLOR,  Lexington,  Ky. : 

All  right.     Come  en.     No  signs  of  any  rebels  here. 

WOOLUMS." 

The  operator  in  Cincinnati  then  called  Frankfort.  1  answered 
and  received  about  a  dozen  unimportant  dispatches.  He  had  no 
sooner  finished  when  Lexington  called  Frankfort  and  again  I  answered, 
receiving  the  following  message: 

"Lexington,  Ky.,  July  15,  1862. 
GENERAL  FINNELL,  Frankfort,  Ky. : 

I  wish  you  to  move  the  forces  at  Frankfort  on  the  line  of  the 
Lexington  railroad  immediately,  And  have  the  cars  follow  and  take 
them  up  as  soon  as  possible.  Further  orders  will  await  them  at  Mid 
way.  I  will  in  three  or  four  hours  move  forward  on  the  Georgetown 
road.  Will  have  most  of  my  men  mounted.  Morgan  left  Versailles 
this  morning  at  8  o'clock  with  800  men  on  the  Midway  road,  moving 
in  the  direction  of  Georgetown. 

WARD." 

This  being  our  position  and  intention  exactly,  it  was  thought 
proper  to  throw  General  Ward  on  some  other  track.  So  in  the  course 
of  half  an  hour  I  manufactured  the  following  dispatch,  which  was 
approved  by  General  Morgan,  and  I  sent  it: 

"Midway,  Ky.,  July  15,  1862. 
BRIGADIER-GENERAL  WARD,  Lexington,  Ky. : 

Morgan,  with  upwards  of  1000  men,  came  within  a  mile  of  here 
and  took  the  Old  Frankfort  road,  bound,  as  we  suppose,  for  Frank 
fort.  This  is  reliable. 

WOOLUMS, 

Operator." 

In  about  ten  minutes  Lexington  again  called  Frankfort,  and  as  I 
was  doing  the  work  of  two  or  three  offices,  I  answered  the  call  and 
received  the  following: 

"Lexington,  Ky.,  July  15,  1862. 
GENERAL  FINNELL,  Frankfort  Ky. : 

Morgan,  with  more  than  1000  men,  came  within  a  mile  of  here 
and  took  the  Old  Frankford  road.  This  dispatch  received  from  Mid 
way  and  is  reliable.  The  regiment  from  Frankfort  had  better  be 
recalled. 

WARD." 

I  receipted  for  this  message  and  again  manufactured  a  message 
to  confirm  the  information  General  Ward  had  received  from  Midway, 


122  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AEMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

and  not  knowing  the  tariff  from  Frankfort  to  Lexington  I  could  not 
send  a  formal  message.  I  waited  until  the  circuit  was  occupied  and 
then  broke  in,  appearing  greatly  excited,  and  told  those  using  the 
wire  I  must  have  the  circuit,  and  commenced  calling  Lexington.  He 
answered  with  as  much  gusto  as  I  called.  I  telegraphed  as  follows  to 
Lexington: 

'  'Tell  General  Ward  our  pickets  just  driven  in.  Great  excitement. 
Pickets  say  force  of  enemy  must  be  2000. 

FRANKFORT." 

It  was  now  2  p.  m.  and  General  Morgan  wished  to  be  off  for 
Georgetown.  I  run  a  secret  ground  connection  and  opened  the  circuit 
on  the  Lexington  end.  This  was  done  to  leave  the  impression  that 
the  Frankfort  operator  was  skedaddling  or  that  Morgan's  men  had 
destroyed  the  telegraph. 

We  arrived  at  Georgetown  at  sundown.  I  went  to  the  telegraph 
office,  found  it  locked;  inquired  for  the  operator.  He  was  pointed  out 
to  me.  I  hailed  him  and  demanded  admission  into  his  office.  He 
very  courteously  showed  me  into  his  office.  I  discovered  the  instru 
ments  had  been  moved.  I  asked  where  they  were.  He  replied  that 
he  had  sent  them  to  Lexington.  I  asked  him  what  time  he  had 
Lexington  last.  He  said  9  o'clock,  and  since  that  time  the  line  had 
been  down.  I  remarked  that  it  must  be  an  extraordinary  line  to  be  in 
working  condition  when  it  was  down,  as  I  heard  him  sending  messages 
to  Lexington  when  I  was  at  Midway  at  1  o'clock.  This  was  a  stunner; 
he  had  nothing  to  say.  I  immediately  tested  the  line  by  applying  the 
ends  of  the  wires  to  my  tongue  and  found  the  line  O.  K.  I  said 
nothing  to  him,  but  called  for  a  guard  of  two  men  to  take  care  of  Mr. 
Smith  until  I  got  ready  to  leave  town. 

I  did  not  interrupt  the  line  until  after  tea,  when  I  put  in  my  own 
instrument,  and  after  listening  for  an  hour  or  two  at  the  Yankees 
talking  I  opened  the  conversation  as  follows,  signing  myself  "Federal 
Operator,"  as  I  had  done  before  successfully  at  other  places: 

"To  Lexington:  Keep  mum.  I  am  in  the  office  reading  by  the 
sound  of  my  magnet  in  the  dark.  I  crawled  in  when  no  one  saw  me. 
Morgan's  men  are  here,  encamped  on  Dr.  Gano's  place. 

GEORGETOWN." 

"To  Georgetown:  Keep  cool;  don't  be  discovered.  About  how 
many  rebels  are  there? 

LEXINGTON." 

"To  Lexington:  I  don't  know.  I  did  not  notice,  as  Morgan's 
operator  was  asking  me  about  my  instruments.  I  told  him  I  sent 
them  to  Lexington.  He  said,  'Damn  the  luck,'  and  went  out. 

GEORGETOWN." 

"To  Georgetown:     Be  on  hand  and  keep  us  posted. 

LEXINGTON." 

"To  Lexington:  I  will  do  so.  Tell  General  Ward  I  will  stay  up 
all  night  if  he  wishes. 

GEORGETOWN." 

"To  Georgetown:  Mr.  Fulton  wishes  to  know  if  the  rebels  are 
there.  CINCINNATI.  ' ' 


REPORT  OF  GEORGE  A.  ELSWORTH.  123 

"To  Cincinnati:    Yes;  Morgan's  men  are  here. 

GEORGETOWN." 

"To  Georgetown:     How  can  you  be  in  office  and  not  be  arrested? 

CINCINNATI." 

"To  Cincinnati:  Oh,  I  am  in  the  dark  and  reading  by  sound  of 
the  magnet.  GEORGETOWN." 

This  settled  Cincinnati.  Question  after  question  was  asked  me 
about  the  rebels  and  I  answered  to  suit  myself.  Things  had  been 
going  on  this  way  about  two  hours,  when  Lexington  asked  me  where 
my  assistant  was.  I  replied,  "Don't  know."  He  then  asked  me, 
"Have  you  seen  him  today?"  I  replied,  "No."  Well  from  this  time 
on  no  telegraphing  could  I  do  in  the  beautiful  city  of  Georgetown. 

Wishing  to  keep  myself  busy  and  make  myself  useful,  I  concluded 
to  call  on  Mr.  Smith,  the  operator,  who  was  under  guard  in  my  room. 
I  did  so.  I  informed  Mr.  Smith  that  I  would  furnish  him  with  a 
mule  in  the  morning  and  I  should  be  pleased  to  have  him  accompany 
me  to  Dixie,  as  I  understand  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  United 
States  Government.  This  was  anything  but  agreeable  to  the  said 
Smith.  It  seemed  to  me  I  had  hit  the  young  man  in  the  right  place, 
and  I  remarked  that  had  he  not  sent  his  instruments  to  Lexington  that 
I  could  have  taken  them  in  preference  to  his  person.  His  face  bright 
ened  and  an  idea  struck  him  very  forcibly  that  he  would  make  a 
proposition.  He  did  so,  and  it  was  to  furnish  me  the  instruments  if 
I  would  release  him.  This  I  agreed  to,  as  telegraph  instruments  are 
of  much  more  value  to  the  Southern  Confederacy  than  Yankee  teleg 
raphers.  I  accompanied  Mr.  Smith  to  the  servants'  room,  and  there 
under  a  bed  in  a  chest  were  the  instruments.  After  Mr.  Smith  giving 
me  his  word  of  honor  not  to  leave  town  for  twenty-four  hours,  he  was 
at  liberty  to  visit  his  wife  and  young  Smiths. 

On  arriving  at  Cynthiana  I  found  that  the  operator  had  skedad 
dled.  I  tested  the  wires  and  found  no  fluid  from  either  Cincinnati  or 
Lexington,  nor  were  the  wires  in  working  condition  when  I  left  the 
next  day. 

At  Paris  the  operator  had  made  a  clean  sweep.  He  left  the  night 
before,  taking  all  his  instruments. 

At  Crab  Orchard  there  was  no  office,  and  I  put  in  my  pocket 
magnet.  This  was  at  11  a.  m.,  and  the  first  message  I  heard  was  the 
following: 

"Louisville,  Ky.,  July  21,  1862. 
COLONEL  WOLFORD,  Danville,  Ky. : 

Pursue  Morgan;  he  is  at  Crab  Orchard  going  to  Somerset. 

~Rr»  VT  T^  ' ' 
_DUl  JLx*j. 

No  sooner  had  the  Danville  operator  receipted  for  this  than  the 
operator  at  Lebanon  suggested  the  following: 

"To  Lebanon  Junction:  Would  it  not  be  well  for  Danville  and 
offices  below  here  to  put  on  their  ground  wires  when  they  send  or 
receive  important  messages,  as  George  Elsworth,  the  rebel  operator, 
may  be  on  the  line  between  here  and  Cumberland  Gap. 

LEBANON." 

The  operator  at  the  junction  agreed  with  him  and  said  it  would 


124  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

be  a  good  idea,  but  it  was  not  carried  into  effect. 

Arrived  at  Somerset  that  evening.  I  took  charge  of  the  office. 
I  ascertained  from  citizens  that  the  office  had  been  closed  for  three 
weeks  up  to  the  very  hour  our  advance  guard  arrived  in  town  and 
then  it  was  opened  by  the  operator  from  London,  who  came  to  work 
the  instrument  for  the  purpose  of  catching  Morgan,  but  unfortunately 
for  Uncle  Sam  the  operator  had  no  time  to  either  send  or  receive  a 
message,  but  I  am  glad  to  say  he  had  it  in  fine  working  condition  for 
me.  I  had  been  in  the  office  for  some  time  when  Stanford  called 
Somerset  and  said: 

"I  have  just  returned  from  Crab  Orchard,  where  I  have  been  to 
fix  the  line.  The  rebels  tore  it  down.  I  left  there  at  8  o'clock.  The 
Ninth  Pennsylvania  cavalry  had  not  then  arrived.  What  time  did  you 
get  in  from  London? 

STANFORD." 
"To  Stanford:     Just  arrived  and  got  my  office  working  finely. 

SOMERSET." 

"To  Somerset:  Any  sign  of  Morgan  yet?  He  left  Crab  Orchard 
at  11:30  a.  m.  today.  STANFORD." 

"To  Stanford:     No,  no  sign  of  him  yet. 

SOMERSET." 

"To  Somerset:  For  fear  they  may  take  you  by  surprise  I  would 
suggest  we  have  a  private  signal.  What  say  you? 

STANFORD." 
"To  Stanford:     Gooa;  before  signaling  we  will  make  the  figure  7. 

SOMERSET." 

This  was  mutually  agreed  upon.  I  asked  when  would  Wolford 
be  at  Somerset,  and  he  said  Wolford  had  telegraphed  Boyle  that  his 
force  was  green  and  insufficient  to  attack  Morgan. 

Seeing  there  was  no  use  of  my  losing  a  night's  rest  I  told  Stanford 
I  would  retire,  and  that  I  had  made  arrangements  with  the  pickets  to 
wake  me  up  in  case  Morgan  came  in.  The  operator  at  Lebanon 
Junction  urged  me  to  sit  up,  but  I  declined  on  the  ground  of  being 
unwell.  This  did  not  satisfy  him,  but  after  arguing  with  him  some 
time,  I  retired. 

July  22.  Opened  office  at  7  o'clock.  Informed  Stanford  operator 
Morgan  not  yet  arrived,  made  inquiries  about  different  things,  and 
after  everything  in  town  was  destroyed  belonging  to  the  United  States 
Government  the  general  gave  me  the  following  message  to  send: 

"Somerset,  Ky.,  July  22,  1862. 
GEORGE  D.  PRENTICE,  Louisville,  Ky. : 

Good  morning  George  D. !  I  am  quietly  watching  the  complete 
destruction  of  all  of  Uucle  Sam's  property  in  this  little  burg.  I  regret 
exceedingly  that  this  is  the  last  that  comes  under  my  supervision  on 
this  route.  I  expect  in  a  short  time  to  pay  you  a  visit  and  wish  to 
know  if  you  will  be  home.  All  well  in  Dixie. 

JOHN  H.  MORGAN, 

Commanding  Brigade." 


REPORT  OF  GEORGE  A.  WALSWORTH.  125 

1  'Somerset,  Ky.,  July  22,  1862. 
GENERAL  J.  T.  BOYLE,  Louisville,  Ky. : 

Good  morning,  Jerry!  This  telegraph  is  a  great  institution.  You 
should  destroy  it,  as  it  keeps  me  too  well  posted.  My  friend  Elsworth 
has  all  of  your  dispatches  since  July  10  on  file.  Do  you  wish  copies? 

JOHN  H.  MORGAN, 

Commanding  Brigade." 
"Somerset,  Ky.,  July  22,  1862. 
HON.  GEORGE.  DUNLAP,  Washington,  D.  C.: 

Just  completed  my  tour  through  Kentucky.  Captured  sixteen 
cities,  destroyed  millions  of  dollars  worth  of  United  States  property. 
Passed  through  your  county,  but  regret  not  seeing  you.  We 
paroled  1,500  Federal  prisoners. 

Your  friend, 

JOHN  H.  MORGAN, 

Commanding  Brigade. ' ' 

The  following  is  an  order  I  issued  to  all  operators  while  at 
Georgetown: 

Headquarters  Telegraph,  Department  of  Kentucky,  C.  S.  A., 

Georgetown  Ky.,  July  16,  1862. 
"General  Orders  [ 
No  1.  \ 

When  an  operator  is  positively  informed  that  the  enemy  is 
marching  on  his  station,  he  will  immediately  proceed  to  destroy  the 
telegraph  instruments  and  all  material  in  his  charge.  Such  instances 
of  carelessness  as  exhibited  on  the  part  of  the  operators  at  Lebanon, 
Midway,  and  Georgetown  will  be  severely  dealt  with.  By  order  of 

G.  A.  ELSWORTH, 
General  Military  Superintendent  C.  S.  Telegraph  Department." 

The  above  report  contains  but  a  few  of  the  dispatches  I  received 
and  sent  during  General  Morgan's  late  expedition  through  Kentucky. 
Those  of  the  greatest  interest  and  importance  are  respectfully  sub 
mitted.  I  remain  your  obedient  servant, 

GEORGE  A.  ELSWORTH, 

Morgan's  Telegrapher. 

Report   of   Colonel   John   H.    Morgan,    Second    Kentucky   cavalry, 

(Confederate)  including  proclamation. 

Headquarters  Morgan's  Brigade. 

Gallatin,  Tenn.,  August  22,  1862. 

General:  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  having  received  infor 
mation  while  at  Hartsville  that  a  force  of  300  Federal  infantry  had 
arrived  in  this  place  on  the  morning  of  the  19th  and  were  committing 
depredations  on  the  inhabitants,  robbing  houses  and  arresting  all  those 
citizens  who  had  shown  kindness  to  the  officers  and  men  of  my  com 
mand  while  stationed  here,  I  left  my  camp  near  Hartsville  at  12  m. 
on  the  same  day  and  encamped  about  five  miles  from  Gallatin. 

Fearing  that  the  Federals  would  return  by  rail  to  Nashville,  I 
dispatched  Captain  (J.  B.)  Hutcheson  with  Company  F  and  a  portion 
of  my  advanced  guard  to  burn  up  the  trestle  work  at  Saundersville, 


126  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

and  thus  cut  off  their  retreat,  while  I  attacked  Gallatin.  Some  delay 
was  experienced  owing  to  the  difficulties  of  the  ground  during  a  dark 
night,  but  the  plan  met  with  entire  success.  The  trestle  work  was 
burned,  and  the  guard  of  about  sixty  men  driven  into  a  stockade  were 
followed  so  closely  by  my  men  that  they  ran  them  out  on  the  other 
side,  killing  some  and  taking  sixteen  prisoners;  the  remainder  got 
into  the  woods  and  escaped. 

The  300  Federals  having,  I  suppose,  advice  of  my  arrival, 
attempted  to  leave  by  train  with  some  sixty  citizens  they  had  arrested 
in  Gallatin,  with  no  other  charge  against  them  than  that  of  being 
favorable  to  our  cause,  but  cut  off  by  Company  E  of  my  command, 
they  were  obliged  to  leave  the  cars  and  march  their  prisoners  along 
the  Nashville  railway  track.  I  pushed  on  with  four  companies  and 
came  up  with  a  detachment  of  about  eighty  men,  under  command  of 
Captain  (Abraham  H.)  Miller;  thirty-five  prisoners  were  taken  by  my 
men,  and  the  remainder  either  fell  or  escaped  into  the  woods.  A 
second  detachment  was  reached  who  had  charge  of  the  prisoners.  I 
received  forty  of  these  poor  fellows,  who  had  been  treated  with  great 
cruelty.  The  remainder  were  hurried  on  by  the  Federals  and  lodged 
in  a  block  house,  or  stockade,  which  I  attacked,  but  met  with  such 
determined  resistance  that  I  retreated  toward  Gallatin.  Before  this 
fort  I  lost  two  of  my  best  officers  and  three  men. 

I  took  in  this  expedition  some  120  prisoners,  killed  and  wounded 
some  sixty  of  the  enemy,  and  carried  off  at  least  300  muskets,  which  I 
have  distributed  among  my  new  recruits.  Had  I  not  been  obliged  to 
leave  my  howitzers  at  Knoxville  to  repair  the  carriages,  worn-out  in 
my  expedition  to  Kentucky,  I  could  have  captured  every  detachment 
of  guards  or  brigades  between  Gallatin  and  Nashville  but  these  stock 
ades  are  not  to  be  taken  by  troops  unaccompanied  by  artillery. 

When  evening  came  I  was  with  my  command  within  eight  miles 
of  Nashville,  having  destroyed  every  bridge  between  Gallatin  and 
Edgefield  Junction.  I  have  learned  also  from  an  engineer  of  high 
standing  that  the  tunnel  burned  on  the  last  expedition  is  so  completely 
destroyed  that  it  can  never  be  repaired,  the  rocks  having  fallen  in 
every  direction. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  highest  respect,  general,  your 
most  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  H.  MORGAN, 
Colonel,  Commanding  Cavalry. 

BATTLE  OF   GALLATIN. 

Headquarters  Morgan's  Regiment, 

Hartsville,  Tenn.,  August  22,  1862. 
General  Randolph :-- 

General:  I  beg  to  confirm  my  dispatch  of  the  22d  instant 
announcing  the  result  of  yesterday's  expedition.  My  command, 
consisting  of  my  own  regiment,  700  strong,  and  a  squadron  of  Texas 
Rangers,  numbering  about  100  men,  returned  that  day,  worn-out,  to 
Gallatin. 

At  11  p.  m.  I  received  information  from  one  of  my  friendly  scouts 


REPORT  OF  JOHN  H.  MORGAN.  127 

that  tne  enemy's  cavalry  were  encamped  on  the  roadside  between 
Castalian  Springs  and  Hartsville,  a  distance  of  only  twelve  miles  from 
camp.  Judging  from  the  fact  that  they  had  halted  by  the  roadside,  I 
concluded  that  they  intended  to  march  at  night  and  attack  early  in  the 
morning,  and  I  made  my  preparations  accordingly,  dispatching  scouts  on 
whom  I  could  depend  to  bring  me  positive  information  as  to  the  enemy's 
movements.  At  daybreak  my  column  was  on  the  move,  and  as  the 
advanced  guard  reached  the  head  of  the  town  my  pickets  came 
galloping  in,  followed  by  my  principal  scout,  who  reported  that  he 
was  closely  pursued  by  a  large  body  of  cavalry.  Not  wishing  on 
account  of  the  inhabitants,  to  make  Gallatin  the  scene  of  our  contest, 
I  advanced  my  column,  and  was  greeted  on  reaching  the  Hartsville 
pike  by  a  heavy  fire  from  that  direction.  I  dismounted  the  two 
leading  companies  to  fight  and  threw  them  into  the  woods  on  the  left 
of  the  road.  The  enemy  increased  his  fire  and  I  gradually  had  my 
whole  command  engaged. 

The  fight  began  at  6:30  o'clock  and  was  maintained  without  much 
advantage  on  either  side,  the  enemy  having  perhaps  rather  the  best  of 
it  at  first,  until  about  8:30  o'clock,  when  they  began  to  fall  back  and 
my  men  to  redouble  their  efforts.  At  9:30  o'clock  I  had  driven  them 
four  miles  and  was  preparing  for  a  final  charge,  when  a  flag  of  truce 
was  brought  proposing  an  armistice  in  order  to  bury  their  dead.  My 
reply  was  that  I  could  entertain  no  proposition  except  unconditional 
surrender.  I  learned  then  that  the  troops  were  commanded  by  Briga 
dier-General  Johnson.  During  the  parley  the  enemy  had  formed  into 
line  of  battle,  and  were  evidently  ready  to  defend  themselves  from 
any  fresh  attack.  I  divided  my  force  into  three  divisions,  leading 
one^  myself  in  the  direction  I  thought  General  Johnson  had  taken. 
Major  (G.  W.)  Morgan  had  five  companies  under  his  orders  on  my 
left.  Lieutenant-Colonel  (B.  W.)  Duke,  on  my  right,  had  three 
companies  and  his  advanced  guard.  Some  delay  was  occasioned  by  a 
non-arrival  of  my  gallant  Texas  Rangers,  who  formed  part  of  the 
body  under  my  own  immediate  orders.  They  had  been  separated  from 
their  horses  during  the  preceding  fight,  and  had  not  been  able  to 
recover  them  in  time  to  come  to  the  front.  On  their  arrival  we 
marched  on  in  the  direction  of  the  enemy,  and  opened  fire.  General 
Johnson's  forces  being  on  a  good  pike,  retreated  for  some  time  faster 
than  my  men,  who  were  on  difficult  ground,  could  follow,  but  after  a 
pursuit  of  some  two  miles  they  were  overtaken  and  compelled  to  fight. 

They  were  dismounted  and  formed  behind  their  horses.  The 
position  they  had  selected  was  a  very  good  one,  especially  as  they 
considerably  outnumbered  Colonel  Duke's  force,  which  was  the  only 
one  opposed  to  them;  Major  Morgan  and  my  own  detachment,  in  the 
eagerness  of  pursuit,  having  taken  too  far  to  the  left. 

Colonel  Duke  reports  that  on  perceiving  that  the  enemy  had 
halted  he  formed  his  three  companies  and  the  advanced  guard  into 
columns  of  squadrons,  preserving  the  regular  distance  between  each, 
so  as  to  be  able  to  form  into  line  at  command  and  attack.  This  was 
done  with  admirable  precision  and  coolness  by  his  men,  and  nothing 
could  exceed  their  gallantry.  The  enemy  were  formed  under  the  brow 


128  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

of  the  hill,  and  my  men  were  drawn  up  above  them,  so  that  their  fire 
told  with  effect  on  my  line,  while  that  of  the  attacking  party  went 
over  their  heads.  After  a  very  sharp  engagement  of  about  fifteen 
minutes  they  broke  and  ran.  General  Johnson,  his  adjutant-general 
(Captain  Turner),  Major  Winfrey,  and  a  number  of  privates  were 
captured,  but  the  main  body  escaped  to  the  hills  through  the  woods 
and  high  corn,  making  for  the  Cumberland  river. 

Thus  ended  an  action  in  which  my  command,  not  exceeding  YOO 
men  (one  whole  company  being  in  the  rear  with  prisoners),  succeeded 
in  defeating  a  brigade  of  1,200  chosen  cavalry,  sent  by  General  Buell 
expressly  to  take  me  or  drive  me  out  of  Tennessee,  killing  and  wound 
ing  some  180  and  taking  200  prisoners,  including  the  brigadier-general 
commanding  and  the  greater  part  of  the  regimental  officers. 

My  loss  in  both  actions  amounted  to  five  killed,  eighteen  wounded, 
and  two  missing.  Among  the  wounded  was  Captain  Huffman,  who 
had  his  arm  shattered  by  a  ball  while  leading  gallantly  on  his  brave 
Texan  Rangers,  a  small  body  of  men  commanded  by  Major  (R.  M.) 
Gano,  of  whom  I  cannot  speak  too  highly,  as  they  have  distinguished 
themselves  ever  since  they  joined  my  command  not  only  by  their 
bravery,  but  their  good,  soldier-like  conduct. 

To  all  my  officers  and  men  my  best  acknowledgements  are  due. 
Nothing  but  hard  fighting  carried  them  through. 

To  my  personal  staff  I  am  deeply  indebted.  Colonel  St.  Leger 
Greenfell,  acting  adjutant-general,  ably  supported  me;  Captain 
Lewellen,  my  quartermaster,  and  Captain  Green  Roberts,  who  acted 
as  my  aides-de-camp,  were  most  active  and  fearless  in  carrying  my 
orders,  and  the  captains  of  companies  cool  and  collected  in  the  per 
formance  of  them. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Duke  led  on  his  regiment,  if  possible,  with 
more  than  his  usal  gallantry,  and  contributed,  by  the  confidence  with 
which  he  had  inspired  his  men,  to  insure  the  success  of  the  day. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Duke  makes  particular  mention  of  the  cool  and 
determined  manner  in  which  Lieutenant  (W.  S.)  Rogers,  commanding 
advanced  guard,  Captains  Hutcheson,  (J.  T.)  Cassell,  and  Lieutenant 
(George)  White,  respectively,  commanding  the  three  companies  com 
posing  his  division,  behaved.  In  fact  the  conduct  of  both  officers  and 
men  deserves  the  highest  praise. 

I  received  every  assistance  from  the  patriotism  and  zeal  of  the 
neighboring  citizens,  among  whom  Major  Duffey  and  Captain  R.  A. 
Bennet  were  pre-eminent. 

I  have  also  to  report  that  I  have  received  a  dispatch  from  General 
Forrest,  stating  that  he  has  encamped  within  eight  miles  of  me  with  a 
re-enforcement  of  800  men,  but  no  artillery.  The  want  of  this  arm 
cripples  my  movements  and  prevents  my  advance  with  that  certainty 
of  effect  which  a  battery  would  afford. 

Recruits  are  daily  and  hourly  arriving.  The  population  seems  at 
last  to  be  thoroughly  aroused  and  to  be  determined  on  resistance. 

I  hope  shortly,  general,  to  be  able  to  report  further  success,  and 
rest  assured  that  no  exertions  on  my  part  shall  be  wanting,  DO  sacrifices 
on  that  of  my  officers  and  men  will  prevent  our  giving  as  good  an 


kEPORT  OF  JOHN  H.  MORGAN.  129 

account  of  the  enemy  as  our  small  numbers  will  admit  of. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  greatest  respect,  general,  your 
most  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  H.  MORGAN, 

Colonel,  Commanding  Cavalry,  C.  S.  Army. 
The  Adjutant-General. 

P.  S.  This  morning  I  received  positive  information  as  to  General 
Nelson's  intentions  and  movements.  He  is  retreating  from  Nashville 
to  re-enforce  Bowling  Green  at  the  head  of  1,500  infantry,  200 
cavalry,  and  twelve  cannon.  It  is  evidently  the  intention  of  the 
Federals  to  attempt  the  defense  of  the  line  at  Bowling  Green  and 
Lebanon. 


PROCLAMATION. 

Headquarters  Morgan's  Brigade. 

Hartsville,  Tenn.,  August  22,  1862. 

Soldiers:  Your  gallant  bearing  during  the  last  two  days  will  not 
only  be  inscribed  in  the  history  of  the  country  and  the  annals  of  this 
war,  but  is  engraved  deeply  into  my  heart. 

Your  zeal  and  devotion  on  the  20th  at  the  attack  of  the  trestle 
work  at  Saundersville  and  of  the  Edgefield  Junction  stockade,  your 
heroism  during  the  two  hard  fights  of  yesterday,  have  placed  you  high 
on  the  list  of  those  patriots  who  are  now  in  arms  for  our  Southern 
rights. 

All  communications  cut  off  betwixt  Gallatin  and  Nashville,  a  body 
of  300  infantry  totally  cut  up  or  taken  prisoners,  the  liberation  of 
those  kind  friends  arrested  by  our  revengeful  foes  for  no  other  reason 
than  their  compassionate  care  of  our  sick  and  wounded,  would  have 
been  laurels  sufficient  for  your  brows;  but  soldiers,  the  utter 
annihilation  of  General  Johnson's  brigade,  composed  of  twenty-four 
picked  companies  of  regulars  and  sent  on  purpose  to  take  us,  raises 
your  reputation  as  soldiers  and  strikes  fear  into  the  craven  hearts  of 
your  enemies.  General  Johnson  and  his  staff  with  200  men  taken 
prisoners,  sixty-four  killed,  and  100  wounded,  attest  the  resistance 
made,  and  bear  testimony  to  your  valor.  But  our  victories  have  not 
been  achieved  without  loss.  We  have  to  mourn  some  brave  and  dear 
comrades.  Their  names  will  remain  in  our  breasts;  their  fame  outlive 
them.  They  died  in  defense  of  a  good  cause;  they  died  like  gallant 
soldiers,  with  their  front  to  the  foe. 

Officers  and  men,  your  conduct  makes  me  proud  to  command  you. 
Fight  always  as  you  fought  yesterday,  and  you  are  invincible. 

JOHN  H.  MORGAN, 
Colonel,  Commanding  Cavalry. 


BATTLE  OF  RICHMOND,  KENTUCKY. 


Headquarters  Army  of  Kentucky. 

Lexington,  Ky.,  Sept.  16,  1862. 

General:  In  my  short  letter  of  the  30th  ultimo  I  gave  you  the 
results  of  my  actions  of  that  day,  of  which  I  have  the  honor  now  to 
make  a  more  detailed  report. 

Before  leaving  Barboursville  for  this  part  of  Kentucky  I  wrote  to 
you,  fully  explaining  the  reasons  that  prompted  me  to  take  that  step. 
Until  my  advance  descended  the  Big  Hill  it  met  with  no  opposition 
from  the  enemy.  Here,  on  the  morning  of  the  29th,  the  enemy  was 
discovered  to  be  in  force  in  our  front,  and  a  bold  reconnaissance  by 
the  cavalry  under  Colonel  Scott  in  the  afternoon,  indicated  a  deter 
mination  to  give  us  battle.  Although  Churchill's  division  did  not  get 
up  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  then  in  apparently  an  exhausted 
state,  I  determined  to  march  to  Richmond  next  day,  even  at  the  cost 
of  a  battle  with  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy.  The  leading  division, 
under  General  Cleburne,  was  moved  early  the  next  morning,  and  after 
advancing  two  or  three  miles  they  found  the  enemy  drawn  up  in  line 
of  battle  in  fine  position  near  Mount  Zion  Church,  about  six  miles 
from  Richmond.  Without  waiting  for  Churchill's  division  Cleburne 
at  once  commenced  the  action,  and  when  I  arrived  on  the  field  at  7:30 
o'clock  the  fire  of  artillery  was  brisk  on  both  sides.  As  my  force  was 
almost  too  small  to  storm  the  position  in  front  without  a  disastrous 
loss,  I  sent  General  Churchill  with  one  of  his  brigades  to  turn  the 
enemy's  right.  While  this  move  was  being  executed  a  bold  and  well 
conducted  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  to  turn  Cleburn's  right 
was  admirably  foiled  by  the  firmness  of  Colonel  Preston  Smith's 
brigade,  who  repulsed  the  enemy  with  great  slaughter.  It  was  about 
this  time,  and  while  he  was  riding  from  his  left  to  his  right,  that 
General  Cleburne  was  badly  wounded  in  the  face,  and  thus  at  a 
critical  moment  I  was  deprived  of  the  services  of  one  of  the  most 
gallant,  zealous,  and  intelligent  officers  of  my  whole  army.  The 
command  of  this  division  then  devolved  upon  Colonel  Preston  Smith. 

In  the  meantime  General  Churchill  had  been  completely  successful 
in  his  movement  upon  the  enemy's  right  flank,  where  by  a  bold  charge 
his  men  completed  a  victory  already  partially  gained  by  the  gallantry 
of  our  troops  on  the  right.  In  this  action  our  loss  was  quite  heavy  on 
the  right,  but  in  comparison  with  that  of  the  enemy  was  small. 

It  being  reported  that  the  enemy  had  taken  up  a  new  position  on 
White's  farm,  two  miles  in  front,  I  ordered  Churchill  with  one  brigade 


BATTLE  OF  RICHMOND,  KENTUCKY.  131 

to  again  turn  his  right  intending  to  bring  up  Preston  Smith  on  the 
other  flank,  but  a  desperate  attempt  on  the  part  of 
the  enemy  to  crush  Churchill  caused  the  action  to 
commence  before  the  arrival  of  Smith's  division, 
and  so  this  gallant  brigade  (Colonel  McCray's)  of 
Texans  and  Arkansians  had  to  fight  the  battle 
alone.  Although  the  odds  opposed  to  them  were 
fearful,  yet  by  reserving  their  own  fire  under  the 
deafening  roar  of  the  enemy's  guns,  and  by  a  well- 
timed  and  dashing  charge  upon  the  advancing  line 
they  completely  routed  and  put  to  flight  the  hosts 
of  the  enemy  just  as  the  cheers  of  Smith's  divis 
ion  announced  their  arrival  in  the  field.  The  loss  GEN.  E.  KIKBY 
of  the  enemy  here  was  very  great,  including  one  SMITH. 

piece  of  artillery;  ours  almost  nothing. 

Scott's  cavalry  having  been  sent  around  to  our  left  by  another 
road  to  get  in  the  rear  of  Richmond,  I  felt  during  the  whole  day 
much  need  of  cavalry  to  follow  up  our  different  successes.  It  was 
then  that  in  this  second  repulse  of  the  enemy  I  ordered  Captain 
Nelson,  commanding  a  company  of  Partisan  Bangers,  to  charge  the 
retreating  masses  of  the  enemy.  This  was  promptly  and  admirably 
obeyed,  the  result  being  the  capture  of  numerous  prisoners.  In 
passing  a  deserted  camp  of  the  enemy  I  found  from  some  of  the 
wounded  that  General  Nelson  with  re-enforcements  had  arrived  after 
the  second  battle.  A  march  of  two  miles  brought  us  within  sight  of 
the  town,  in  front  of  which  and  on  a  commanding  ridge,  with  both 
flanks  resting  upon  woods,  Nelson  had  determined  to  make  a  final 
stand.  For  the  third  time  Churchill  with  a  brigade  (McNair's)  was 
sent  off  to  the  left,  when  a  deafening  roar  of  musketry  soon  announced 
the  raging  of  a  furious  combat.  In  the  meanwhile  Preston  Smith, 
bringing  up  his  division  at  a  double-quick,  formed  with  wonderful 
precision  and  rapidity  in  front  of  the  enemy's  center  and  left.  Almost 
without  waiting  for  the  commands  of  the  officers  this  division  coolly 
advanced  under  the  murderous  fire  of  a  force  twice  their  number  and 
drove  them  from  the  field  in  the  greatest  confusion  and  with  immense 
slaughter. 

Owing  to  the  open  character  of  the  country  our  loss  in  the  last 
fight  was  quite  heavy,  including  some  valuable  regimental  officers. 
The  exhausted  condition  of  my  men,  together  with  the  closing  in  of 
night,  prevented  the  pursuit  of  the  enemy  more  than  a  mile  beyond 
Richmond,  but  the  timely  arrival  of  Colonel  Scott  with  his  cavalry 
upon  their  two  lines  of  retreat  enabled  him  to  greatly  increase  the 
fruits  of  the  hard  labors  of  the  day  by  capturing  large  numbers  of 
prisoners,  including  General  Manson  and  staff,  as  also  eight  pieces  of 
artillery  and  a  number  of  wagons,  etc.  While  my  whole  force  was  not 
more  than  5,000,  that  of  the  enemy's  was  more  than  10,000.  In  the 
last  engagement  we  took  prisoners  from  thirteen  regiments. 

Our  loss,  killed  and  wounded,  is  about  400;  that  of  the  enemy  over 
1,000,  and  his  prisoners  about  5,000.  The  immediate  fruits  of  the 
victory  were  nine  pieces  of  artillery,  some  10,000  small  arms,  and  a 


132  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

large  quantity  of  supplies.  These  latter  were  greatly  increased  by  our 
capture  of  this  place  and  Frankfort,  the  whole  number  of  cannons 
taken  being  about  twenty.  I  regret  that  I  am  unable  to  forward  with 
this  the  report  of  all  the  different  commands  of  the  forces  engaged. 
Those  inclosed  (General  Churchill's  and  Colonel  Scott's)  will  show  you 
how  much  cause  the  Confederacy  has  to  be  proud  of  her  sons.  I  al 
most  fear  to  particularize  lest  I  do  not  full  justice  to  all;  but  I  cannot 
close  without  expressing  my  admiration  of  the  promptness  and  intelli 
gence  with  which  Generals  Churchill  and  Cleburne  and  Colonel  Pres 
ton  Smith  executed  the  orders  given  them. 

My  thanks  are  due  the  following  members  of  my  staff,  who  were 
with  me  on  the  field,  for  their  active  assistance  to  me  during  the  day, 
viz:  Colonels  (John)  Pegram  and  (W.  R.)Boggs,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
(G.  W.)  Brent;  Majors  (J.  A.)  Brown,  (H.  McD.)  "McElrath,  and 
Thomas;  Captain  (John  G.)  Meem,  Jr.;  Lieutenants  (E.)  Cunning 
ham  and  Pratt;  and  Captains  Walworth  and  Hammond,  and  Mr. 
Freret,  volunteer  aides.  Too  much  praise  cannot  be  given  to  the 
medical  director,  Sergeant  S.  A.  Smith,  and  to  his  assistants,  for  their 
untiring  devotion  in  the  arduous  labors  that  devolved  upon  them. 

As  regards  the  intrepid  behavior  of  the  true  patriots  (the  men  in 
ranks)  I  can  only  say  that  as  long  as  the  destinies  of  the  South  remain 
in  such  hands  we  need  never  fear  Northern  subjugation.  But  even 
more  than  their  noble  courage  before  the  enemy  are  we  called  upon  to 
admire  that  higher  courage  which  enabled  them  to  undergo  without 
murmur  the  fatigues  and  privations  of  one  of  the  most  difficult 
marches  of  the  war.  For  several  days  and  parts  of  the  nights, 
through  a  country  almost  entirely  without  water,  over  stony  roads, 
with  their  almost  bare  feet,  and  with  green  corn  and  beef  without  salt 
as  their  only  food,  did  these  gallant  men  trudge  along,  inspired  only 
with  the  desire  of  being  led  against  the  invaders  of  their  homes  and 
the  oppressors  of  their  liberties. 

I  refer  you  to  the  reports  of  the  division  and  brigade  commanders, 
only  a  part  of  which  I  am  now  able  to  forward,  for  notices  of  special 
cases  of  good  behavior. 

I  remain,  general,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant. 

E.  KIRBY  SMITH, 

Major-General. 
GENERAL  S.  COOPER, 

A  and  I  G.,  Richmond,  Va. 

CONGRATULATORY  ORDERS. 

Headquarters  Army  of  Kentucky, 

Richmond,  Ky.,  August  30,  1862. 
(Received  at  Richmond,  Va.,  Sept.  6,  1862.) 
General  Orders,  ) 
No.  10.  j 

The  Major-General  commanding  returns  his  heartfelt  thanks  to 
the  troops  of  this  command  (officers  and  men)  for  their  exceeding 
gallantry  in  the  several  actions  of  this  day,  their  patient  and  unmur 
muring  endurance  of  fatigue  during  two  days'  and  nights'  forced 


CONGRATULATORY  ORDERS.  133 

marches,  and  fighting  three  battles  in  twelve  hours.  The  country 
shall  know  of  your  sufferings  on  the  march,  as  well  as  the  bold, 
pressing  charges  of  this  day. 

Tomorrow  being  Sunday,  the  general  desires  that  the  troops 
shall  assemble  and,  under  their  several  chaplains,  shall  return  thanks 
to  Almighty  God,  to  whose  mercy  and  goodness  these  victories  are 
due.  By  command  of 

MAJOR-GENERAL  E.  KIRBY  SMITH. 
JNO.  PEGRAM, 

Chief  of  Staff. 

Headquarters  Department  No.  2. 

Sparta,  Tenn.,  September  5,  1862. 
General  Orders,  ) 
No.  128.  | 

I.  The  signal  triumph  of  our  arms  in  Virginia  over  the  combined 
forces  of  McClellan  and  Pope  had  hardly  been  announced  to  the  whole 
of  this  command  before  we  are  again  called  upon  to  rejoice  and  give 
thanks  to  God  for  a  victory  as  brilliant  and  complete  achieved  in  our 
own  campaign  by  the  troops  under  Major-General  E.  Kirby  Smith 
at  Richmond,  Ky.,  on  the  30th  ultimo.      The  enemy  under  Major- 
General      Nelson    was    completely    routed,     with    the    commander 
wounded,    one   general  killed,   and  one  captured,   with  3,000  other 
prisoners.     Not  the  least  important  of  the  fruits  secured  was  the 
whole  of  the  enemy's  artiller}^,  small-arms,  and  transportation. 

II.  Comrades,    our    campaign    opens    most    auspiciously    and 
promises  complete  success.      Your  general  is  happy  and  proud  to 
witness  the  tone  and  conduct  of  his  army.     Contented  and  cheerful 
under  privations  and  strictfully  regardful  of  the  rights  of  citizens, 
you  have  achieved  a  victory  over  yourselves  which  assures  success 
against  every  foe.     The  enemy  is  in  full  retreat,   with  consternation 
and  demoralization  devastating  his  ranks.     To  secure  the  full  fruits  of 
this  condition  we  mu&t  press  on  vigorously  and  unceasingly.     You 
will  be  called  on  to  make  greater  sacrifices  still,   to  suffer  other, 
perhaps  greater  privations,  but  your  generals  will  share  them  and  a 
grateful  people  will  reward  you.     Alabamians,  your  State  is  redeemed. 
An  arrogant  foe  no  longer  treads  her  soil.     Tennesseeans,  the  restor 
ations  of  your  capital  and  State  government  is  almost  accomplished 
without  firing  a  gun.     You  return  to  your  invaded  homes  conquerors 
and  heroes.     Kentuckians,  the  first  great   blow  has  been  struck  for 
your  freedom.     The  manacles  will  soon  fall  from  your  limbs,  when 
we  know  you  will  arise  and  strike  for  your  freedom,  your  homes  and 
your  altars.     Soldiers,  from  the  Gulf,  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and 
Arkansas,  we  share  the  happiness  of  our  more  fortunate  brothers,  and 
will  press  on  with  them,  rejoicing  in  the  hope  that  a  brighter  future  is 
in  store  for  the  fruitful  fields,   happy  homes,  and  fair  daughters  of 
our  sunny  South. 

BRAXTON  BRAGG, 

General  Commanding. 


GENERAL  BRAGG'S  REPORT  OF  THE  KENTUCKY 
CAMPAIGN 


INVOLVING  THE  BATTLES  OF  MUNFORDVILLE,  RICHMOND  AND 
PERRYVILLE. 

Headquarters  Army  of  Tennessee. 

May  20,  1863. 

Sir:  Constant  occupation  and  the  absence  of  my  records  during 
the  active  service  in  this  quarter  have  prevented  until  now  a  full 
narrative  of  the  events  incident  to  the  campaign  of  this  army  last 
autumn  in  Tennessee  and  Kentucky. 

Early  in  July  1862,  under  instructions,  a  division  of  troops  under 
Major-General  McCown  was  sent  from  my  headquarters  at  Tupelo, 
Miss.,  to  the  department  of  East  Tennessee.  In  the  latter  part  of 
that  month  it  became  evident  we  were  being  pressed  there  by  a  heavy 
corps  of  the  enemy  sent  from  Corinth  under  Major-General  Buell. 
This  movement  threatened  the  very  heart  of  our  country,  and 
was  destined,  unless  checked  immediately,  to  sever  our  main  line  of 
connection  between  the  East  and  West.  At  this  time  the  army  in 
Mississippi  had  much  improved  in  health  and  strength,  and  had  pro 
gressed  rapidly  in  discipline,  organization  and  instruction.  Leaving 
a  sufficient  force,  I  determined  to  move  to  Chattanooga,  oppose  this 
dangerous  combination  of  the  enemy,  and,  if  practicable,  drive  him 
from  our  important  provision  country  in  Western  Alabama,  Middle 
Tennessee,  and  Kentucky. 

Early  in  August  the  infantry  force  for  this  purpose,  (four 
divisions)  was  concentrated  near  Chattanooga  and  awaited  the  arrival 
of  the  artillery,  cavalry,  and  baggage  train,  which  necessarily  moved 
across  the  country  by  land.  Major-General  E.  Kirb}r  Smith,  com 
manding  the  Department  of  East  Tennessee,  met  me  by  invitation  in 
Chattanooga,  and  most  generously  placed  his  whole  command  at  my 
disposal.  It  was  soon  determined,  upon  his  suggestion,  that  all  his 
force  should  be  used  to  operate  upon  the  enemy's  left  at  Cumberland 
Gap,  and  he  was  requested  to  confer  with  Brigadier- General  Hum 
phrey  Marshall,  commanding  in  Southwestern  Virginia,  with  whom 
he  was  already  in  correspondence,  to  secure  his  co-operation  also  in 
the  movement.  After  returning  to  Knoxville  General  Smith  asked 
for  further  assistance,  and  two  fine  brigades,  under  Brigadier-General 
P.  R.  Cleburne  and  Colonel  Preston  Smith,  were  sent  to  him  in 
addition  to  the  division  which  had  gone  from  Tupelo.  The  balance 


GEN.  BRAGG'S  REPORT  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CAMPAIGN.  135 

of  my  immediate  command,  the  Army  of  the  Mississippi,  divided 
between  Major-Generals  Polk  and  Hardee,  made  every  preparation 
and  awaited  only  its  baggage  train  and  artillery  to  cross  the  Tennessee 
river  and  enter  upon  its  arduous  and  perilous  campaign  over  the 
mountains  dividing  East  and  Middle  Tennessee.  The  movement  of 
the  artillery  and  wagons  across  the  mountain  region  of  North 
Alabama  having  been  successfully  accomplished,  late  in  August  we 
commenced  crossing  the  river  at  Chattanooga  with  very  limited  means. 
The  enemy  with  a  largely  superior  force  occupied  the  lines  of  the 
railroad  from  Decatur  to  Bridgeport,  Alabama,  from  Decatur  to 
Nashville,  and  from  Nashville  to  Stevenson,  with  large  detached 
commands  at  McMinnville  and  Cumberland  Gap. 

Having  crossed  the  river  at  Chattanooga  the  column  took  up  its 
march  on  August  28th  over  Walden's  ridge  and  the  Cumberland 
mountains  for  Middle  Tennessee.  Major-General  Smith  had  already 
successfully  passed  through  Northeastern  Tennessee  and  gained  the 
rear  of  Cumberland  Gap,  held  by  the  enemy  in  strong  force,  well 
fortified.  Leaving  a  strong  force  to  hold  the  enemy  in  observation, 
his  dislodgemnt  being  considered  impracticable,  he  moved,  as 
authorized,  with  the  balance  of  his  command  on  Lexington,  Ky.  This 
rich  country,  full  of  supplies  so  necessary  to  us,  was  represented  to 
be  occupied  by  a  force  which  could  make  but  feeble  resistance.  How 
well  and  successfully  that  duty  was  performed  has  already  been 
reported  by  General  Smith.  His  complete  victory  over  the  enemy  at 
Richmond,  Ky.,  and  his  occupation  of  Lexington  rendered  it  necessary 
for  me  to  intercept  General  Buell,  now  rapidly  moving  toward  Nash 
ville,  or  to  move  toward  the  right,  so  as  to  secure  a  junction  with 
General  Smith  when  necessary. 

On  reaching  Middle  Tennessee  it  was  found  that  the  enemy's 
main  force,  by  use  of  railroads  and  good  turnpikes,  had  concentrated 
in  Nashville  and  was  strongly  fortified.  With  a  heavy  demonstration 
against  this  position  my  force  was  thrown  rapidly  to  Glasgow,  Ky., 
and  to  my  great  satisfaction  reached  that  point  September  13th, 
before  any  portion  of  the  enemy  passed  Bowling  Green.  As  soon  as 
my  object  was  discovered  they  moved  in  haste  by  railroad  and  turn 
pike,  but  reached  Bowling  Green  only  in  time  to  find  we  had  seized 
and  now  held  both  roads  near  Cave  City.  An  assault  on  the  enemy's 
superior  force,  well  fortified  at  Nashville,  gave  no  promise  of  success, 
while  any  movement  for  that  purpose  would  have  enabled  him  to 
throw  his  whole  force  to  his  rear  rapidly,  thus  rendering  certain  the 
capture  or  destruction  of  General  Smith's  small  command  at  Lexing 
ton,  whereas  by  the  flank  movement  adopted,  the  enemy's  communi 
cations  were  severed  and  his  forces  separated,  while  my  own  com 
munications  were  secured.  Without  firing  a  gun  we  had  also  com 
pelled  the  evacuation  of  Northern  Alabama  and  Middle  Tennessee 
south  of  the  Cumberland.  Prepared  to  assail  Buell's  forces  should  he 
attempt  to  pass  north,  I  determined  to  rest  my  jaded  troops  at  Glas 
gow,  where  some  subsistence  was  to  be  had.  While  thus  engaged  I 
learned  that  the  commander  of  my  outpost  brigade  at  Cave  City  had 
advanced  upon  and  assailed  the  enemy's  fortified  position  at  Munford- 


136  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

ville  (the  railroad  and  pike  crossing  the  Green  river,)  and  after  a 
gallant  fight  against  largely  superior  numbers  had  been  repulsed  with 
considerable  loss.  Unwilling  to  allow  the  impression  of  a  disaster  to 
rest  on  the  minds  of  my  men,  the  force  was  rapidly  prepared  and  our 
march  renewed  on  the  evening  of  the  15th,  with  a  very  scanty  supply 
of  provisions.  Hardee's  wing  moved  by  Cave  City  direct  upon  Mun- 
fordville,  and  Polk,  by  the  Bear  Wallow  road,  crossed  the  river  some 
miles  to  the  right  and  gained  the  enemy's  rear  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
16th.  An  immediate  demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  garrison  was 
made,  and  after  a  few  hours'  negotiation  an  unconditional  submission 
was  obtained.  We  secured  4,267  prisoners,  ten  pieces  of  artillery, 
5,000  small  arms,  and  a  proportional  quantity  of  ammunition,  horses, 
mules,  and  military  stores. 

This  surrender  having  been  received  and  completed  on  September 
17th  dispositions  were  made  for  an  attack  from  General  Buell's  main 
force,  supposed  to  be  advancing  on  our  rear  from  Bowling  Green. 
Efforts  were  made  to  draw  him  to  an  attack  by  maneuvering  a 
division  in  his  front,  while  our  main  force  held  position  south  of  the 
intrenchments  on  Green  river.  I  failed  to  accomplish  this  object. 
With  my  effective  force  present,  reduced  by  sickness,  exhaustion,  and 
the  recent  affair  before  the  intrenchments  at  Munfordville,  to  half 
that  of  the  enemy,  I  could  not  prudently  afford  to  attack  him  there  in 
his  selected  position.  Should  I  pursue  him  farther  toward  Bowling 
Green  he  might  fall  back  to  that  place  and  behind  his  fortifications. 
Reduced  at  the  end  of  four  days  to  three  days  rations,  and  in  a  hostile 
country,  utterly  destitute  of  supplies,  a  serious  engagement  brought 
on  anywhere  in  that  direction  could  not  fail  (whatever  its  results)  to 
materially  cripple  me.  The  loss  of  a  battle  would  be  eminently  dis 
astrous.  I  was  well  aware  also  that  he  had  a  practicable  route  by 
way  of  Morgantown  or  Brownsville  to  the  Ohio  river  and  thence  to 
Louisville.  We  were  therefore  compellled  to  give  up  the  object  and 
seek  for  subsistence.  Orders  were  sent  for  a  supply  train  from  our 
depot  at  Lexington  to  meet  us  in  Bards  town,  and  the  march  was 
commenced  for  the  latter  place.  Instructions  had  been  given  General 
Smith  for  a  simultaneous  movement  of  his  column  at  Lexington  to 
Shelbyville,  that  combined  operations  might  be  immediately  under 
taken  against  Louisville.  Orders  had  also  been  given  for  a  close 
observation  on  the  enemy  at  Cumberland  Gap,  and  that  he  should  be 
intercepted  in  any  attempt  to  escape. 

On  my  arrival  at  Bardstown  I  learned  from  Major-General  Smith, 
then  at  Lexington,  that  the  enemy  was  moving  from  Cumberland  Gap, 
endeavoring  to  escape  by  the  valley  of  Sandy  river,  in  Eastern  Ken 
tucky,  and  that  he  had  sent  his  whole  available  force  in  pursuit.  A 
sufficient  force]to  prevent  this  escape  and  to  hold  the  enemy  in  check 
there  and  compel  his  surrender  had  been  ordered  and  was  confidently 
expected  from  another  quarter  to  have  followed  General  Smith's 
movement  in  time  for  this  purpose.  Circumstances  unknown  to  me 
in  our  then  isolated  position,  and  over  which  I  could  not  exercise 
control,  had  prevented  this  communication  so  confidently  relied  on  and 
so  necessary  to  our  success.  The  delay  necessarily  resulting  from 


GEN.  BRAGG'S  REPORT  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CAMPAIGN.  137 

this  pursuit  of  the  enemy  by  General  Smith  prevented  a  junction  of 
our  forces,  and  enabled  General  Buell  to  reach  Louisville  before  the 
assault  could  be  made  upon  that  city. 

The  troops  at  Bardstown,  much  jaded  and  footsore  from  the  long" 
and  arduous  march,  were  placed  in  position  for  rest  and  recuperation 
during  the  absence  of  the  column  from  Lexington.  Having  made  all 
needful  arrangements  for  them,  I  ordered  our  supplies  at  Lexington 
transferred  to  a  position  selected  as  a  general  depot  near  Bryantsville, 
and  provided  for  opening  a  line  of  communication  through  Cumber 
land  Gap.  I  left  Bardstown  on  the  28th  for  Lexington  to  confer  with 
General  Smioh  and  inform  myself  fully  as  to  our  condition  and  the 
resources  of  the  country.  Major-General  Polk,  left  at  Bardstown  in 
command,  was  directed,  if  pressed  by  a  force  too  large  to  justify  his 
giving  battle,  to  fall  back  in  the  direction  of  the  new  depot  near 
Bryantsville,  in  front  of  which  I  proposed  to  concentrate  for  action. 

Arriving  in  Lexington  on  October  1st,  I  met  the  Provisional 
Govenor  of  the  State,  who  had  previously  been  invited  to  accompany 
me,  and  arranged  for  his  installation  at  the  Capital  on  the  4th.  The 
available  forces  of  General  Smith,  just  returned  to  Lexington,  were 
ordered  immediately  to  Frankfort. 

Finding  but  little  progress  had  been  made  in  the  transfer  of  our 
accumulated  stores  from  Lexington,  and  learning  of  a  heavy  move 
ment  of  the  enemy  from  Louisville,  I  ordered  Major-General  Polk  in 
writing,  dated  Lexington,  1  p.  m.  October  2nd,  and  sent  it  by  two 
routes,  to  move  from  Bardstown  with  his  whole  available  force  by 
way  of  Bloomfield  toward  Frankfort,  to  strike  the  enemy  in  flank  and 
rear,  and  informed  him  that  Major-General  Smith  would  attack  in 
front.  When  received  at  Bardstown  on  the  3rd  the  General  ^ubmitted 
this  order,  which  is  not  mentioned  in  his  report  (see  exhibit  1,)  to  a 
council  of  wing  and  division  commanders,  and  determined  to  move  as 
originally  instructed  by  me  on  leaving  Bardstown.  Fortunately 
notice  of  this  determination  reached  me  at  Frankfort  in  time  to  pre 
vent  the  movement  against  the  enemy's  front  by  General  Smith,  but 
it  necessitated  an  entire  change  in  my  plans,  the  abandonment  of  the 
capital,  and  the  partial  uncovering  and  ultimate  loss  of  our  stores  at 
Lexington.  Not  doubting  but  that  some  imperative  necessity  unknown 
to  me  existed  with  the  General  for  this  departure  from  instructions,  I 
conformed  at  once  to  his  movements  and  put  General  Smith's  com 
mand  in  motion  to  form  the  junction  farther  South,  still  covering  the 
supplies  at  Lexington  as  far  as  practicable. 

Proceeding  rapidly  to  Harrodsburg  myself,  I  was  met  there  by 
Major-General  Polk  on  October  6th  with  the  head  of  the  column, 
which  had  marched  from  Bardstown  on  the  third.  After  a  full  and 
free  conference  v.  ith  the  General,  my  first  views  remained  unchanged, 
and  as  he  reported  to  me  at  midnight  October  6th,  when  enclosing  a 
written  report  from  Major-General  Hardee  that  he  did  not  regard  the 
enemy  in  large  strength  near  there  (see  exhibit  2)  I  renewed  early  in 
the  morning  of  the  7th  the  orders  to  concentrate  all  the  forces  in  front 
of  the  depot  at  Lexington  (see  exhibit  3).  But  before  this  order 
was  put  in  full  operation  information  was  received  that  the  enemy  in 


138  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

limited  force  was  pressing  upon  General  Hardee  at  Perry ville;  that  he 
was  nowhere  concentrated  against  us,  but  was  moving  by  separate 
columns;  his  right  (see  map  herewith  marked  A)  was  near  Lebanon,  a 
corps  in  front  of  Perryville,  and  his  left  (two  entire  corps)  extending 
by  way  of  Mackville  to  Frankfort,  a  line  of  at  least  sixty  miles. 
This  presented  an  opportunity  which  I  promptly  seized  of  striking 
him  in  detail.  Accordingly  written  orders  were  given  to  Major- 
General  Polk,  dated  Harrodsburg,  Oct.  7th,  5:40  p.  m.  (see  exhibit 
4,)  to  move  Cheatham's  division  now  at  Harrodsburg  back  to  Perry 
ville,  and  to  proceed  to  that  point  himself,  attack  the  enemy  imme 
diately,  rout  him,  and  then  move  rapidly  to  join  Major-General  Smith 
as  before  ordered,  and  it  was  added  no  time  should  be  lost  in  this 
movement. 

Meanwhile  during  the  same  day,  I  received  repeated  and  urgent 
applications  from  General  Smith  (near  Frankfort)  by  express,  rep 
resenting  the  enemy  to  be  in  strong  force  in  his  immediate  front  and 
earnestly  asked  for  re-enforcements.  Accordingly  Wither's  division 
had  been  detached  and  sent  to  him  (before  receipt  by  me  of  the 
information  from  Perryville,)  and  was  already  far  on  the  way  thither 
at  the  time  when  the  movement  to  Perryville  was  ordered,  and  this 
will  account  for  my  being  without  the  benefit  of  this  division  in  the 
battle  which  ensued  next  day  at  the  latter  place.  Major-General 
Polk  arrived  at  Perryville  with  Cheatham's  division  before  midnight 
of  the  7th,  and  the  troops  were  placed  by  General  Hardee  in  the  line 
of  battle  previously  established. 

Our  forces  now  in  this  position  consisted  of  three  divisions  of 
infantry  (about  14,500)  and  two  small  brigades  of  cavalry  (about 
1,500).  To  this  the  enemy  opposed  one  corps  (Gilbert's,)  about 
18,000  strong.  Information  reached  me  during  the  evening  and  night 
of  the  7th  at  Harrodsburg  which  indicated  that  no  attack  could  be 
made  on  General  Smith's  command  the  next  day,  and  I  immediately 
changed  my  purpose  to  join  him  and  determined  to  go  to  Perryville. 
From  unofficial  sources  I  was  led  to  fear  the  existence  of  serious  mis 
apprehension  in  regard  to  the  position  and  strength  of  the  enemy's 
forces  near  Perryville  as  well  as  to  the  location  of  our  supplies,  sup 
posed  to  be  at  Bryantsville,  when  in  truth  but  two  days  rations  for 
the  army  had  yet  reached  that  point. 

Having  ordered  the  attack  and  that  no  time  should  be  lost,  I  was 
concerned  at  not  hearing  the  commencement  of  the  engagement  early 
in  the  morning,  but  was  much  relieved  for  the  time  by  receiving  from 
General  Polk  a  note  dated  Perryville,  6  a.  m.,  October  8th,  informing 
me  that  the  enemy's  pickets  commenced  firing  at  da}^break  and  that 
he  should  bring  on  the  engagement  vigorously  (see  exhibit  5).  To 
my  surprise,  however,  no  gun  was  heard,  and  on  my  arrival,  about 
10  a.  m.,  I  was  informed  that  it  was  determined  not  to  attack,  but  to 
assume  the  "defensive-offensive".  After  a  hasty  reconnaissance  and 
consultation  orders  were  given  for  some  changes  deemed  necessary  in 
the  line  of  battle,  a  portion  of  it  being  withdrawn  was  restored,  and 
Major-General  Polk  was  ordered  to  bring  on  the  engagement. 
Impatient  at  the  delay  after  this  order  I  dispatched  a  staff  officer .  to 


139 

repeat  it  to  the  general,  and  soon  thereafter  I  followed  in  person  and 
put  the  troops  in  motion. 

Major-General  Buell,  commanding  the  forces  there  in  our  imme 
diate  front,  in  his  officiall  report  says,  "I  have  somewhat  expected  an 
attack  early  in  the  morning  on  Gilbert's  corps  while  it  was  isolated". 
These  delays  had  postponed  the  action  until  it  was  now  past  noon  and 
a  second  corps  of  the  enemy  (18,000)  had  reached  the  field.  The 
general  officers  at  the  meeting  about  daylight  (see  General  Folk's 
report)  who  resolved  on  this  delay  must  have  acted  without  correct 
information  and  in  ignorance  that  my  orders  were  urgent  and  imper 
ative  for  the  attack;  morever  I  was  Avithin  one  hours'  ride  and  was 
not  consulted  or  informed. 

The  action  having  at  length  commenced,  was  fought  by  our  troops 
with  a  gallantry  and  persistent  determination  to  conquer  which  the 
enemy  could  not  resist;  and  though  he  was  largely  more  than  two  to 
our  one  he  was  driven  from  the  field  with  terrible  loss.  Night  closed 
the  operations  just  as  a  third  corps  of  the  enemy  threw  the  head  of 
its  column  against  our  left  flank.  We  had  entire  possession  of  the 
battlefield,  with  thousands  of  the  enemy's  killed  and  wounded,  several 
batteries  of  artillery,  and  600  prisoners.  For  the  details  of  this  action, 
so  creditable  to  our  arms,  I  refer  to  the  reports  of  subordinate  com 
manders,  herewith  forwarded.  In  the  progress  of  the  engagement  we 
had  advanced  so  far  as  to  expose  our  left  flank  to  the  third  corps, 
just  arrived  from  the  direction  of  Lebanon.  I  therefore  caused  our 
line,  which  rested  upon  the  field  until  midnight,  to  fall  back  to  its 
original  position.  Assured  that  the  enemy  had  concentrated  his  three 
corps  against  us,  and  finding  that  our  loss  had  already  been  quite 
heavy  in  the  unequal  contest  against  two,  I  gave  the  orders  to  fall 
back  at  daylight  on  Harrodsburg,  and  sent  instructions  to  Major- 
General  Smith  to  move  his  command  to  form  a  junction  with  me  at 
that  place.  There  I  again  offered  the  enemy  battle,  which  he 
declined,  and  moved  to  possess  himself  of  my  line  toward  Cumberland 
Gap. 

My  whole  force  was  accordingly  retired  on  the  llth  upon  Bryants- 
ville.  Here  the  enemy  again  declined  to  advance  upon  me,  but 
occupied  himself  in  the  destruction  of  the  numerous  mills  and  other 
sources  from  which  we  drew  our  supply  of  bread-stuffs.  There  was 
no  accumulation  of  this  essential  article  at  any  point  except  Lexington 
which  had  been  now  lost,  though  the  country  afforded  an  immensity 
of  grain.  The  necessary  concentration  of  my  forces  rendered  accumu 
lation  from  the  small  country  mills  impracticable,  and  our  supply  was 
reduced  to  only  four  day's  rations.  To  attack  and  route  an  enemy 
largely  superior  in  numbers  (for  simply  to  cripple  him  would  not 
suffice)  or  to  evacuate  the  country  in  which  he  could  no  longer  subsist 
became  now  an  imperative  necessity.  Moreover  I  was  informed  that 
still  another  force  was  moving  on  my  right  flank  from  Cincinnati  in 
addition  to  the  overwhelming  one  with  which  I  was  already  contending. 
The  season  of  autumnal  rains  was  approaching;  the  rough  and  uneven 
roads  leading  over  the  stupendous  mountains  of  eastern  Tennessee  and 
Kentucky  to  and  through  Cumberland  Gap  would  then  become  utterly 


W.   D.  BEARD,  STAFF  OF  LIEUTENANT-GENERAL  A.  P.  STEWART.       NOW  CHIEF 
JUSTICE  SUPREME  COURT  OF  TENNESSEE. 


GEN.  BRAGG'S  RERORT  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CAMPAIGN.  141 

impassable  to  an  army.  Should  I  remain  until  then  and  meet  with  a 
reverse  the  army  would  be  lost.  Had  the  foregoing  considerations 
permitted  a  doubt  to  remain  in  my  mind  as  to  the  course  of  duty  it 
would  have  been  entirely  removed  upon  the  receipt  of  the  intelligence 
of  our  disasters  in  north  Mississippi,  by  which  the  whole  country  in 
our  rear  was  left  open  to  the  enemy's  victorious  forces  there. 

Accordingly  all  necessary  arrangements  were  made  and  the  troops 
put  in  motion  by  two  columns,  under  Major-Generals  Polk  and  Smith; 
on  October  13,  for  Cumberland  Gap.  After  a  rapid  march,  with 
some  privations  in  the  absence  of  the  baggage  trains,  which  had  been 
sent  ahead,  we  passed  the  Gap  with  immaterial  loss,  from  October  19 
to  24.  The  column  of  Major-General  Polk  was  vigorously  pursued 
by  the  enenry  for  several  days,  but  was  so  successfully  protected  by 
the  cavalry,  under  the  admirable  management  of  Colonels  Wheeler  and 
Wharton,  that  but  little  annoyance  was  felt. 

Though  compelled  to  yield  to  largely  superior  numbers  and 
fortuitous  circumstances,  a  portion  of  the  valuable  territory  from 
which  we  had  driven  the  enemy,  the  fruits  of  the  campaign  were  very 
large  and  have  had  a  most  important  bearing  upon  our  subsequent 
military  operations  here  and  elsewhere.  With  a  force  enabling  us  at 
no  time  to  put  more  than  40,000  men  of  all  arms  and  in  all  places  in 
battle  we  had  redeemed  North  Alabama  and  Middle  Tennessee  and 
recovered  possession  of  Cumberland  Gap,  the  gateway  to  the  heart  of 
the  Confederacy.  We  had  killed,  wounded  and  captured  no  less  than 
25,000  of  the  enemy;  taken  over  thirty  pieces  of  artillery,  17,000  small 
arms,  some  2,000,000  cartridges  for  the  same;  destroyed  some  hun 
dreds  of  wagons  and  brought  off  several  hundred  more  with  their 
teams  and  harness  complete;  replaced  our  jaded  horses  by  a  fine 
mount;  lived  two  months  on  supplies  wrested  from  the  enemy's  pos 
session;  secured  material  to  clothe  the  army,  and  finally  secured 
subsistance  from  the  redeemed  country  to  support  not  only  the  army 
but  also  a  large  force  of  the  Confederacy  to  the  present  time. 

In  four  weeks  after  passing  Cumberland  Gap  on  this  memorable 
and  arduous  campaign,  jaded,  hungry  and  ragged  (as  necessarily 
incidental  to  that  ssrvice),  this  noble  army  was  found  with  serried 
ranks  in  front  of  the  enemy  at  Nashville  better  organized,  better  dis 
ciplined,  better  clothed  and  fed,  in  better  health  and  tone,  and  in 
larger  numbers  than  when  it  entered  on  the  campaign,  though  it  had 
made  a  march  at  least  three  times  as  long  as  that  of  the  enemy  in 
reaching  the  same  point,  and  was  moreover,  entirely  self-sustained. 
Too  high  an  estimate  cannot  be  placed  upon  officers  and  men  capable 
of  such  fortitude,  resolution,  courage,  and  self-denial.  Nothing  short 
of  the  patriotism  which  pervaded  our  ranks,  and  the  intelligence,  zeal, 
and  gallantry  displayed  on  all  occasions  and  by  all  grades,  can  account 
for  such  results. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant. 

BRAXTON  BRAGG, 

General  Commanding. 
GENERAL  S.  COOPER, 

Adjutant  and  Inspector  General. 


142  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


INDORSEMENT. 

Respectfully  submitted  to  the  President: 

I  see  very  little  objection  to  this  report,  and  believe  the  effect 
will  be  on  the  whole  to  vindicate  rather  than  diminish  the  reputation 
of  the  Commander  in  the  Confederate  campaign 

J.  A.  SEDDON, 

Secretary  of  War. 

The  consensus  of  opinion  among  the  Federals  was  that  General 
Bragg  marched  into  Kentucky  with  not  exceeding  30,000,  and  the 
Federal  General  Halleck  unwittingly  pays  General  Bragg  the  follow 
ing  compliment:  '  'History  of  military  campaigns  affords  no  parallel  to 
this  of  an  army  throwing  aside  its  transportation,  paying  no  regard  to 
its  supplies,  but  cutting  loose  from  its  base,  marching  200  miles  in  the 
face  of  and  really  victorious,  over  an  army  double  its  size." 

GENERAL  BRAGG 's  ORDERS  TO  GENERAL  MORGAN  FOR  SPECIAL  DUTY. 

Headquarters  Army  of  Tennessee. 

Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  Dec.  1,  1862. 
Brigadier-General  John  H.  Morgan, 

Commanding  Cavalry  at  Baird's  Mills; 

General:  The  general  commanding  directs  me  to  say  that,  when 
relieved  from  your  present  duties,  you  will  proceed  with  your  whole 
command,  by  the  most  practicable  route  and  with  the  least  delay,  to 
operate  on  the  enemy's  lines  of  communications  in  rear  of  Nashville. 
You  will  assail  his  guards  where  your  relative  force  will  justify  it; 
capture  and  destroy  his  trains;  burn  his  bridges,  depots,  trestle-work, 
etc.  In  fine,  harass  him  in  every  conceivable  way  in  your  power. 
When  practicable,  send  all  prisoners  to  the  rear,  so  as  to  conceal  your 
operations.  When  it  is  necessary,  parole  them,  sending  lists  by  first 
mail  to  these  headquarters.  You  are  authorized  to  extend  your  com 
mand  to  the  extent  of  your  captured  arms  and  horses,  assigning  the 
men  to  your  old  regiments.  Do  everything  to  prevent  the  enemy 
from  foraging  north  of  the  Cumberland  river,  and  especially  towards 
Clarksville.  If  practicable,  communicate  and  co-operate  with  Brig 
adier-General  (N.  B.)  Forrest.  You  are  not  limited  in  the  extent  of 
your  operations,  sending  with  each  a  return  of  your  command.  It  is 
reported  that  the  enemy  is  obstructing  the  fords  of  the  Cumberland. 

Brigadier-General  J.  Wheeler  has  been  ordered  to  relieve  you  as 
soon  as  Brigadier-General  J.  Pegram  can  be  placed  in  position  with 
a  sufficient  command. 

I  am,  general,  very  respectfully,  yours, 

GEORGE  WM.  BRENT, 

Assistant- Adjutant  General. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  HARTSVILLE. 

Report  of   Brigadier-General   John  H.  Morgan,  C.  S.  Army,  com 
manding  expedition. 

Morgan's  Headquarters, 

Cross-Roads,  near  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  Dec,  9,  1862. 
Sir:     I  have  the  honor  to  lay  before  you,  for  the  information  of 
the   general   commanding,    a   report   of   the   expedition   against  the 
Federal  force  at  Hartsvifle. 

I  left  these  headquarters  at  10  a.  m.  on  the  6th  instant,  with 
1,400  men  of  my  own  command,  under  the  orders  of  Colonel  Duke; 
the  Second  and  Ninth  Kentucky  infantry,  commanded  by  Colonel  T. 
H.  Hunt;  Captain  Robert  Cobb's  battery  of  artilleiy;  two  small 
howitzers,  and  two  rifled  Ellsworth  guns  belonging  tc  my  own  com 
mand.  At  Lebanon  I  received  information  that  no  change  had  been 
made  in  the  number  of  the  Federals  at  Hartsville,  their  number  being 
still  about  900  infantry  and  400  cavalry,  with  two  pieces  of  artillery. 
I  found  afterwards  that  their  force  had  been  considerably  underrated. 
I  proceeded  with  the  infantry  and  artillery  to  Purier's  ferry,  on  the 
Cumberland  river,  sending  the  cavalry,  under  the  orders  of  Colonel 
Duke,  to  pass  at  a  ford  some  seven  miles  below  the  point  where  we 
were  to  rendezvous.  I  passed  my  troops  with  great  difficulty,  there 
being  but  one  boat,  and  about  5:30  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  I 
arrived  at  Hager's  shop,  two  miles  from  the  Federal  camp.  I  found 
that  Colonel  Duke  with  his  cavalry,  had  only  just  marched  up,  having 
crossed  the  ford  with  difficulty,  and  that  one  regiment  of  his  com 
mand,  500  strong,  (Colonel  R.  M.  Gano's,)  had  not  yet  reported. 
Major  R.  G.  Stoner's  battallion  had  been  left  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Cumberland,  with  the  two  mountain  howitzers,  to  prevent  the  escape 
of  the  enemy  by  the  Lebanon  road,  and  Colonel  J.  D.  Bennett's 
Ninth  Tennessee  cavalry  regiment  had  been  ordered  to  proceed  to 
Hartsville  to  picket  the  road  leading  to  Gallatin,  and  to  attack  any  of 
the  Federals  they  might  find  in  that  town,  to  take  possesion  of  the 
Castalian  springs,  Lafayette  and  Carthage  roads,  so  as  to  prevent  the 
escape  of  the  enemy.  This  reduced  my  force  considerably,  but  I 
determined  to  attack,  and  that  at  once.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost; 
day  was  breaking,  and  the  enemy  might  expect  strong  re-enforcements 
from  Castalian  springs  should  my  arrival  be  known.  Advancing, 
therefore,  with  the  cavalry,  closely  followed  by  the  artillery  and 
infantry,  I  approached  the  enemy's  position.  The  pickets  were  found 
and  shot  down.  The  Yankee  bivouac  fires  appeared  to  cover  a  long  line 


144  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  Otf  TENNESSEE. 

of  ground,  and  gave  me  to  suppose  that  their  numbers  were  much 
greater  than  I  anticipated.  On  nearing  the  camp  the  alarm  was 
sounded,  and  I  could  distinctly  hear  and  see  the  officers  ordering  their 
men  to  fall  in,  preparing  for  resistance.  Colonel  Duke  then  dis 
mounted  Colonels  Cluke's  and  Chenault's  regiments  (in  all  about  450 
men)  drawing  them  up  in  line  in  a  large  field  in  front  and  a  little  to 
the  right  of  the  enemy's  line,  which  was  then  forming,  and  seeing 
that  the  artillery  and  infantry  were  in  position,  he  ordered  his  men  to 
advance  at  a  double  quick  and  directed  Colonel  Chenault,  who  was  on 
the  left,  to  oblique,  so  as  to  march  on  the  enemy's  flank.  His  men  then 
passed  forward,  driving  the  Federals  for  nearly  half  a  mile,  without  a 
check,  before  them,  until  their  right  wing  was  forced  back  upon  their 
own  left  wing  and  center.  Colonel  Duke  then  ordered  a  halt  until  the 
infantry  had  commenced  their  attack  on  the  Federal  left  wing,  which 
caused  a  retreat  of  the  whole  line.  At  this  juncture,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  J.  M.  Huffman  and  Major  Theophilus  Steele,  of  Gano's  reg 
iment,  came  up  with  about  100  men  of  that  regiment,  who  had  suc 
ceeded  in  crossing  the  ford,  and  threw  their  small  force  into  the 
fight.  My  dismounted  cavalry,  under  Colonel  Duke,  had  only  been 
skirmishing  previously  to  this  for  about  twenty  minutes;  but  seeing 
that  Colonel  Hunt,  with  the  infantry,  was  pressing  hard  upon  the 
Federal  left,  he  ordered  an  advance  upon  the  right  wing  and  flank  of 
their  new  line.  It  gave  way  and  ceased  firing,  and  soon  after  sur 
rendered. 

Colonel  Duke  reports  that  his  men  fought  with  a  courage  and 
coolness  which  could  not  be  surpassed. 

Colonels  Cluke  and  Chenault  led  on  their  men  with  the  most 
determined  bravery,  encouraging  them  by  voice  and  example. 

The  timely  arrival  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Huffman  and  Major 
Steele,  and  the"  gallant  manner  in  which  they  threw  themselves  into 
the  fight,  had  a  very  decided  effect  upon  the  battle  at  the  point  at 
which  they  entered. 

The  artillery  under  Captain  Cobb  did  most  excellent  service,  and 
suffered  severely  from  the  enemy's  battery  which  fired  with  great 
precision,  blowing  up  one  of  his  caissons  and  inflicting  a  severe  loss 
on  that  arm. 

The  infantry  conducted  themselves  most  gallantly,  the  Second 
Kentucky  suffering  most  severely. 

Colonel  Bennett's  regiment,  as  I  said  before,  was  not  in  the  fight, 
having  been  sent  on  a  special  service,  which  was  most  efficiently  per 
formed,  450  prisoners  having  been  taken  by  them  and  twelve  Federals 
killed. 

Thus,  sir,  in  one  hour  and  a  half  the  troops  under  my  command, 
consisting  of  500  cavalry  (Colonel  Gano's  and  Colonel  Bennett's  reg 
iments  and  Major  S toner's  command  not  participating  in  the  fight,)  TOO 
infantry,  with  a  battery,  of  artillery,  (in  all  about  1,300  strong) 
defeated  and  captured  three  well  disciplined  and  well  formed  regiments 
of  infantry,  with  a  regiment  of  cavalry,  and  took  two  rifled  cannons— 
the  whole  encamped  on  their  own  ground  and  in  a  very  strong 
position— taking  about  1,800  prisoners,  1,800  stand  of  arms,  a  quantity 


TEE  BATTLE  OF  HARTSVILLE.  145 

of  ammunition,  clothing,  quartermasters  stores,   and  sixteen  wagons. 

The  battle  was  now  won.  The  result  exceeded  my  own  expec 
tations,  but  still  I  felt  that  my  position  was  a  most  perilous  one,  being 
within  four  miles  in  a  direct  line,  and  only  eight  by  the  main  Gallatin 
road,  of  an  enemy's  force  of  at  least  8,000  men,  consisting  of  infantry, 
cavalry,  and  artillery,  who  would  naturally  march  to  the  aid  of  their 
comrades  on  hearing  the  report  of  our  guns.  I  therefore,  with  the 
assistance  of  my  staff,  got  together  all  the  empty  wagons  left  by  the 
enemy,  loaded  them  with  arms,  ammunition  and  stores,  and  directed 
them  immediately  to  Hart's  ferry.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost. 
The  pickets  placed  by  my  assistant  adjutant-general  on  the  Castalian 
springs  road  sent  to  report  the  advance  of  a  strong  body  of  Federals, 
estimated  at  5,000  men.  I  sent  Colonel  Cluke's  regiment  to  make  a 
show  of  resistance,  ordering  Colonel  Gano's  regiment,  which  had 
arrived,  in  support.  In  the  meantime  I  pressed  the  passage  of  the 
ford  to  the  utmost.  This  show  of  force  caused  a  delay  in  the  advance 
of  the  enemy,  who  had  no  idea  of  the  number  of  my  men,  and  prob 
ably  greatly  overrated  my  strength,  and  gave  me  time  to  pass  the  ford 
with  infantry,  artillery,  and  baggage  wagons,  the  horses  of  my 
cavalry  having  been  sent  back  from  the  other  side  of  the  Cumberland 
river  to  carry  over  the  infantry  regiments. 

It  was  time  to  retreat.  The  enemy  attacked  our  rear,  but  was 
kept  at  bay  by  the  two  regiments  before  specified,  aided  by  four  guns 
I  had  previously  ordered  to  be  placed  in  position  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Cumberland,  looking  forward  to  what  was  now  taking  place.  The 
banks  of  the  river  on  both  sides  are  precipitous,  and  the  stream  breast- 
deep,  but  our  retreat  was  effected  in  excellent  order.  We  lost  not  a 
man,  except  three,  badly  wounded,  that  I  was  reluctantly  forced  to 
leave  behind.  Cavalry,  infantry,  guard,  guns  and  baggage-train 
safely  crossed,  with  the  exception  of  four  wagons,  which  had  been 
sent  by  another  route,  and  which  are  still  safely  hidden  in  the  woods, 
according  to  accounts  received  to-day. 

In  justice  to  my  brave  command  I  would  respectfully  bring  to 
the  notice  of  the  general  commanding,  the  names  of  those  officers  who 
contributed,  by  their  undaunted  bravery  and  soldier-like  conduct,  to 
the  brilliant  success  which  crowned  the  efforts  of  the  Confederate 
arms;  to  Colonel  Hunt,  of  the  Ninth  Kentucky,  commanding  the 
infantry,  I  am  deeply  indebted  for  his  valuable  assistance;  his  conduct 
and  that  of  his  brave  regiment  was  perfect;  their  steadiness  under  fire 
remarkable.  The  Second  Kentucky  also  behaved  most  gallantly  and 
suffered  severely;  sixty-two  men  killed  and  wounded,  three  regimental 
officers  left  dead  on  the  field  sufficiently  testified  to  their  share  in  the 
fight  and  the  resistance  they  had  to  encounter.  Colonel  Cluke's  reg 
iment  paid  also  a  high  price  for  its  devotion.  It  went  into  the  field 
230  strong;  had  six  officers,  with  twenty-one  non-commissioned  officers 
and  privates,  killed  and  wounded,  besides  six  missing.  Colonel  Duke, 
commanding  the  cavalry,  was,  as  he  has  always  been,  "the  right  man 
in  the  right  place".  Wise  in  counsel,  gallant  in  the  field,  his  services 
have  ever  been  valuable  to  me.  I  was  informed  by  my  adjutant- 
general  that  Colonel  Bennett,  in  the  execution  of  the  special  service 


146  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMlT  OF  TENNESSEE. 

confided  to  him,  and  in  which  he  so  entirely  succeeded,  gave  proof  of 
great  personal  gallantry  and  contempt  of  danger,  i  owe  much  to  my 
personal  staff:  Major  D.  H.  Llewellyn,  Captains  Charlton  H.  Mor 
gan,  Rufus  K.  Williams,  and  Lieutenant  Robert  Tyler,  acting  as  my 
aid-de-camp,  gave  proof  of  great  devotion,  being  everywhere  in  the 
hottest  fire. 

Major  Llewellyn  received  the  sword  of  Colonel  Robert  R.  Stewart 
and  the  surrender  of  his  regiment.  Captain  Morgan's  and  Captain 
Williams'  horses  were  killed  under  them,  and  Lieutenant  Tyler  was 
severely  wounded.  My  orderly  sergeant,  Craven  Peyton,  received  a 
shot  in  his  hip  and  had  his  horse  killed  by  my  side.  I  must  crave 
forgiveness  if  I  add,  with  a  soldier's  pride,  that  the  conduct  of  my 
whole  command  deserved  my  highest  gratitude  and  commendation. 

Three  Federal  regimental  standards  and  five  cavalry  guidons 
fluttered  over  my  brave  column  on  their  return  from  this  expedition. 
With  such  troops,  victory  is  enchained  to  our  banners,  and  the  issue 
of  a  contest  with  our  Northern  opponents,  even  when  they  are  double 
our  force,  no  longer  doubtful. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  with  the  highest  respect,  your  most 
obedient  servant, 

JOHN  H.  MORGAN, 

Brigadier- General. 
COLONEL  GEORGE  WILLIAM  BRENT, 

Chief  of  Staff. 


Congratulatory   Orders — Thanks    of   the   General    Commanding,    to 
Brigadier-General  Morgan,  Colonel  Hunt  and  Commands. 
Headquarters  Department  No.  2., 

Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  Dec.  12,  1862. 
General  Orders  ) 
No.  155.  1 

With  pride  and  pleasure,  mingled  with  gratitude  to  the  Supreme 
source  of  all  our  victories,  the  General  commanding  has  the  satisfac 
tion  of  announcing  to  his  troops  the  signal  triumph  of  our  arms  at 
Hartsville,  Tennessee,  on  the  7th  instant.  This  brilliant  exploit  was 
achieved  by  a  portion  of  Morgan's  cavalry  brigade,  together  with 
detachments  from  the  Second  and  Ninth  Kentucky  regiments  of 
infantry,  under  Colonel  Hunt,  the  whole  under  Brigadier-General 
Morgan.  After  a  very  remarkable  march  of  more  than  forty  miles 
through  snow  and  ice,  they  forded  the  Cumberland  under  cover  of 
darkness,  and  at  daylight^precipitated  themselves  upon  the  enemy. 
Our  success  was  complete."  With  a  force  of  not  more  than  1,200  men 
in  action,  we  inflicted  a  loss  upon  the  enemy  of  500  killed  and  wounded, 
and  captured  1,800  prisoners,  with  all  their  arms,  munitions  and  other 
stores.  Our  own  loss  was  small  compared  with  the  result,  not  ex 
ceeding  125  in  killed  and  wounded.  The  memory  of  the  gallant  men 
who  fell  to  'rise  no  more  will  be  revered  by  their  comrades,  and 
forever  honored  by  their  country.  To  Brigadier-General  Morgan  and 
to  Colonel  Hunt  the  general  tenders  his  thanks,  and  assures  them  of 
the  admiration  of  his  army.  The  intelligence,  zeal  and  gallantry  dis- 


THE  BATTLE  OF  HARTSVILLE.  14? 

played  by  them  will  serve  as  an  example  and  an  incentive  to  still 
more  honorable  deeds.  To  the  other  brave  men  and  officers  composing 
the  expedition  the  general  tenders  his  cordialt  hanks  and  congratula 
tions.  He  is  proud  of  them  and  hails  the  success  achieved  by  their 
valor  as  but  the  precursor  of  still  greater  victories.  Each  corps 
engaged  in  the  action  will  in  future  bear  upon  its  colors  the  name  of 
the  memorable  field.  By  command  of 

GENERAL  BRAGG. 
GEO.  E.  GARNER, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General. 


ECHOES  FROM  THE  BATTLE  OF  MURFREESBORO. 


FEDEKALS   DESIGNATED   IT  STONE'S   RIVER. 


The  memory  of  incidents  in  boyhood  is  rarely  incorrect,  because 
impressions  first  made  are  most  lasting.  I  was  seventeen  when  the 
great  battle  of  Murfreesboro  (Stone's  river)  was  fought  between  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland  (Rosecrans)  and  the  Army  of  Tennessee 
(Bragg).  It  was^midway  ol  the  war  between  the  States,  and  it  wras 

one  of  the  most  hotly  contested  battles  in  the 
whole  conflict. 

Bragg  had  concentrated  his  forces  at 
Murfreesboro,  after  the  famous  battle  of  Per- 
ryville,  and  Rosecrans  massed  his  forces  in 
Nashville,  thirty-one  miles  north. 

My  home  was  between  the  two  armies 
at  Old  Jefferson,  twelve  miles  from  Mur 
freesboro,  on  a  pike  intersecting  the  Nashville 
and  Murfreesboro  pike  near  Lavergne.  The 
battle  ground  was  six  miles  from  my  home, 
southwest  the  home,  on  a  road  that  could 
flank  Murfreesboro,  or  intersect  with  the 
Murfreesboro  and  Lebanon  pike  and  afford 
a  fine  route  for  the  left  wing  of  a  pursuing 
army. 

The  location  in  the  disputed  territory, 
gave  me  a  better  opportunity  for  taking  in 
the  situation,  than  to  one  who  was  in  the 
front  or  rear.  I  had  brothers  in  Morgan's 
cavalry,  stationed  at  Black's  shop,  the  inter 
section  of  the  Murfreesboro  and  Lebanon 
and  Jefferson  and  Milton  pikes,  and  a  broth 
er  in  Braggs  army,  and  my  father's  home 

was,  of  course,  the  rendezvous  of  many  on  our  side.  Wharton's  cav 
alry  was  near  Triune,  in  front  of  Hardee.  Wheeler  was  below 
Lavergne,  while  John  Morgan  was  at  Black's  shop  watching  approaches 
from  Lebanon.  Pegram  was  on  the  flank,  in  front  of  our  infantry  at 
Readyville. 

Scouting  parties  making  petty  fights  and  movements,  and  foraging 
parties  of  both  sides  made  things  lively,  and  an  occasional  gathering 
of  the  young  folks  between  the  lines,  then  "kissing  games  and  chasing 


MAJOR  JOHN  W.  THOMAS, 
PRES.  N.  C.  &  ST.  L.  R.  R. 
— AT  THE  BATTLE  OF 
MURFREESBORO,  M  A  S- 
TER  OF  TRANSPORTAION 
OF  SAID  ROAD. 


ECHOES  FROM  THE  BATTLE  OF  MURFREESBORO.  149 

the  glowing  hours  with  flying  feet"  lent  a  lively  pastime  to  some  of 
our  soldiers. 

It  was  before  the  "cradle  and  grave  act"  of  our  Congress,  enlist 
ing  persons  eligible  to  soldiers  from  sixteen  to  fifty,  and  as  one  of 
what  was  known  as  the  "Seed  Corn  of  the  South,"  too  young  to  be 
called  on  for  service,  the  limit  being  eighteen,  I  would  go  along  with 
the  soldier  boys  "bearded  like  the  pard,  jealous  in  honor,  seeking 
bubble  reputation  at  the  cannon's  mouth,"  and  join  in  the  revelry— 
raids  in  progress  about  the  State  insane  asylum,  dashes  on  the  chicken 
road,  also  about  Nolensville,  the  Hermitage,  around  Nashville,  Leba 
non,  Gallatin,  and  other  places 

On  December  8,  1862,  among  the  flying  "ondits,"  we  received  the 
news  that  General  John  Morgan  had  taken  his  own  command  and  Han 
son's  Kentucky  brigade  and  captured  2,000  prisoners  at  Hartsville. 
Morgan  returned  a  lion,  and  my  young  heart  leaped  with  joy  when  I  went 
up  to  Black's  shop  and  saw  the  2  *000  blue  coats  filing  by.  Every  tongue 
was  in  his  praise,  and  the  Confederate  congress  congratulated  the 
brilliant  achievement.  In  the  midst  of  this  rejoicing,  it  was  secretly 
whispered  that  one  of  Murf reesboro's  fair  women,  Miss  Hattie  Ready, 
had  "captured"  John  Morgan.  "The  voice  of  the  bridegroom  and 
the  bricle"  was  soon  to  be  heard,  and  from  out  the  exuberance  over 
military  glory,  on  December  14,  at  the  home  of  the  bride's  father, 
Colonel  Ready,  in  Murfreesboro,  Lieutenant-General  Polk  (Bishop 
Polk)  in  full  uniform,  performed  the  ceremony,  and  Generals  Bragg, 
Hardee,  Cheatham,  and  Duke  stood  by  them  as  best  men.  Even 
Colonel  St.  Ledger  Grenfel,  the  Moor,  whose  rigid  enforcement  of 
military  discipline  was  causing  a  reign  of  terror  among  the  cavalr}", 
was  there,  wreathed  in  smiles,  and,  while  he  was  fearful  that  the 
marriage  might  lessen  Morgan's  usefulness,  yet  he  thought  it  grand, 
that  his  chief  was  honored  by  such  guests.  About  this  time  Steven 
son's  infantry  division  had  been  sent  off  to  Baton  Rouge,  while 
Rosecarns  was  re-inforcing.  Then  General  Forrest  had  to  look  after 
hostile  forces  in  West  Tennessee,  and,  in  order  to  divert  Rosecrans, 
Morgan  was  started  on  another  raid  to  Kentucky. 

Some  of  our  infantry  was  sent  near  the  front  as  supports  to 
cavalry,  and  dashes  and  fights  became  more  frequent.  On  the  night 
of  December  28,  at  a  party  of  young  folks  at  Smyrna  depot,  it  was 
said  that  the  Federal  army  was  moving  upon  us;  that  McCook's  corps 
had  taken  the  Nashville-Triune  pike,  Thomas  the  Franklin  to  the 
intersection  of  the  Wilson  pike,  leading  to  Nolensville,  and  that 
Crittenden  and  Rosecrans  were  advancing  on  the  pike  from  Nashville 
towards  Murfreesboro,  and  had  reached  Lavergne.  The  soldiers  at 
the  party  took  leave  of  their  friends  and  sweethearts.  Among  them 
was  Lieuteoant  F.  B.  Crosthwait,  who  went  to  his  command  (the 
Twentieth  Tennessee)  while  the  "Seed  Corn  Contingent"  returned  to 
their  respective  homes  awaiting  developments. 

On  December  29,  there  was  heard  the  rumbling  of  artillery 
toward  Lavergne.  It  was  more  distinct  and  gradually  came  closer 
and  closer,  until  about  nightfall  on  all  the  pikes  could  be  seen  the 
stubborn  falling  back  of  the  cavalry.  At  Nolensville,  Thomas  came 


150  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

in  the  rear  of  McCook,  who  was  at  Triune  fighting  Hardee's  front 
(Bragg's  left  wing),  which  also  was  falling  back  towards  Murfreesboro. 
At  Lavergne,  Crittenden's  division  broke  off  at  the  intersection  and 
took  the  Jefferson  'pike  and  camped  that  night  at  Espey's  church, 
throwing  their  vanguard  to  the  north  side  of  the  bridge,  on  the  west 
fork  of  Stone's  river.  There  was  a  calm  that  night  preceeding  the 
storm,  that  even  a  boy  in  bewilderment  noticed.  About  daybreak 
Wheeler's  cavalry  from  Murfreesboro  moved  out  to  strike  the  Federal 
rear.  Meandering  paths  were  taken  to  the  Sharp  Springs  ford  oppo 
site  Espey's  church,  and  in  a  short  time,  the  "zip-zip"  of  minmes, 
and  the  basso  interlude  of  the  shells,  beat  upon  the  air. 

It  was  my  first  sight  of  a  battle.  It  sounded  like  the  breaking  of 
millions  of  sticks,  and  the  cannons  boomed  like  a  -trip  ^hammer  sounds 
over  a  stubborn  piece  of  heated  iron.  Then  followed  the  woo-oo-oo-ing 
of  the  solid  shot,  the  w-h-i-z-z-i-n-g,  w-h-i-n-i-n-g  howl  of  a  shell,  as  with 
a  shuck  tied  to  it.  Wheeler  had  engaged  them  for  a  while  with  a 
brigade,  and  continued  to  the  rear  towards  Lavergne,  where  he  struck 
the  wagon  train,  and  destroyed  hundreds. 

One  of  the  diverting  incidents  of  the  Espey's  church  battle  was 
the  conduct  of  a  neighboring  physician.  He  was  of  a  nervous  turn, 
but,  like  Weelam  McClure  in  "Beside  the  Bonnie  Briar  Bush,"  he 
was  highly  respected  as  "the  doctor"  of  the  glen.  When  the  shells 
crashed  through  his  house  he  broke  through  the  woods  urging  his 
wife  to  follow.  She  said :  '  'Hold  on ;  let  me  get  the  baby. ' '  The  doctor 
said,  "LET  THE  BABY  GO,"  and  off  he  ran  to  get  away  from 
danger. 

In  a  short  time  after  the  fight,  this  flanking  column  was  all 
marching  via  Smyrna  depot,  called  back  to  the  Murfreesboro  pike, 
and  then  the  rattling  and  rumbling  of  firearms  evervwhere  all  day 
and  at  rapid  intervals  was  kept  up  at  Stone's  river  and  in  the  rear. 
The  flank  movement  via  the  Jefferson  pike  having  been  withdrawn, 
when  perhaps  they  found  that  the  bridges  above  and  below  Jefferson, 
in  the  fork  of  the  junction  of  the  river,  had  been  burned,  it  left  us 
high  and  dry  from  the  invader,  and  their  "round  up"  made  the  west 
fork  of  Stone  river  their  line  of  defense.  And  so  it  was  that  Rose- 
crans  had  concentrated  his  army  near  Murfreesboro. 

From  the  memoranda  issued  by  General  Bragg  for  general  and 
staff  officers  the  line  of  battle  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee  was  formed 
for  the  coming  onslaught: 

"1.  The  line  of  battle  will  be  in  front  of  Murfreesboro,  half  of 
the  army  (left  wing)  in  front  of  Stone  river,  right  wing  in  rear  of  the 
river. 

2.  Folk's  corps  will  form  left  wing,  Hardee's  corps  right  wing. 

3.  Wither's   division    will    form    first    line   in    Folk's   corps, 
Cheatham's  the  second  line.     Breckinridge's  division  forms  first  line, 
Hardee's  corps;  Cleburne's  division,  second  line,  Hardee's  corps. 

"4.  McCown's  division  to  form  reserve  opposite  center  on  high 
ground,  in  the  rear  of  Cheatham's  present  quarters. 

"5  Jackson's  brigade  reserved  to  the  right  flank,  to  report  to 
Lieutenant-General  Hardee. 


.  . 


ECHOES  FROM  THE  BATTLE  OF  MURFRRESBORO.  151 

"6.  Two  lines  to  be  formed  from  800  to  1,000  yards  apart,  ac 
cording  to  ground. 

"7.  Chiefs  of  artillery  to  pay  especial  attention  to  posting  of 
batteries  and  supervise  their  work,  seeing  that  they  do  not  causelessly 
waste  their  ammunition. 

"8.  Cavalry  to  fall  back  gradually  before  the  enemy,  reporting 
by  couriers  every  hour,  when  near  our  lines.  Wheeler  will  move  to 
the  right  and  Wharton  to  the  left  to  cover  and  protect  our  flanks  and 
report  movements  of  the  enemy.  Pegram  to  fall  to  the  rear  and 
report  to  commanding  general  as  a  reserve. 

"9.  To-night,  if  the  enemy  has  gained  his  position  in  our  front 
ready  for  action,  Wheeler  and  Wharton,  with  their  whole  commands, 
will  make  a  night  march  to  the  right  and  left,  turn  the  enemy's  flank, 
gain  the  rear,  and  vigorously  assault  his  trains  and  rear  guard, 
blocking  the  roads  and  impeding  his  movements  in  every  way,  holding 
themselves  ready  to  assail  his  retreating  forces. 

"10.  All  quartermasters,  commissaries,  and  ordinance  officers 
will  remain  at  their  proper  posts,  discharging  their  duties.  Supplies 
and  baggage  should  be  ready,  packed  for  a  move  forward  or  back 
ward,  as  the  results  of  the  day  may  require,  and  the  trains  should  be 
in  position  out  of  danger,  teamsters  all  present,  and  quartermasters 
in  charge. 

"Should  we  be  compelled  to  retire,  Folk's  corps  will  move  on 
Shelbyville,  and  Hardee  on  the  Manchester  pike.  Trains  in  front, 
cavalry  in  the  rear." 

BRAXTON  BRAGG. 


And  so  was  Bragg's  disposition  of  his  army. 

Our  cavalry  was  so  persistent  that  it  took  Kosecrans  four  days 
to  move  twenty  miles  to  confront  Bragg.  Rosecrans  was  all  day 
Tuesday,  the  30th,  locating  his  artillery  and  extending  his  left  so  as 
to  flank  Bragg's  right  from  the  McFadden  ford.  When  nightfall 
came,  McCook  commanded  Rosecrans'  right,  Thomas  the  center,  and 
Crittenden  the  left. 

General  Rosecrans  reported:  "My  plan  of  battle  was  to  open  on 
the  right  and  engage  the  enemy  sufficiently  to  hold  him  firmly  and 
cross  with  my  left  (at  McFadden's  ford),  consisting  of  three  divisions, 
to  oppose  which  they  had  only  two  divisions.  But  the  enemy  attacked 
the  whole  front  of  our  right  wing;  massing  his  force  on  its  right  flank, 
which  was  partially  surprised,  thrown  into  confusion  and  driven 
back" 

General  Bragg  says  that  it  became  apparent  that  the  object  was 
to  flank  on  his  right,  and  he  determined  to  assail  him  on  our  left 
Wednesday,  the  31st.  For  this  purpose  he  moved  Cleburne's  division, 
Hardee, s  corps,  from  the  second  line  of  the  right  to  the  left,  having 
previously  moved  McCown  to  the  first  line  on  Triune  road  left,  and 
General  Hardee  was  ordered  to  that  point,  and  assigned  to  the  com 
mand  of  that  of  McCown's  division. 

The  movement  was  made  on  the  evening  of  December  30th,  and 
before  7  o'clock  the  next  morning,  the  anticipated  time  for  Rosecrans 


152 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


to  begin  his  flank  movement  on  his  left.  The  result  of  this  was  the 
entire  route  of  the  Federal  right  wing,  and  it  would  have  been  of 
Rosecran's  army  had  it  been  vigorously  followed  up.  To  show  that 
this  was  so,  those  of  us  in  the  rear  picked  up  stragglers  fleeing  in 
every  direction.  A  number  of  us  near  Old  Jefferson  got  over  200 
during  the  battle  and  marched  them  to  our  pickets  at  Black's  shop, 
four  miles  on  the  Lebanon  pike  crossing,  and  turned  them  over  as 
prisoners.  They  came  down  the  west  side  of  the  river  in  squads,  and 
when  we  would  halloo  "halt!"  up  would  go  a  white  handkerchief. 

The  flush  of  Wednesday's  battle,  together  with  the  information 
from  these  stragglers  that  we  had  run  them  back  north  of  the  pike, 
and  corralled  the  whole  Federal  army,  from  the  turnpike  north  at 
what  is  now  the  cemetery,  to  the  McFadden  ford,  coupled  with 

Wheeler's  and  Whar- 
ton's  burning  800  wag 
ons  from  Overall  creek 
to  the  asylum,  led  all  to> 
believe,  that  the  retreat 
or  Rosecrans  was  inev 
itable,  and  the  destruc 
tion  of  his  army  certain. 
By  way  of  'paren 
thesis,  let  me  give  you 
a  pointer  of  the  prowess 
of  our  southern  cavalry 
inadvertently  praised  by 
General  Rosecrans  him 
self,  in  the  shape  of  a 
beautiful  tribute  to  one 
of  his  officers,  who 
evidently  saved  the  am 
munition  train  of  the 
Federal  army  from  the 
holocaust  of  Wednes- 
day's  fight.  Captain 
G.  P.  Thurston  met 
Captain  Thompson  of 
General  Rosecrans'  staff 
and  told  him  to  inform 
the  general  that  the 
ammunition  train  of  the 
right  wing,  75  wagons, 
had  been  brought  by 
him  across  the 'country 
in  safety  and  was  at  the  command  of  the  army  then  and  there. 

The  staff  officer,  excited  by  the  unexpected  news,  hastened  to  tell 
the  commander,  for  all  at  headquarters  had  until  then,  given  up  the 
ammunition  as  lost  to  the  army  in  the  disaster  to  the  right  wing 
Wednesday,  believing  it  to  have  been  gobbled  up  by  the  hordes  of 
Confederate  riders  in  the  rear.  General  Rosecrans  with  staff  dashed 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    JAS.    E.   RAINS. 


ECHOES  FROM  THE  BATTLE  OF  MURFREESBORO. 


153 


down  to  where  the  captain  stood  with  the  query:  "Where  is  the 
man  who  said  that  the  ammunition  train  was  saved?"  Thruston  said: 
"I  am  the  man."  "Who  are  you?"  "G.  P.  Thruston,  1st  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry."  "Had  you  charge  of  the  train  and  guard?" 
"I  had,  sir."  "What  is  your  rank?"  "Captain."  '/Well  sir,  con 
sider  yourself  promoted  for  gallantry  to  the  rank  of  Major."  General 
McCook,  it  seemed,  was  so  impressed  at  G.  P.  Thruston's  rescue  of 
his  ordnance  train  twice  from  our  cavalry,  that  he  had  him  made  his 
chief  of  staff  of  the  Twentieth  army  corps,  with  the  rank  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  Thruston,  it  is  said,  was  showered  from  the 
War  Department  with  praise  from  his  army  and  with  two  commissions 
in  one  day.  With  this  high  honor  crowning  his  millitary  efforts,  the 
former  captain  Thruston  grew  to  be  a  Brigadier-General. 

Whilst  in  our  midst,  al 
though  faithful  to  his  cause,  he 
became  enraptured  with  South 
ern  ways,  and  settled  down 
after  the  war  in  the  city  of  Nash 
ville,  soon  married  a  Southern 
belle,  and  after  her  death  married 
another,  who  is  now  the  solace  of 
his  earthly  sojourn. 

Ever  since  the  60's  his  de 
meanor  as  a  mild  mannered  man, 
prudent  and  polite,  has  enlisted 
the  respect  of  those  who  know 
him,  and  in  social  life  he  enjoyed 
the  fruits  of  civil  as  well  as 
military  honors. 

Among  these  stragglers 
that  the  "Seed  Corn  Conting 
ent"  was  picking  up  appeared 
a  lieutenant-colonel  with  his 
eagles  and  epaulets.  He  was 
on  a  good  horse  and  had  a  pair 

of  fine  holsters.  Two  of  us,  anxious  for  big  game,  commanded 
him  to  surrender,  but  that  fellow  went  for  his  navies,  and,  fearing 
that  our  little  six  shooters  were  too  small,  we  "withdrew,"  for  better 
guns  and  after  picking  up  a  few  more  boys,  followed  on  and  took  him 
in  seven  miles  this  side  of  Lebanon.  He  said  that  "he  was  not  going 
to  let  two  boys  with  pocket  pistols  capture  him."  That  colonel  was 
six  miles  from  the  battlefield,  and  a  Federal  officer  told  me  after  the 
war  that  he  was  cashiered  for  cowardice. 

Notwithstanding  the  apparent  confusion  in  the  enemy's  rear  on 
Thursday,  the  roaring  of  artillery  continued  at  Murfreesboro,  and 
about  three  o'clock  on  Friday  the  firing  of  artillery  and  small  arms 
was  more  terrific  than  usual.  A  fearful  battle  was  evidently  in  prog 
ress.  It  turned  out  to  be  Breckinridge's  fatal  charge,  where  he  is  said 
to  have  been  repulsed  with  a  loss  of  1,500  privates  and  300  officers 
killed  and  wounded.  It  is  the  history  of  that  event  that  he  was  driv- 


GENERAL   G.    P.  THRUSTON. 


154 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AEMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


ing  one  or  two  lines  into  the  river  at  McFadden's  ford,  when  fifty-two 
pieces  of  artillery  opened  up  and  almost  decimated  his  ranks.  On  that 
Friday,  my  dear  mother  made  her  way  to  Murfreesboro  through  the 
Confederate  pickets  to  look  after  husband  and  sons,  and  reached 
there,  after  passing  through  long  lines  of  cavalry  mounted,  and 
ready  for  the  conflict. 

I  quote  from  a  letter  she  wrote  of  this  trip:  "On  entering  town 
what  a  sight  met  my  e}^es!  Prisoners  entering  every  street,  ambu 
lances  bringing  in  the  wounded,  every  place  crowded  with  the  dying, 
the  Federal  general,  Sill,  lying  dead  in  the  courthouse — killed 
Wednesday— Frank  Crosthwait's  (Twentieth  Tennessee)  lifeless  corpse 
stretched  on  a  counter.  He  had  been  visiting  my  house  and  was 
killed  on  Wednesday.  The  churches  were  full  of  wounded  where 
the  doctors  were  amputating  legs  and  arms.  I  found  my  own  safe, 

and  being  informed  that  another 
battle  was  expected  to  begin,  I 
set  off  on  my  way  home,  and 
passed  through  our  cavalry  all 
drawn  up  in  line.  I  had  only 
gone  a  mile  when  the  first  can 
non  boomed,  but  I  was  safe.  I 
think  of  that  trip  now  with 
wonder  that  I  had  no  fear,  but 
my  anxiety  was  so  intense  it 
seemed  at  the  time  that  it  was 
no  more  than  a  visit." 

In  all  these  days  from  the 
26th  to  the  29th,  Wheeler, 
Wharton,  and  Pegram  seemed 
busy,  and  then  from  the  30th 
to  the  4th  of  January  they 
made  three  rounds  of  the  Federal 
army,  and  rushed  back  to  Mur 
freesboro  at  times  to  protect 
the  flanks.  The  movement  was 
wonderful,  and  it  was  there  that 
General  Wheeler  properly  won 
the  sobriquet  of  '  'Fighting  Joe. ' ' 

Undoubtedly  up  to  the  time  that  Breckinridge  made  his  fatal 
charge  the  Confederates  had  the  battle,  and  the  Federal  commander 
was  expecting  to  retreat.  It  is  said,  whether  true  or  not,  that  in  the 
Federal  conference  after  the  rout  of  December  31,  the  commander 
was  bewildered. 

The  papers  captured  on  the  field  out  of  McCook's  headquarters 
wagon  placed  the  Federal  army  there  between  sixty  and  seventy 
thousand,  and  with  Bragg's  force  of  30,000  effectives','  besides  5,000 
cavalry,  undoubtedly  his  battle  as  aggressor  in  an  open  fight  was  one 
of  the  most  masterful  efforts  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee.  Bragg  out 
generaled  his  adversary  in  the  outset,  and  on  Wednesday  evening,  had 
he  thrown  Breckinridge's  division — although  heavily  drawn  from — 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    ROGER     HANSON 

Killed  in  Friday's  battle. 


ECHOES  FROM  RHE  BATTLE  OF  MURFREESBORO. 


155 


against  Crittenden  at  McFadden's  ford,  as  he  says  he  ordered,  the 
fruits  of  the  victory  of  Hardee  and  Polk  on  Wednesday  would  have 
been  realized. 

There  were  incidents  in  that  battle  that  made  wonderful  impres 
sions  on  me.  For  eight  long  hours  McCown's,  Cieburne's,  Wither's 
and  Cheatham's  divisions  were  mowing  down  line  after  line  of  McCook 
and  Thomas,  and  even  parts  of  Crittenden  until  they  were  driven 
from  the  Triune  road  across  the  Wilkerson  to  the  Nashville  pike,  two 
and  one-half  miles  back,  until  the  enemy  was  ^formed  into  a  north  and 
south  instead  of  a  former  east  and  west  line. 

The  backward  run  of  the  enemy's  right  and  center  became  a 
whirlpool  of  disorder,  until  the  railroad  embankment  was  their  only 
salvation.  Men,  although  mortally  wounded,  continued  the  pursuit 

until  they  fell  faint 
ing  from  loss  of 
blood.  Colonel 
Burke,  of  a  Texas 
regiment, they  say, 
slapped  his  hands 
over  the  wound  in 
his  breast  to  stop 
the  blood,  and  hal 
looed,  "Charge  'em 
boys,"  and  follow 
ed  on  until  he  fell. 
Major  Douglass,  of 
artillery  fame,  cap 
tured  a  battery 
from  the  enemy. 
In  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  and  with 
grape  and  shrap 
nel,  at  the  critical 
moment  he  cut 
swaths  in  the  lines 
of  blue,  appalling 
and  stampeding 
them.  They  also 
say  that  Sergeant 
A.  Simms,  flag- 
bearer  of  the  Tenth 
Texas,  seeing  in 
one  of  the  charges 
a  Federal  fl  a  g- 
bearer  with  his 
colors  waving  his 
regiment  forward, 
sprang  at  him  and 

seized  it,  and  while  struggling  both  fell  and  died  clutching  their  ban 
ners  to  their  last  breath.  It  is  said  that  Lieutenant  Fred  James, volun- 


GENEKAL  JOHN  C.  BRECKINRIDGE. 


156 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


teer  on  Cheatham's  staff,  alawyer  from  Murfreesboro,  was  killed  near 
his  mother's  farm  in  the  battle.     The  Allen  boys,  Orville  Ewing,  Nat 

Gooch,  J.  B. 
Johns,  Colonel 
Don  McGregor 
(First  Arkansas 
who  formerly 
lived  here), were 
wounded  or 
killed,  and  the 
death  knell 
throughout  the 
army  was  awful . 
Captain 
Semple  of  Sem- 
p  1  e '  s  battery, 
located  on  the 
left,  saw  a  fine 
looking  offic  er 
dashing  up  the 
pike  in  the  di- 
ection  of  the  cen 
ter.  He  thought 
him  a  general, 
and  asked  one  of 
the  gunners  to 
pick  him  off.  The 
gunner  loaded  a 
solid  shot,  took 
careful  aim  with 
his  cannon,  and 
at  her  belch  the 
officer  fell  down 
dead  from  his 

,    B.    PALMEK. 

adjutant-general  of  the  Federal  army,  Colonel  Garesche,  reported 
killed  by  a  solid  shot. 

In  the  meantime  the  "'Seed  Corn  Contingent"  was  picking  up 
stragglers,  in  a  hard  rain,  and  delivered  them  to  our  pickets  at  Black's 
shop.  As  the  blue  lines  rose  and  fell,  the  Federal  General  Sill  (we 
heard)  was  killed,  and  our  General  Raines  was  pierced  through  the 
heart.  The  fearful  destruction  of  color-bearers,  some  regiments 
losing  six  to  eight,  will  give  an  idea  of  the  fierceness  of  ^  the 
struggle.  Two  Federal  brigadiers  were  captured;  ^  Generals  Wood 
and&Vancleve  were  wounded.  The  seven  days'  fight  about  Mur 
freesboro  recalls  that  of  the  same  name  around  Richmond.  It  was  forty 
years  ago,  but  the  memory  is  as  vivid  as  if  it  were  yesterday.  ^ 

But  after  Wednesday  the  aggressive  work  stopped.  Cleburne 
said  that  the  enemy  were  entrenched,  and  while  he  could  defend,  yet 


ECHOES  FROM  THE  BATTLE  OF  MURFREESBORO.  157 

it  was  unsafe  to  pursue  again  with  worn  out  troops.  So  Thursday 
came  and  every  moment's  delay  was  death  to  the  ultimate  success  of 
Southern  arms.  The  suspense  made  us  restless  about  the  result. 
Wagons  and  bodies  of  troops  were  moving  back  toward  Nashville 
and  stragglers  from  the  Federal  lines  did  not  diminish.  But  the  charge 
of  Breckinridge  came  on  the  2d,  causing  that  awful  slaughter.  It  fell 
upon  us  like  a  thunder  bolt.  Our  neighbors  and  relatives  and  friends 
were  there.  The  gallant  Hanson  of  Kentucky  was  killed.  Colonel 
Palmer,  afterwards  General  Palmer,  of  our  town  was  wounded,  and 
our  dead  and  dying  lay  before  fifty-two  pieces  of  the  enemy's  guns, 
massed  by  Mendenhall,  Crittenden's  chief  of  artillery,  at  McFadden's 
ford. 

It  was  a  sudden  shock  to  the  flushed  spirits  of  the  Army  of 
Tennessee.  Friday  night  in  the  lull,  my  father,  who  had  been  watch 
ing  the  battle,  returned  to  us  and  said  that  our  army  would  retire. 
And  thus  ended  the  great  battle.  Polk  withdrew  on  the  Shelbyville 
pike  and  Hardee  on  the  Manchester  pike. 

We  boys  went  through  the  form  of  paroling  our  prisoners.  After 
the  war  we  received  a  letter  from  one  of  those  Yanks,  wanting  a  cer 
tificate  of  parole,  having  mislaid  the  one  we  gave  him.  They  were 
accusing  him  up  North  of  desertion  in  a  race  for  the  legislature.  But 
we  could  not  help  him,  as  we  were  not  empowered  to  issue  paroles. 

And  now,  when  summing  up  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro  (Stone 
river)  we  assert  that  for  fierceness  and  the  display  of  military  skill  it 
was  not  surpassed. 

In  the  official  reports,  Union  and  Confederate  armies  (Vol.  XIV, 
Series  1,  page  1,097)  the  list  of  ordnance  and  other  articles  captured 
and  of  men  wounded  and  taken  prisoners  by  General  Bragg's  army  at 
Murfreesboro  are  as  follows:  Artillery,  40  pieces;  muskets,  6,000; 
wagons,  800;  mules,  4,000;  killed,  5,000;  wounded,  16,000;  prisoners, 
6,103.  This  report,  though,  does  not  agree  with  the  returns  of 
casualties  in  the  Union  forces,  which  places  the  aggregate  of  losses  in 
killed,  wounded,  and  missing  at  13,249.  The  returns  of  casualties  in 
Confederate  forces,  killed,  wounded  and  missing,  9,865.  Of  these, 
7,706  were  killed  and  wounded,  and  only  888  missing,  showing  a  game 
fight  on  the  part  of  our  army  from  start  to  finish.  (See  Series  I,  Vol. 
20,  page  681,  Rebellion  Records.) 

The  battle  was  never  a  victory  to  Rosecrans.  His  overwhelming 
numbers  in  pursuit  were  defenders  in  the  conflict.  It  was  a  victory  to 
Southern  arms,  for  the  lion  dared  not  pursue  us.  We  retired  at  will, 
and  retained  the  larger  part  of  Tennessee  for  ten  months  that  we  had 
been  forced  before  to  give  up,  affording  supplies  to  our  people.  Our 
outposts  retired  only  twelve  to  fifteen  miles. 

On  the  night  of  January  3,  1863,  after  burying  valuables  for 
loved  ones,  and  sa}dng  goodbye,  those  of  Jeff  Davis's  "Seed  Corn" 
that  had  been  so  active  at  Old  Jefferson  during  the  battle,  retired 
with  the  grand  aid  Army  of  Tennessee  "to  pick  their  flints  and  come 
again". 

The  result  of  the  battle,  with  some,  tended  to  impair  General 
Bragg's  usefulness,  for  all  felt  sure  that  the  battle  was  won.  Bragg's 


158  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

conception  of  it  was  grand,  his  execution  praiseworthy,  and  he  had 
ordered  the  right  to  advance  on  Wednesday  and  complete  the  route, 
and  but  for  the  unfortunate  information  to  Breckinridge  that  the 
enemy  was  flanking,  the  order  would  have  been  carried  out.  That 
was  the  turning  point  in  the  battle,  and  no  commander  could  foresee  it. 
Information  as  to  increased  re-enforcements  to  the  enemy  induced 
Bragg' s  generals  to  advise  retreat. 

Bragg's  conception  of  every  battle  displayed  generalship.  The 
more  the  passions  subside,  and  reason  sits  enthroned  upon  the  heart, 
the  more  history  will  take  the  part  of  the  private  soldier,  and  do 
General  Bragg's  memory  justice,  and  the  world  will  commend  the 
Confederate  government  for  retaining  him  among  her  faithful 
generals. 

It  was  not  Northern  generalship  that  brought  mishap  in  some  of 
our  battles,  nor  want  of  Southern  skill  that  caused  the  overthrow  of 
the  Confederacy — it  was  God. 


ACHIEVEMENTS  OF  "FIGHTING  JOE"  WHEELER  IN  THE 

SIXTIES. 


At  the  February  meeting  of  the  J.  P.  Palmer  Bivouac  of  Con 
federate  Veterans  in  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  the  following  interesting 
paper  on  Wheeler's  cavalry  was  read  by  Captain  B.  L.  Ridley: 

Major  M.  H.  Clift,  a  lawyer  in  Chattanooga,  had  an  eventful 
history  in  the  sixties.  He  bears  the  distinction  of  having  captured 
his  own  father — says  it  was  done  by  his  men.  Major  Clift  was  on 
General  Dibrell's  staff  and  his  father  was  a  colonel  in  the  Federal 
army,  from  Hamilton  County,  Tenn.  At  the  time  of  his  capture  he 
was  on  General  Rosecran's  staff  and  bearing  dispatches  from  General 
Rosecrans  to  General  Burnside.  The  capture  was  effected  near 
Washington,  Rhea  county,  Tenn.,  soon  after  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga.  When  the  scouting  party  came  in  with  Colonel  Clift  and 
delivered  him  among  other  Federal  prisoners  to  General  Dibrell, 
Major  Clift  insisted  on  having  him  paroled,  pledging  his  honor  that 
Colonel  Clift  when  he  gave  his  word  would  observe  it.  This  instance 
is  referred  to  simply  to  show  the  sentiment  of  those  days  that  divided 
families,  and  the  courtesy  extended  from  one  to  the  other.  Both  of 
these  gentlemen  were  true  to  their  respective  sides. 

A  short  time  since  I  drew  Major  Clift  out  upon  his  old  cavalry 
exploits,  and  more  especially  with  Wheeler's  cavalry.  He  is  rather 
reticent  in  regard  to  his  own  achievements  and  thinks  that  Forrest, 
under  whom  he  served  much  of  the  time,  was  the  greatest  military 
genius  of  the  war. 

Concerning  General  Wheeler,  with  whom  he  served  also  a  portion, 
of  the  time,  he  regretted  that  "The  Veteran"  did  not  contain  more 
accounts  of  "Little  Joe's"  feats. 

EYES  AND  EARS  OF  ARMY. 

Said  Major  Clift:  "Did  you  know  that  Fighting  Joe  was  the  eyes 
and  ears  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee;  and  in  all  the  wanderings  of  that 
army  was  never  caught  napping;  that  he  proved  himself  so  efficient  in 
hugging  an  army  and  keeping  the  commanders  posted  that  Generals 
Bragg  and  Jos.  E.  Johnston  would  never  give  him  up;  that  he  was 
the  finest  scout  and  obtainer  of  information  an  army  ever  had  was  a 
recognized  fact? 

"Did  you  remember  his  'swinging  around  the  circle'  at  the  battle 
of  Murfreesboro  (Stone's  river,)  after  Rosecrans  had  concentrated  his 
forces  for  the  fight?  General  Wheeler  on  the  first  night  of  the  fight 


160 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


went  out  on  the  Lebanon  pike  on  our  right,  intersected  the  Jefferson 
pike,  took  down  that,  and  at  Old  Jefferson  made  a  detour,  took  the 
Sharp  Springs 
ford  at  Lav- 
e  rgn  e ,  and 
almost  used  up 
his  transporta 
tion,  while  Gen 
eral  Wharton 
marched  around 
to  the  left  on 
the  Franklin 
road  and  swept 
everything  be 
fore  him.  I 
don't  believe 
there  could  have 
been  a  grander 
achievement 
than  an  attack 
o  n  Rosecrans' 
rear  with  their 
united  forces. 
Wheeler  did 
this  three  times 
during  the 
week's  battle, 
and  all  the  time 
watched  the 
right  and  left 
wing  of  Bragg' s 
army.  That 
swing  around 
the  circle  was  a 


GENERAL  JOE  WHEELER. 

cavalry  feat  that 

is  unprecedented,  and  just  after  our  retreat,  on  January  8th,  he  turned 
up  below  Nashville,  forty  miles  on  the  Cumberland  river,  burning 
gun  boats  and  transports.  Jeb  Stuart's  dash  in  the  East,  so  much 
commented  upon,  did  not  surpass  this,  and  in  the  Tullahoma  campaign 
the  Federal  forces  were  so  harassed  by  Wheeler's  and  Van  Dorn's 
cavalry  that  Rosecrans  had  to  equip  a  large  portion  of  his  army  as 
mounted  infantry  to  keep  them  off  of  him.  It  seemed  like  "Little 
Joe"  never  slept,  and  the  work  he  put  on  his  scouts  caused  more 
horses  to  be  killed  and  more  endurance  on  the  part  of  his  men  than 
those  who  never  tried  it  can  imagine". 

CONFRONTING  SHERMAN. 

"That  Dal  ton- Atlanta  campaign  was  one  that  tried  the  souls  of 
the  cavalry  branch,  and  when  it  had  to  take  the  place  of  our  with 
drawing  infantry  lines,  it  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  things  in 


ACHIEVEMENTS  OF  "FIGHTING  JOE5'  WHEELER. 


161 


the  annals  of  war  that  General  Wheeler,  in  the  hundred  days  of  fight 
ing,  never  allowed  the  Army  of  Tennessee  to  be  surprised.  When 
Hood's  army  left  us  and  went  into  Tennessee  from  Jonesboro,  Ga., 
Wheeler's  cavalry  was  deputized,  and  given  the  honor  to  confront 
Sherman  in  his  march  to  the  sea.  When  you  number  the  exploits  of 
Confederate  cavalry  commanders,  as  our  boys  used  to  say,  'Wheeler 
is  no  sardine;  he's  a  whale'. 

"Think  of  taking  care  of  an 
army  of  45,000  when  125,000  are 
after  them,  as  was  the  case  from 
Dalton  to  Atlanta,  and  the  action 
of  Wheeler  grows  upon  you.  He 
had  orders  on  the  retreat  to  the 
sea,  to  destroy  all  support  in  front 
of  Sherman's  army,  to  prevent  his 
getting  supplies.  In  consequence 
of  these  orders  our  citizens  were 
very  much  down  on  us,  but  we 
never  destroyed  anj^thing  that 
did  not  afford  subsistance  to 
Sherman's  army,  while  he  (Sher 
man)  burned  cities  and  looted 
everything  in  his  path". 

An  amusing  incident  is  said 
to  have  occurred  at  Tunnel  Hill, 
the  winter  our  army  was  quartered 
at  Dalton.  General  Kilpatrick, 
who  had  been  a  schoolmate  at 
West  Point  of  General  Wheeler, 
sent  a  note  to  him  by  a  citizen. 
The  note  read  in  substance  as 
follows: 

"Dear  Wheeler:  I  came  day 
before  yesterday  and  drove  you 
back,  I  will  come  to-morrow  and 
whip  out  your  minions".  To  which  Wheeler  replied:  "I  have 
received  your  note.  Come  on,  I  will  be  at  the  whipping".  Kilpat 
rick  tried  it  and  with  his  command  was  sent  back  badly  demoralized. 

Says  Major  Clift:  "You  may  take  Wheeler's  command  in  the 
records  of  the  rebellion,  and  it  cuts  a  figure  in  the  Western  army 
that  the  Southland  points  to  with  pride". 

When  the  Government  commissioned  and  sent  Joe  Wheeler  to 
Cuba  or  Santiago,  the  world  knew  that  he  would  hold  to  his  spurs 
and  leave  a  deathless  name  as  a  soldier,  and  sure  enough,  El  Caney 
added  a  crown  to  his  already  won  glory. 

Continuing,  Major  Clift  said:  "I  followed  Fighting  Joe  long 
enough  in  the  sixties  to  become  convinced  of  his  generalship,  and  am 
glad  that  President  McKinley,  acting  for  the  Government,  recognized 
his  merits  and  gave  him  an  easy  berth  for  the  rest  of  his  days  as  a 
reward  for  his  service  to  his  country". 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL     GEO. 
DIBRELL,   C.   S.  A. 


G. 


162 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


LENGTHENED  THE  WAR. 

"It  used  to  be  common  for  the  infantry  to  call  the  cavalry 
'.'Buttermilk  Rangers,"  and  our  "Webfeet"  would  sometimes  belittle 
their  dashing  fights,  but  I'll  tell  you,  that  if  our  cavalry  in  the  East 
and  the  West  had  not  kept  thumping  those  big  armies  in  the  sides, 
the  confederacy  would  not  have  lingered  four  years. 

"Think  of  how  many  men  Morgan  drew  away  from  the  Federal 
army  in  his  raids  into  Kentucky,  and  the  property  destroyed,  of  how 


COLONEL,  AFTERWARD  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  JNO.  A. 

WHARTON,  COMMANDING  THE  FAMOUS  TEXAS 

CAVALRY  IN  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Forrest  kept  away  reinforcements*  and  inflicted  punishment  upon  the 
Federals,  and  how  Little  Joe  Wheeler  was  so  active  against  the  enemy, 
and  how  Shelby  kept  them  on  the  qui  vive  out  West,  and  of  how 
Jeb  Stuart's  raids  in  the  East  were  so  frequent  and  successful,  and 
you  will  see  that  their  achievements  were  phenomenal.  The  cavalry 
branches  of  the  Confederacy  proved  a  wonderful  source  of  the  South- 


ACHIEVEMENTS  OF  "FIGHTING  JOEM  WHEELED.  163 

land's  success.  The  result  of  Wheeler's  expedition  into  Tennessee 
alone  from  the  time  Hood  took  command,  July  17,  1864,  until  he  was 
put  in  front  of  the  troops  in  front  of  Sherman's  army  will  givejyou  a 
true  idea  of  his  generalship. 

"First,  he  caused  the  enemy  to  send  to  their  rear  to  reinforce 
their  garrisons  troops  several  times  as  strong  as  his. 

"Second,  they  destroyed  the  enemy's  lines  of  communication  for 
a  longer  period  of  time  than  that  of  any  other  cavalry  expedition. 

"Third,  the  capture  and  destruction  of  stores  to  an  enormous 
amount. 

"Fourth,  breaking  up  depots  and  fortfied  posts  in  Tennessee  and 
Georgia. 

"Fifth,  the  capture  of  more  than  2,000  horses  and  mules,  500 
wagons,  of  more  than  1,000  prisoners,  and  more  than  1,700  head  of 
beef  cattle  in  his  raid  through  Middle  Tennessee  from  Chattanooga 
after  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 

"Sixth,  the  capture  and  destruction  of  a  large  number  of  trains 
and  cars  loaded  with  supplies  for  the  Federal  army." 

RAID  INTO  TENNESSEE. 

'  'Seventh,  bringing  into  the  service  of  the  Confederate  States  on 
this  raid  over  3,000  recruits  and  only  lost  150  men  wounded  and 
missing.  Traveling  twenty-five  miles  a  day  from  Atlanta  to  Frank 
lin,  in  Tennessee,  and  back,  swimming  and  fording  during  the  time 
twenty-seven  rivers;  and  capturing  and  killing  in  said  raid  three  times 
more  men  than  his  effective  strength  ever  carried  into  action,  besides 
capturing  and  turning  over  to  the  government  an  amount  of  property 
of  more  value  than  the  entire  expense  his  command  had  been  to  the 
Confederate  government  in  the  four  years  of  service. 

"Generals  Hume,  Kelly,  Allen,  Dibrell,  Robertson  and  Anderson 
and  Colonels  Breckinridge,  McLemore,  Wheeler,  Harrison,  Crews, 
Hagan  and  Thompson  were  the  commanders  that  did  this.  General 
Kelley  was  killed  at  Franklin  in  August,  1864. 

'  'So  the  way  I  put  it  up  is,  not  to  say  that  one  cavalry  commander 
was  greater  than  another  in  the  war  between  the  States,  but  as  a 
whole  there  is  enough  glory  for  all,  and  history  will  point  to  this  arm 
of  the  service  as  one  of  the  wonderful  effectives  in  helping  to  hold  at 
bay  2,700,000  Federal  troops  for  four  long  years. 

"I  repeat  to  you,"  Major  Clift  emphasized  "that  Little  Joe 
Wheeler  was  no  cavalry  pigmy;  he  was  a  stem  winder  as  the  boys 
used  to  say — a  recognized  military  success,  and  all  of  us  join  in  letting 
him  enjoy  the  triumph  of  his  virtues  in  the  conscious  security  of  a 
people's  gratitude". 

In  speaking  to  General  Stewart  once,  of  the  attack  made  on  him 
in  the  rear  of  Bentonville,  North  Carolina  in  1865,  General  Stewart 
said  "that  General  Johnston  was  informed  by  his  cavalry  commander 
(whose  name  need  not  be  mentioned)  that  there  was  no  road  leading 
'round  Johnston's  left  to  his  rear.  But  there  was  such  a  road,  a 
Federal  division  found  it,  and  came  very  near  getting  into  our  rear, 
which  would  have  led  to  the  capture  or  utter  route  of  Johnston's  little 


164  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

army.  Cumming's  small  infantry  brigade  and  Dibrell's  small  cavalry 
force  (the  latter  being  led  by  Major  M.  H.  Clift,)  made  a  bold  charge 
— one  in  front — the  other  in  the  flank— of  this  Federal  division,  threw 
it  into  a  panic  and  routed  it.  This  alone  saved  the  day.  General 
Johnston  told  me  afterwards  that  such  a  thing  could  not  have  happened 
if  Wheeler  had  been  in  command  of  his  cavalry".  He  had  the  utmost 
confidence  in  Wheeler,  who  he  said,  would  have  known  every  road 
and  path  and  every  regimental  flag  in  the  opposing  army. 

WHEN  WHEELER  WAS  IN  THE  SADDLE. 

(BY  WILL  T.  HALE.) 

The  heroes  the  present  has  given — their  glory  we  would  not  mar, 
But  what  have  they  known  of  hardships,  and  what  have  they  seen  of 

wars  ? 

Jn  the  stern  old  fight  of  secession  we  fought  for  our  homes  indeed, 
In  the  shadow  of  danger  ever,  handicapped  by  the  direst  need. 
And  again  through  the  haze  of  the  seasons  the  days  come  back  to  our 

view 
When  Wheeler  was  in  the  saddle,  and  men  were  valiant  and  true. 

There  were  raids  to  be  made  in  the  darkness,  there  were  raids  to  be 

made  in  the  day. 
And  we  dared  death  often  with  laughter,  as  we  cantered  along  the 

way. 
What  mattered  that  few  was  our  number — that  we  were  with  poverty 

cursed, 

We  talked  of  the  glory  of  freedom,  and  regarded  our  liberty  first. 
And  we  said  it  was  glory  to  perish,  as  we  strove  with  the  troopers  in 

blue, 
When  Wheeler  was  in  the  saddle,  and  men  were  valiant  and  true. 

Oh,  the  tears  down  our  old  cheeks  trickle,  recalling  the  chiefs  that 

are  gone — 

The  weapons  laid  by  forever — the  saber  so  long  now  undrawn. 
While  thinking  of  by-gone  battles  and  sacrifices  in  vain, 
We  often  times  long  to  experience  the  strifes  and  the  dangers  again; 
But  we  know  that  the  ones  that  we  fought  for  will  render  those  days 

their  due. 
When  Wheeler  was  in  the  saddle,  and  the  men  were  valiant  and  true. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  MILTON  OR  VAUGHT'S  HILL, 
MARCH  20th,  1863. 


Lawrence  Sterne's  old  soldier, Uncle  Toby,  in  "Tristram  Shandy," 
had  a  hobbyhorse;  the  siege  of  Namur  and  the  Army  of  Flanders. 
Many  of  us  old  soldiers  are  now  hobbyhorsical  on  battles  and  incidents 
in  the  war  between  the  States.  History  not  only  repeats  itself,  but 
incidents  are  parodied  by  soldiers  of  today  with  those  of  yesterday. 
My  great  hobbyhorse  is  my  first  battle.  You  recall,  no  doubt,  how 
you  felt  in  your  first  regular  engagement. 

My  baptism  was  at  Milton,  March  20,  1863,  fourteen  miles  from 
Murfreesboro  and  fifteen  miles  from  Liberty.  Morgan's  cavalry  was 
stationed  at  Liberty,  twenty-nine  miles  east  of  Murfreesboro,  to 
guard  the  right  wing  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  my  regiment,  Ward's 
Ninth  Tennessee  among  them.  Rosecrans,  with  brigades  of  infantry 
and  cavalry,  almost  every  week,  from  his  base  at  Murfreesboro, would 
disturb  the  pleasure  of  our  dreams— sometimes  raiding  for  forage; 
often  trying  to  intercept,  and  then  receding,  at  times  driving  us  and 
then  being  driven.  The  cavalry  was  "eyes  and  ears  of  an  army." 
Just  back  of  Liberty  was  Snow  Hill,  our  retreat  when  raiding  parties 
were  too  heavy,  and  afterwards  made  famous  because  of  Morgan's 
"Snow  Hill  stampede."  After  our  post  had  been  driven  back  to 
within  a  few  miles  of  Liberty,  General  Morgan  came  from  his  head 
quarters  at  McMinnville  on  the  afternoon  of  March  19,  and  ordered 
us  to  be  in  readiness  to  move  against  the  enemy  next  morning. 
Quirk's  Scouts,  in  front,  took  the  Liberty-Milton-Murfreesboro  pike 
— Duke,  Johnson,  Grigsby,  Martin  Smith,  part  of  Ward's,  Gano's, 
Breckinridge's,  and  all  of  Morgan's  cavalry,  except  Cluke  and  Chen- 
ault,  detached.  The  distance  from  Liberty  to  Auburn  was  ten  miles; 
from  Auburn  to  Milton  five  miles. 

The  Federal  commander,  Colonel  Hall,  in  charge  of  raiders,  soon 
saw  that  Morgan's  "beehive"  was  stirred  up.  He  about-faced  and 
beat  a  retreat,  his  infantry  in  double-quick,  his  cavalry  confused  and 
agitated.  The  pursuit  was  exciting,  Quirk  trying  to  force  him  to 
battle  before  he  could  get  help  from  his  base,  Murfreesboro.  The 
pike  from  Liberty  was  crowded  with  horsemen.  At  first  they  moved 
in  a  trot,  next  a  gallop,  and  then  a  run.  After  the  speed  of  ten  miles, 
resulting  in  the  falling  out  of  jaded  horses  and  weakly  mounts,  we 
passed  Auburn  amid  waving  of  handkerchiefs,  yells  of  soldiers,  the 
pop,  pop,  pop,  of  small  arms,  and  the  booming  of  cannon  in  the  dis 
tance.  Wounded  horses  were  passing  to  the  rear,  Quirk's  mare 


166 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


among  them,  bleeding  from  three  or  four  balls;  wounded  men  bespat 
tered  with  mud,  bareheaded  women  and  children,  urging  us  on  in  the 
flurry  and  excitement  of  hot  pursuit.  Occasionally  the  order  passed 
down  the  lines:  "Close  up!  Colonel  A.  or  General  B.  to  the  front! 
Open  ranks!  Morgan  and  staff  forged  through.  The  pursuit  was 
eager. 

That  morning  was  full  of  incident.  We  pursued  the  raiding 
party  so  closely  that  they'd  stop  and  check  us.  A  mile  west  of  Milton 
we  forced  a  fight  with  about  two  thousand  infantry  and  five  hundred 


COL.  W.  W.  WARD. 

AS  HE  APPEARED  AT  FT.  DELAWARE, 
JUNE  1864.       LATER  CHANCEL 
LOR  OF  TENNESSEE. 

cavalry,  including  Stoke's  Tennessee  cavalry,  made  up  around  Liberty, 
and  commanded  by  Blackburn.  The  enemy  was  then  fourteen  miles 
from  his  base,  and  we  had  run  him  fifteen  from  ours.  Our  work  was 
to  be  done  quickly  for  fear  of  reenforcements.  When  we  had  passed 
Milton  we  counted  off  four,  held  horses,  and  formed  line  of  battle.  A 
hill  selected  by  the  enemy  could  not  have  been  better;  it  seemed 
impregnable.  The  gradual  slope  was  heavily  covered  with  woodland, 
including  cedar  bushes  so  thick  that  one  could  not  see  a  soldier.  The 
line  advanced,  its  flanks  barricaded  by  nature  with  rugged  boulders 


BATTLE  OF  MILTON  OR  VAUGHT7S  HILL. 


167 


and  undulations  ending  in  sudden  gorges.  In  the  distance  could  be 
seen  a  few  blue-coats  on  the  pike  at  the  crest,  along  which  was  evi 
dently  the  line  of  battle.  When  we  got  to  the  base  a  volley  belched 
forth  from  the  enemy,  and  at  the  first  fire  Lieutenant  Gates,  of  Car 
thage,  immediately  on  my  right,  had  his  fingers  shot  off.  On  the 
right  of  the  pike  General  Morgan  was  running  up  his  artillery  right 
into  the  mouth  of  the  crest.  A  little  orderly  (IA belie ve'_it_.was  Jimmie 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  JOHN  H.  MORGAN. 

Wintersmith),  on  his  pony,  rushed  up  with  orders  from  General.Mor- 
gan  directing  Ward's  regiment  to  support  the  batter}^.  Boom!  boom! 
came  from  the  enemy's  guns  on  the  crest.  Onward  we  went,  our 
pieces  unlimbered,  the  little  "bull  pup"  howitzers  were  gotten  ready, 
and,  like  Captain  White  at  Hartsville  in  protecting  Morgan's  retreat 
at  the  river,  the  order  was  given,  "Cannoneers,  to  your  post!  Fire!" 
and  the  battle  was  on.  In  the  lull  while  forming  into  line  and  until 
we  got  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  I  had  a  thousand  thoughts.  Morgan 
was  in  the  zenith  of  his  fame.  I  was  inoculated  with  the  idea  that  his 
judgment  was  unerring,  and  that  the  "king  could  do  no  wrong."  In 
the  moral  apprehension  I  never  for  once  thought  of  trusting  in  God 
for  safety,  but  wholly  relied  on  the  wisdom  and  skill  of  John  Morgan. 
On  the  battery  advanced,  and  on  the  regiment  moved  parallel, 
into  the  ambuscade  pushed  the  cavalry.  Colonel  Breckinridge  com 
manded  the  brigade  on  the  right;  Grigsby,  Smith,  and  others,  com 
manded  by  Gano,  were  on  the  left  of  the  pike,  The  fight  became  ter- 


168  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

rific,the  enemy,  in  his  lair,  keeping-  up  a  vigorous  fire  until  we  were 
in  close  quarters,  about  one  hundred  steps  apart.  Another  little 
orderly,  Jack  Brown,  mounted  on  a  pony,  rode  up  and  encouraged  us, 
saying:  "Give  it  to  'em,  boys!  they  burned  my  father's  house."  He 
was. about  fifteen  years  old,  and  the  bravest  boy  I  ever  saw.  The 
whole  line  was  then  ordered  to  take  trees.  All  got  behind  trees  but 
my  captain,  Charley  Cossett,  and  me;  we  secured  protection  behind  a 
stump.  I  remarked  to  him  that  he  was  an  officer  and  I  a  private;  he 
could  give  me  part  of  the  stump  if  he  wished.  The  poor  fellow  got 
up  to  share  it  with  me,  when  a  ball  struck  him  just  above  the  heart 
and  lodged  in  his  lung.  It  popped  like  hitting  a  tree.  I  asked  if  I 
should  take  him  off  the  field.  The  reply  was  "The  firing  is  too  hot." 
I  placed  his  head  behind  the  stump,  and  used  his  gun  after  getting 
mine  clogged.  The  cedars  were  so  thick  that  I  could  see  no  enemy  in 
front,  and  fired  at  random,  enfilade,  although  shots  were  coming  from 
my  front.  After  firing  about  forty-five  rounds  Breckinridge  gave  way 
on  the  right — out  of  ammunition.  It  became  evident  that  our  line 
was  giving  too.  Captain  Cossett  was  bleeding  inwardly,  and  begged 
me  not  to  leave  him.  He  threw  his  arm  around  my  shoulder,  and  the 
trial  of  my  life  was  to  stay  by  him.  He  could  not  get  out  of  a  walk, 
and  the  whole  Yankee  line  seemed  to  take  us  for  a  target;  yet  I  clung 
to  him  and  brought  him  off.  He  was  mortally  wounded  and  died 
that  night. 

The  fight  lasted  three  hours  and  was  hotly  cor>tested.  Our  loss 
was  three  hundred.  We  went  there  to  win;  the  enemy  stood  there  to 
keep  us  at  bay,  and  cavalry  fight  as  it  was  on  our  part  against  infant 
ry,  there  was  no  stage  in  Chickamauga  or  Murfreesboro  or  Gain's 
Mill  severer  for  the  time  it  lasted.  Just  about  the  time  of  this  break 
Grigsby  gave  way  on  the  left,  having  shot  away  all  of  his  ammunition. 
His  men  were  near  the  battery  in  an  effort  to  capture  it.  Heavens! 
the  cry  for  cartridges  for  the  carbines!  Ah,  it  lost  us  the  battle. 
Morgan's  passsion  went  off  like  gunpowder  at  the  failure  of  ordnance. 
The  clatter  of  couriers  after  it  could  not  quiet  the  impatience  of  the 
commander.  In  a  few  moments  more  the  artillery  would  have  been 
captured  and  the  enemy  made  prisoners.  After  the  lines  were  with 
drawn  and  we  reached  Milton,  our  long  looked  for  ammunition  and 
four  pieces  of  artillery,  under  Lieutenant  Lawrence,  arrived  from 
McMinnville,  after  killing  two  horses.  Morgan  turned  to  attack 
again.  Lawrence  opened  up  the  attack  with  his  artillery,  and  the 
enemy,  whose  ammunition  was  evidently  getting  scant  responded  at 
intervals.  In  a  short  time  Captain  Quirk  whose  scouts  were  sent  to 
the  enemy's  rear  on  yidette,  reported  reenforcements  from  Murfrees 
boro.  This  was  confirmed  by  tremendous  yells  from  the  top  of  the 
hill,  and  our  hope  for  bagging  twenty-five  hundred  raiders  was  gone. 

Notwithstanding  his  reenforcements,  when  we  retired  the  enem}r 
did  not  pursue.  Both  sides  had  enough  for  the  day.  My  regiment 
in  that  fight  was  commanded  by  Captain  John  D.  Kirkpatrick,  after- 
afterwards  the  Rev.  Dr.  Kirkpatrick,  of  the  Cumberlund  Presbyter 
ian  church,  now  deceased,  Colonel  Ward  being  off  on  detached  duty. 
Had  our  ammunition  lasted  until  the  ordnance  from  McMinnville 


BATTLE  OF  MILTON  OR  V  AUGHT7  S  HILL. 


169 


arrived,  the  results  at  Hartsville  would  have  been  repeated,  a  brigade 
of  infantry  and  a  regiment  of  cavalry  captured,  and  another  wreath 
of  victory  added  to  Morgan's  military  career.  General  Morgan's 
clothes  were  torn  with  balls  in  that  battle,  and  Grigsby  and  others  were 
wounded.  Captains  Cossett,  Cooper,  Sale  and  Marr,  are  of  the  officers 
buried  there.  The  enemy  went  back  to  Murfreesboro  that  afternoon, 
and  Morgan  with  his  two  thousand  cavalry,  to  Liberty — the  former 
rejoicing  over  escape,  the  latter  in  chagrin  over  the  disappointment. 

Among  the  bravest  deeds  of  that  day  were  those  of  the  little  or 
derlies.     They  were  the  pets  of  Morgan's  cavalry.     He  had  four  of 


JIMMY  WINTERSMITH, 
ONE  OF  JOHN  MORGAN'S  ORDERLYS. 

these  orderlies  in  his  career;  William  Craven  Peyton,  Jack  Brown, 
Jimmie  Wintersmith,  and  Henry  Hogan.  The  heedless  dashes  of 
these  Lilliputian  soldiers  were  regarded  with  much  admiration.  Billie 
Peyton  was  killed  at  Hartsville,  Withersmith  died  ten  or  twelve  years 
ago.  He  was  once  sergeant-at-arms  of  the  lower  house  of  Congress. 
Brown  also  died  at  Gallatin.  Hogan  is  living  at  Lexington,  Ky. 

The  happiest  recollection  of  my  soldier  life  is  that  I  stayed  by  my 
captain  in  that  trying  hour. 

Taken  from  National  Tribune,   and  written  by  J.  B.  Quinn,  123d 
Illinois  mounted  infantry, Wilder's  brigade,  U.  S.  A.: 


170  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Under  Colonel  Hall,  105th  Ohio,  the  brigade  went  to  Murfrees- 
boro,  Tennessee,  by  intermediate  points.  I  was  now  under  Gilbert  as 
corps  commander.  February  and  March  were  spen*  in  drill  and 
scouting.  On  one  occasion,  March  8,  ten  miles  from  Murfreesboro, 
the  regiment  was  attacked  while  at  rest  on  Breed's  Hill  by  Morgan's 
men,  but  soon  found  itself  in  line  and  repulsed  the  rebels,  then  made 
for  the  ford  at  Stone  river,  where  we  had  crossed  in  the  morning. 
We  found^it  heavily  guarded  by  a  large  mounted  force  whom  we  did 
not  care  to  attack.  We  marched  down  the  river  and  found  that  Morgan 
was  surrounding  us.  So  we  plunged  through  the  river,  the  small  men 
hanging  each  to  a  large  one,  and  made  it  all  right,  in  spite  of  the  icy 
water  and  swift  current.  By  ten  o'clock  p.  m.  we  arrived  at  Mur 
freesboro  and  went  into  camp. 

MORGAN   GETS  A   BEATING. 

t  On  March  20,  the  brigade,  composed  of  the  123d,  the  8th 111.,  105 
Ohio,  and  101st  Ind.,  with  two  pieces  of  Captain  Harris's  battery, 
about  1,500  men  in  all,  was  attacked  by  Morgan's  cavalry,  about 
5,000  strong,  and  six  pieces  of  artillery,  near  Milton,  about  12  miles 
from  Murfreesboro.  This  was  shortly  after  Morgan  had  captured  a 
brigade  at  Hartsville,  Tennessee.  In  the  engagement  at  Milton, 
Morgan  was  Bounded  and  his  force  driven  from  the  field,  leaving  dead 
and  wounded  and  two  pieces.  Van  Buskirk,  Captain.  Co.  H.  was 
killed,  and  Lieutenant  J.  R.  Hardin,  Co.  E.  was  wounded.  We  got 
to  Murfreesboro  next  afternoon  pretty  well  fagged  out,  for  we  had 
been  on  three  days'  scout.  We  were  met  by  the  rest  of  the  army 
with  cheer  after  cheer,  for  Morgan  had  been  in  the  habit  of  taking  in 
all  small  squads  he  could  catch  away  from  the  army. 


CAPTURE  OF  STREIGHT. 


General  A.  P.  Stewart  read  at  the  Louisiana  Soldiers'  Home  the 
other  day  a  very  interesting  account  of  Forrest's  famous  pursuit  and 
capture  of  Streight.  The  account  was  written  at  the  request  of 
General  Stewart,  by  Major  M.  H.  Clift,  of  Chattanooga,  Tennessee, 
who  participated  in  the  action. 

The  account  is  as  follows: 

"On  the  23d  of  April,  about  11  o'clock  p.  m.,  1863,  General  For 
rest,  then  encamped  at  Spring  Hill,  Tenn.,  received  an  order  from 
General  Braxton  Bragg,  commanding  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  direct 
ing  him  to  make  a  forced  march  in  pursuit  of  the  Federal  Colonel 
Streight,  with  his  old  brigade,  then  consisting  of  Starnes'  Fourth,  Dib- 
rell's  Eighth,  Biffle's  Ninth,  Cox's  Tenth,  Edmondson's  Eleventh  Ten 
nessee  regiments,  and  Morton's  battery.  Soon  after  this  order  was 
received,  the  Eleventh  moved  out  for  Bainbridge  on  the  Tennessee  river, 
with  instructions  to  cross  there  and  unite  with  Roddey's  brigade  as  soon 
as  possible.  The  balance  of  the  brigade  moved  about  3  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  the  24th.  Dibrell,  with  the  Eighth,  was  ordered  to  take 
one  gun  and  move  down  on  the  north  side  of  the  Tennessee  river,  in 
the  direction  of  Florence,  to  divert  the  enemy  and  make  them  think 
there  was  a  force  there  intending  to  cross  the  river,  in  order  to  com 
pel  General  Dodge,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Federal  forces  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river  at  Eastport,  and  moving  in  the  direction  of 
Tuscumbia,  to  fall  back.  The  Tenth,  having  been  previously  sent  off 
on  other  duties,  took  no  part  in  this  raid.  General  N.  B.  Forrest 
accompanied  the  Fourth  and  Ninth  Tennessee  regiments  with  Morton's 
battery.  Colonel  Starnes  being  sick  at  the  time,  Captain  McLemore 
commanded  the  Fourth  in  this  raid,  and  afterwards  became  Colonel 
of  it. 

FIGHT  DODGE'S  COMMAND. 

"The  march  from  Spring  Hill,  Tenn.,  to  Decatur,  or  Brown's 
ferry,  on  the  Tennessee  river,  was  made  in  the  thirty-six  hours;  the 
river  was  crossed  on  the  26th.  On  the  27th  the  command  moved  to 
Town  creek,  where  on  the  28th  we  had  a  stubborn  fight  with  Dodge's 
command.  On  the  evening  of  the  28th  General  Forrest  received 
information  of  the  movement  of  Streight  with  his  command,  east  of 
us,  and  in  the  direction  of  Moulton,  and  divining  his  purpose,  he 
directed  Colonel  Roddey  to  take  his  command,  the  Eleventh  Tennessee 
regiment  (Edmondson's)  and  Julian's  battalion,  throw  them  between 
Dodge  and  Streight,  and  follow  directly  after  the  raiders,  General 


172  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Forrest  placing  himself  at  the  head  of  Starnes's  and  Biffle's  regiments, 
and  two  pieces  of  Morton's  batter3T,  and  Ferrell's  six  pieces  started  in 
pursuit  of  Streight  and  his  command  by  way  of  Courtland,  Ala. 

"We  reached  Courtland  about  11  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  28th, 
halted  long  enough  to  feed,  and  moved  out  for  Moulton  as  soon  as  the 
horses  had  time  to  eat.  Soon  after  leaving  Moulton,  Biffle  was 
ordered  to  take  his  own  regiment  and  the  Fourth  to  a  point  some 
miles  northeast  of  what  is  known  as  Day's  gap,  at  the  foot  of  Sand 
mountain,  where  a  road  came  down  off  of  the  mountain,  in  order  to 
prevent  Streight  from  taking  this  road  and  returning  to  Dodge's  com 
mand.  On  reaching  this  point  Biffle  Avas  to  wait  further  instructions 
from  General  Forrest.  Before  reaching  the  point  we  heard  the  firing 
at  Day's  gap  and  knew  that  Forrest,  with  Koddey's  brigade  and 
Edmondson's  regiment,  had  come  upon  Streight's  command  and  the 
fight  was  on. 

"We,  with  impatience,  waited  for  Streight's  men  to  come  down 
the  road,  or  for  an  order  from  General  Forrest  to  join  in  the  fray. 
However,  we  did  not  have  long  to  wait,  as  the  firing  ceased  and  soon 
after  General  Forrest  rode  up  to  these  two  regiments  in  quite  a  pas 
sion,  stating  that  his  brother  had  been  wounded,  two  pieces  of  his 
artillery  captured,  and  that  by—  —he  was  going  to  take  those  two 
regiments  and  whip  and  capture  Streight's  command. 

"The  writer,  M.  H.  Clift,  was  ordered  to  mount  the  men,  and  to 
report  to  him  as  one  of  his  staff  for  the  time  being,  which  he  did. 
Forrest  placing  himself  at  the  head  of  these  two  regiments,  Starnes' 
Fourth  being  in  the  front,  ordered  the  men  to  move  out  at  double 
quick,  which  the}^  did,  and  from  the  time  we  commenced  the  move 
ment  until  we  struck  the  rear  of  Streight's  column,  our  command  had 
been  moving  at  a  gallop  wherever  the  roads  permitted.  When  the 
head  of  the  column  struck  or  came  up  with  the  enemy  the  order  was 
to  charge,  not  waiting  for  lines  to  be  formed,  but  to  charge  in  column. 
It  was  about  11  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  these  two  regiments, 
that  is  the  advance  of  them,  came  upon  the  rear  of  Streight's  com 
mand,  'and  Forrest  at  their  head  charged  with  those  that  were  up  and 
drove  the  rear  guard  of  the  enemy,  and  then  it  was  a  running  fight 
until  about  dusk  of  the  29th,  when  Streight  with  his  entire  command 
made  a  stand  on  a  considerable  hill  with  every  advantage  in  his 
favor. 

CHARGED   IN   COLUMN. 

"When  Forrest  discovered  that  the  Federal  forces  had  made  a 
stand  he  did  not  halt  his  command  to  form  in  line  of  battle,  but 
charged  in  column,  the  Fourth  Tennessee  leading,  and  before  Biffle's 
regiment  had  reached  the  ground,  night  had  set  in.  He  directed  me 
to  go  back  and  form  Biffle's  regiment  in  line  of  battle,  and  then 
instruct  Biffle  to  take  his  command  around  on  our  right,  the  enemy's 
left,  and  attack  them  in  the  rear.  This  I  did,  reporting  at  once  to 
Forrest  of  Biffle's  movements.  General  Forrest  sent  his  escort  on  our 
left,  and  the  enemy's  right  to  co-operate  with  Biffle  in  this  night 
attack  in  the  rear.  It  was  not  long  after  Biffle  started  for  the  rear 
until  I  recognized  that  he  was  already  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy  by  a 


CAPTURE   OF   STREIGHt. 


SURVIVING  MEMBERS  OF  LIEUT.-GEN.  N.  B.  FORREST'S  STAFF,  FEB.  14,  1905. 


SERVED  TEMPORARILY  ON 

GEN.  FORREST'S  STAFF. 

Dr.  G.  G.  Wood,    I  Acting  Chief 
Dr.Sam  Frierson  f     Surgeons. 
Col.  Chas.  M.  Carroll,  I.  G. 
Maj.  R.  M.  Mason,  Chief  Q.  M. 
Capt.  Henry  Pointer,  A.  D.  C. 
Maj.  T.  F.  P.  Allen,  A.  D.  C. 


DEAD    MEMBERS. 

Maj.  J.  P.  Strange,  A.  A.  Genl. 
Maj. G.V.Rambaut,  Chief  Comsy 
Capt.  jno.  G.  Mann,  Chief  Eng. 
Capt.  Chas.  F.  Hill, 

Chief  of  Ordinance. 
Col.  Mat.  F.  Gallaway,  A.  D.  G. 
Maj.  C.  S.  Stevenson, 

Chief  Com. 


SERVED  TEMPORARILY  ON 

GEN.  FORREST'S  STAFF. 

Capt. Russell,  Chief  Ord. 

Tom  Roberts,  |  Clerks   in  A.   G. 
Neut.  Davis,    f  Office. 

Joe  Nelson,  Clerk  H.  Q. 
W.  H.  Bland,  Assistant  Adj. 
G.  W.  Mercer  Otey, 

Acting  Adj.  Gen. 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


signal  agreed  upon,  and  so  stated  to  General  Forrest,  at  about  which 
time  we  heard  tne  musketry  from  Biffle's  brave  men,  and  we  knew 
then  that  it  would  only  be  a  short  while  until  Streight  with  his  com 
mand  would  leave  the  field,  or  he  was  ours. 

"Forrest  pressed  forward  with  Starnes'  gallant  soldiers  to  such 
close  quarters  that  we  could  see  the  officers  of  Streight's  command 
beating  their  men  over  the  heads  with  their  sabres,  and  hear  them 
swearing  at  them  to  keep  them  in  line.  This  was  a  glorious  fight,  one 
that  did  the  soldiers'  hearts  good  to  look  upon,  made  there  in  the 
mountains  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  almost  hand  to  hand,  with 
only  the  light  from  the  vivid  flash  of  the  artillery  and  small  arms  to 
show  the  position  of  each  to  the  other,  and  how  to  take  advantage  of 
the  situation.  However,  it  did  not  last  a  great  while  after  Biffle 
reached  the  rear,  as  soon  thereafter  Streight  and  his  command  left  the 
field,  leaving  their  dead  and  wounded,  together  with  the  two  guns 
captured  by  them  in  the  morning  at  Day's  gap,  in  our  possession. 

"General  Forrest,  however,  throwing  Biffle's  regiment  in  front 
now,  at  once  took  up  the  pursuit  and  followed  the  raiders  so  closely 
that  a  running  fight  was  kept  up  until  1  o'clock  in  the  night,  when 
Streight,  selecting  another  advantageous  position,  made  another 
attempt  to  check  General  Forrest  and  his  command.  He  dismounted 
Colonal  Hathaway  with  his  regiment,  and  formed  them  in  line  on  a 
commanding  position,  with  the  balance  of  his  troops  on  the  flanks, 
hoping  to  ambuscade  General  Forrest,  but  Streight  had  not  yet 
learned  the  wily  nature  of  the  man  he  had  to  deal  with.  General 
Forrest  at  once  discovered  the  attempt  at  ambuscade,  and  ordered  up 
two  of  his  guns  and  opened  fire  upon  the  ambuscaders,  the  first  fire 
killing  eighteen  of  them.  This  was  between  2  and  3  a.  m.,  on  May 
1st.  The  enemy  breaking  ranks  and  mounting  their  horses  or  mules 
as  soon  thereafter  as  possible  made  off  in  the  direction  of  Blountville. 
Biffle  with  his  regiment,  was  now  again  thrown  in  front,  and  the  pur 
suit  was  again  taken  up  and  continued  until  about  4  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  when  a  halt  was  called  and  all  ordered  to  dismount,  unsaddle 
and  feed  their  horses,  and  lie  down  for  two  hours'  sleep,  which  was  so 
much  needed  by  both  horse  and  man.  Promptly  at  the  end  of  the 
two  hours,  Forrest  and  his  men  were  in  the  saddle  and  moving 
forward  after  Streight  and  his  men. 

ENEMY  AGAIN   OVERTAKEN. 

'  'The  enemy  was  not  again  overtaken  until  we  had  passed  through 
Blountville,  which  took  place  about  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
1st  of  May,  and  from  there  on  to  the  Black  Warrior  river,  it  was  a 
running  fight.  When  Forrest  and  his  men  reached  the  river  Streight 
and  all  his  men  except  the  rear  guard  had  already  crossed,  and  he  had 
posted  his  command  with  his  artillery  in  a  commanding  position,  and 
contested  with  gallantry  our  crossing  the  river  at  this  point.  This 
was  about  10  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  1st  of  May.  Forrest,  seeing 
the  situation,  and  not  desiring  to  sacrifice  any  of  his  gallant  band 
unnecessarily,  ordered  Biffle  to  take  command  and  keep  up  a  constant 
fire  on  the  enemy,  and  the  writer  to  accompany  him  in  search  of 
another  ford  or  crossing  place.  The  two  galloped  off  up  the  river, 


CAPTURE   OF   STREIGHT  lY5 


and  after  traveling  about  a  mile  struck  a  road  leading  in  the  direction 
of  the  river,  and  taking  this  road  for  the  river  soon  ran  upon  a 
company  of  raiders  stationed  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river.  Without 
a  moment's  hesitation  General  Forrest  ordered  a  charge,  and  we  two 
alone  there  in  the  night,  a  mile  at  least  from  any  others  of  our  com 
mand,  charged  and  drove  these  men  across  the  river  and  took  position 
at  the  house  where  they  had  been  stationed,  which  was  on  the  bank  of 
the  river. 

"As  soon  as  they  had  crossed  General  Forrest  ordered  me  to  go 
back  to  the  command  and  bring  up  Starnes'  regiment,  which  I  did  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  when  they  came  up  General  Forrest,  placing 
himself  at  the  head  of  this  regiment,  moved  forward  with  the  same, 
crossing  the  river  in  front  of  the  enemy  firing  on  us  from  the  opposite 
side.  The  enemy  broke  before  we  had  much  more  than  entered  the 
river,  and  Streight  with  his  command  left  the  main  ford,  when  Biffle 
with  his  regiment  and  artillery  crossed.  Pressing  forward  after  the 
raiders  for  some  two  or  three  miles,  another  halt  was  made,  and 
horses  ordered  to  be  fed,  that  the  men  might  have  a  short  rest.  In 
about  an  hour  afterwards  the  march  was  again  resumed.  About  9 
o'clock  the  next  morning,  May  2d,  Streight,  with  his  command  on 
the  east  bank  of  Black  creek,  he  haying  crossed  said  creek  and  des 
troyed  the  bridge,  was  found  formed  in  line  to  contest  Forrest's  men's 
crossing  the  stream.  It  was  here  that  Forrest,  at  the  head  of  his 
column,  came  dashing  down  the  road  close  on  the  fleeing  Federals, 
the  rear  guard  of  which  crossed  the  bridge  just  as  the  same  was  set 
on  fire,  when  he  rode  up  to  a  house  standing  on  the  side  of  the  road, 
there  meeting  a  young  girl  of  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  who  told 
him  the  bridge  was  destroyed,  and  there  was  no  other  bridge  nearer 
than  two  miles,  but  there  was  nearby,  a  ford  she  had  seen  their  cattle 
wading  across  in  very  low  water.  This  young  girl  was  Miss  Emma 
Sanson,  now  Mrs.  C.  B.  Johnson  of  Galloway,  Tex.  Forrest  asked 
her  to  show  him  this  ford,  when  she  asked  to  have  a  saddle  put  on  a 
horse  that  she  might  do  so.  The  General  replied,  'no  time  for 
saddling  horses  now;  get  up  here  behind  me,'  and  took  her  behind 
him  and  she  showed  him  the  ford. 

OPENED  FIRE    ON  RAIDERS. 

"At  once  he  formed  his  men  in  position,  opened  fire  on  the  raid 
ers  with  both  artillery  and  musketry,  soon  driving  them  from  the  bank 
of  the  river,  when  a  crossing  was  effected,  and  the  onward  march 
resumed.  A  running  fight  followed  through  the  balance  of  the 
day  and  on  late  into  the  night  of  the  second.  During  one  of  the 
night  attacks  of  the  second,  Colonel  Hathaway  was  killed,  and 
Streight's  command  captured  a  young  boy  belonging  to  our  command 
by  the  name  of  Haynes,  who  was  very  closely  interrogated  by  Colonel 
Streight,  which,  together  with  the  death  of  Colonel  Hathaway,  so 
worked  upon  Streight  and  his  men  that  when  we  came  upon  them  in 
the  morning  of  the  third  at  or  near  Lawrence,  a  short  distance  beyond 
Cedar  Bluff,  Forrest  conceived  the  idea  that  Streight  and  his  command 
were  ready  to  surrender.  After  maneuvering  his  men  and  making  as 
great  a  show  of  the  forces  present  as  possible,  he  sent  Captain  Henry 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


Pointer  of  his  staff,  the  only  one  of  his  regular  staff  with  him,  with  a 
flag  of  truce  to  the  Federal  commander,  demanding  the  surrender  of 
himself  and  command.  This  demand  was  finally  acceded  to.  The 
number  of  men  and  officers  surrending  was  1,640,  whereas  General 
Forrest  had  by  actual  number  only  420  up  and  present  at  the  time  the 
surrender  took  place. 

"After  the  terms  of  surrender  had  been  agreed  upon,  Forrest 
ordered  Biffle's  regiment,  together  with  some  imaginary  command,  to 
go  into  camp  and  feed,  while  Captain  McLemore  was  ordered  with 
Starnes'  regiment  to  act  as  guard  to  the  prisoners.  This  regiment 
numbered  240  men  at  this  time  present.  The  Federal  troops  were 
marched  at  least  a  mile  after  they  had  surrendered  to  an  open  field 
before  they  wrere  ordered  to  stack  their  guns.  On  reaching  ,this  field 
they  were  formed  in  line,  the  guns  stacked,  and  they  moved  off  on  the 
march  to  Rome,  stopping  for  the  night  about  ten  miles  southeast  of 
Rome,  where  they  were  guarded,  fed  and  cared  for  just  as  the  soldiers 
of  Forrest's  command.  Reaching  Rome  on  the  fourth,  about  11 
o'clock,  our  troops  were  received  with  great  demonstration  and 
rejoicing  by  the  citizens. 

"It  will  be  observed  from  tne  foregoing  that  Forrest  and  his 
faithful  soldiers  were  almost  constantly  in  the  saddle  from  the  morning 
of  the  24th  of  April  until  the  4th  of  May,  1863,  but  with  little  sleep 
or  rest,  and  but  little  to  eat.  Everything  taken  into  consideration, 
this,  perhaps,  is  not  only  one,  but  the  greatest  military  achievement 
ever  accomplished  in  the  annals  of  war,  and  it  was  this  campaign  that 
gave  to  General  Forrest  the  true  appellation  of  'the  wizard  of  the 
saddle'". 


CHAT  WITH  COL.  W.  S.  McLEMORE. 

Comrades,  do  you  recall  the  Commander  of  Starne's  Fourth 
Tennessee  cavalry,  Colonel  William  S.  McLemore?  Although  in 
feeble  health,  Colonel  McLemore  is  as  genial  as  in  days  of  yore.  He 
wears  the  scars  of  battle,  and  bears  the  prestige  of  manipulating  his 
men  at  times  under  Forrest  and  Wheeler,  with  credit  to  himself  and 
the  delight  of  his  people.  After  Colonel  Starnes  was  killed,  near 
Tullahoma  in  1863,  Colonel  McLemore  commanded  this  gallant  regi 
ment  until  six  months  before  the  surrender,  when  he  commanded 
Dibbrell's  brigade,  and  had  the  honor  of  escorting  President  Davis 
from  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  to  Washington,  Ga.,  where  the  brigade  surren 
dered. 

Tennessee  had  two  cavalry  regiments  numbered  the  Fourth. 
They  are  designated  now  as  Colonel  Paul  Anderson's  Fourth  and  the 
Starnes-McLemore  Fourth.  They  were  both  crack  regiments.  In 
1863,  upon  going  to  Tullahoma  to  report  to  General  Stewart  as  aide,  I 
spied  an  ambulance  passing  the  streets,  followed  by  a  funeral  cortege 
of  soldiery,  and  learned  it  was  the  body  of  J.  W.  Starnes,  who  had 
been  shot  at  the  head  of  his  command  in  a  hot  skirmish  a  few  miles 
out. 

After  the  war  McLemore  was  elected  circuit  judge  of  the  Ninth 
Tennessee  circuit,  and  in  honor  of  his  worth  to  his  countrymen  served 
fourteen  years.  When  he  left  the  bench  he  came  from  Franklin  to 
Murfreesboro,  and  as  one  of  the  law  firm  of  McLemore  &  Richardson 
has  been  in  full  practice.  The  old  war  worn  Colonel  being  now 
recovered  from  a  slight  stroke  of  paralysis,  I  concluded  to  draw  him 
out  on  the  achievements  of  his  old  regiment.  Says  he: 

"I  can't  tell  you  where  we  went  in  four  years,  nor  can  the  rec 
ords  of  the  rebellion  tell  of  half  of  our  skirmishes  and  battles.  We 
ever  paid  fond  tribute  to  a  heroine  at  Thompson's  Station,  whose  name 
and  deed  should  be  foremost  recorded.  I  refer  to  Miss  Alice  Thomp 
son.  She  was  seventeen  at  the  time  of  the  battle  there,  March  4, 1863. 
Van  Dorn  and  Forrest  fought  Colburn's  Indiana  brigade  and  captured 
it.  Miss  Alice  was  at  the  residence  of  Lieutenant  Banks.  The  Third 
Arkansas,  advancing  through  the  yard,  lost  their  Colonel  (Earle)  and 
color  bearer,  and  the  regiment  was  thrown  into  disorder.  Miss  Alice 
Thompson  rushed  out,  raised  the  flag  and  led  the  regiment  to  victory. 
The  enemy  lauded  her  action.  Our  commands  who  know  of  it  desire 
her  deserved  prominence  in  history.  (Major  Aiken,  of  Spring  Hill, 


178 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


sends  her  picture.)     She  deserves  record  along  with  Emma  Sanson 
and  other  heroines. 

"I  have  another  incident  worth  relating  that  took  place  at  Sacra 
mento,  Ky.  It  was  the  only  time  I  ever  saw  a  hand-to-hand  contest 
with  sabers.  Bill  Terry,  of  my  regiment,  was  killed  by  a  saber  thrust 
while  he  was  warding  off  other  blows.  I  recollect  in  connection  with 
the  Streight  raid  that  there  were  but  two  regiments  up  when  Streight 
surrendered.  These,  with  parts  of  Forrest's  escort  and  Ferrell's 


COL.  PAUL   ANDERSON,    4TH    TENNESSEE   CAVALRY, 
C.  S.   A. 

artillery,  were  the  only  troops  in  seventy  miles  of  us.  The  two 
regiments  were  Biffle's  and  ours.  The  Biffle's  Fourth  cavalry  regi 
ment  was  known  as  both  the  Ninth  and  Nineteenth.  These,  with  the 
escort  and  artillery,  numbered  in  all  about  five  hundred  effectives. 
Colonel  Streight  captured  a  soldier  of  my  command  (William  Haynes) 
and  asked  him  how  many  troops  Forrest  had.  Haynes  knowing 
Forrest's  game  of  bluff,  replied,  'Roddy's  brigade,  Biffle's,  McLe- 
more's,  Buford,  Bell,  Lyon,  and  others.'  Upon  Haynes'  representa- 


CHAT  WITH  COL.  W.  S.  MCLEMORE. 


tion,  Straight  turned  to  his  staff  and  said,  'Gentlemen,  we  are  gone 
up. '  Forrest,  you  know,  had  scattered  his  troops,  not  knowing  where 
Streight  would  strike.  When  we  got  upon  Streight's  heels  a  flag  of 
truce  was  sent  to  him  by  some  of  Forrest's  escort,  demanding  a  sur 
render.  The  repty  was:  'I  will  not  surrender  unless  you  have  more 


MISS  ALICE  THOMPSON, 
AT  THE  BATTLE  OF  THOMPSON  STATION. 

men  than  I.'  In  an  interview  that  followed,  as  Forrest's  officers  came 
up  for  instructions,  he  disposed  of  their  commands  so  as  to  leave  an 
impression  of  great  force.  I  tell  you,  this  capture  of  seventeen 
hundred  men  by  five  hundred  men  of  us  was  one  of  the  shrewdest 
tricks  of  the  war,  and  was  played  to  success. 

"On  the  advance  from  Chickamauga,  the  day  after  we  routed 
them,  my  command  reached  the  foot  of  Lookout  Mountain,  the  farth 
est  point  to  the  left,  and,  but  for  orders,  I  believe  now  we  could  have 
pushed  them  into  the  river.  At  Richmond,  Ky . ,  a  hundred  men  of 
my  regiment  captured  four  hundred,  including  the  Federal  General 
Manson  and  staff,  on  the  Tate's  creek  pike.  I  witnessed  the  scene  of 
John  Trotwood  Moore's  poem  on  Emma  Sanson." 

Judge  McLemore's  wife  was  the  sister  of  the  late  Professor 
Wharton,  who,  together  with  the  gallant  Captain  Isaac  Newton  Brown 
ran  the  famous  Arkansas  ram  through  a  Federal  ffeet  at  Vicksburg, 
one  of  the  boldest  naval  exploits  on  record. 


180  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Headquarters  Army  of  Tennessee, 

Tullahoma,  Tenn.,  March  31,  1863. 
General  Orders  j 
No.  68.  j 

The  general  commanding  announces  with  pride  and  gratification 
to  the  troops  of  his  command  two  brilliant  and  successful  affairs, 
recentty  achieved  by  the  forces  of  the  cavalry  of  Major- General  Van 
Dorn.  On  the  5th  instant,  Major-General  Van  Dorn  made  a  gallant 
charge  upon  a  large  force  of  the  enemy  at  Thompson's  Station. 
He  utterly  routed  them,  killing  and  wounding  a  large  number,  captur 
ing  1,221  prisoners,  including  seventy-three  commissioned  officers, 
and  many  arms. 

On  the  25th  Brigadier-General  Forrest,  with  troops  of  his  com 
mand  daringly  assailed  the  enemy  at  Brentwood,  who  could  not  with 
stand  the  vigor  and  energy  of  the  attack,  and  surrendered.  The 
results  of  his  successful  expedition  were  the  capture  of  750  privates 
and  thirty-five  commissioned  officers,  with  all  their  arms,  accoutre 
ments,  ammunition,  and  sixteen  wagons  and  teams.  The  troops  here 
captured  the  remainder  of  the  brigade  so  successfully  attacked  by 
Major-General  Van  Dorn  on  the  5th  instant. 

The  skillful  manner  in  which  these  Generals  achieved  their  suc 
cess  exhibits  clearly  the  judgment  and  gallantry  which  animated  them, 
and  the  discipline  and  good  conduct  of  the  brave  troops  of  their 
commands.  Such  signal  examples  of  duty  the  general  commanding 
takes  pleasure  in  commending.  They  are  worthy  of  imitation  by 
all  commands,  and  deserve  the  applause  and  gratitude  of  their  com 
rades  in  arms  and  their  country. 

By  command  of 

GENERAL  BRAGG. 
GEORGE  W.  BRENT, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

THE  DEATH  OF  MAJOR-GENERAL  VAN  DORN. 


Headquarters  First  Cavalry  Corps, 

Spring  Hill,  Tenn.,  May  7,  1863. 
General  Orders,  ) 
No.  3.  f 

It  becomes  the  sad  duty  of  the  Brigadier-General  commanding  to 
announce  to  this  corps  the  death  of  its  late  beloved  and  gallant 
commander,  Major-General  Earl  Van  Dorn.  He  departed  this 
life  at  1  p.  m.  today.  The  sorrow  with  which  his  death  is  an 
nounced  will  be  deeply  felt  by  the  country  and  by  this  corps,  for  to  it 
his  loss  is  an  irreparable  one.  His  career  has  been  eventful.  An 
educated  soldier,  he  has  served  with  distinction  in  the  armies  of  his 
country  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  with  varied  success,  at  times 
shrouded  and  enveloped  in  the  gloom  of  defeat,  at  other  times  his 
career  made  resplendent  with  the  most  glorious  victories,  but  in  the 
midst  of  all  he  has  presented  the  same  calm,  intrepid  front.  Self- 
sustaining,  self-reliant,  he  bared  his  breast  to  every  shock  with  the 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  THE  CITIZEN  AFTR  THE  DIFFICULTY.  181 

true,  genuine  nobleness  and  courage  which  he  so  eminently  possessed. 
At  the  commencement  of  the  present  war  he  occupied  a  very  high  position 
in  the  Army  of  the  United  States,  which  he  bad  won  for  himself  by  his 
own  valor  and  military  skill  unaided  by  any  influence  of  powerful 
friends.  Upon  the  dismemberment  of  the  Federal  Union  he  was  among 
the  first  to  resign  his  position  and  espouse  the  cause  of  his  native 
state,  Mississippi,  by  whose  authority  he  was  placed  in  command  of 
the  forces,  second  only  to  Jefferson  Davis.  Probably  more  interest 
has  gathered  around  him  than  any  other  general  officer  on  this  conti 
nent,  for  amidst  the  glory  that  his  deeds  had  won  for  himself  a  storm 
of  obloquy  burst  upon  him  at  one  time,  and  his  friends  trembled  for 
his  safety;  but  with  his  wonted  calmness  steadily  and  bravety,  he  met 
his  relentless  enemies  and  hurled  every  charge  triumphantly  and 
proudly  back  upon  them,  making  for  himself  a  complete  and  magnifi 
cent  vindication.  It  stands  upon  record,  it  is  enrolled  in  the  archives 
of  the  nation.  Upon  the  battlefield  he  was  the  personification  of  cour 
age  and  chivalry.  No  knight  of  the  olden  time  ever  advanced  to  the 
contest  more  eagerly,  and  after  the  fury  of  the  conflct  had  passed  away 
none  were  ever  more  generous  and  humane  to  the  sufferers  than  he. 
As  a  commander  he  was  warmly  beloved  and  highly  respected;  as  a 
gentleman  his  social  qualities  were  of  the  rarest  order;  for  goodness 
of  heart  he  had  no  equal.  His  deeds  have  rendered  his  name  worthy 
to  be  enrolled  by  the  side  of  the  proudest  in  the  Capital  of  the  Con 
federacy;  as  it  is,  and  long  will  be,  sacredly  and  proudty  cherished  in 
the  hearts  of  the  command. 

By  command  of 

BKIGADIER-GENERAL  W.  H.  JACKSON. 
GEO.  MOORMAN, 

Captain,  and  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

THE  FLIGHT  OF  THE  CITIZEN  AFTER  THE  DIFFICULTY. 

The  death  of  General  Van  Dorn  at  Spring  Hill,  Tennessee,  in 
May,  1863,  was  brought  about  in  a  private  difficulty  with  Dr.  George 
B.  Peters,  an  influential  citizen  of  the  town.  The  place  was  about 
two  miles  from  the  enemies  lines  and  up  to  within  a  short  distance 
General  Van  Dorn  had  established  a  continual  chain  line  of  pickets. 
So  soon  as  the  shooting  took  place,  Dr.  Peters  mounted  the  horse  that 
he  had  ridden  to  the  (Chears'  House)  headquarters  of  General  Van 
Dorn  nnd  rapidy  moved  in  the  direction  of  the  enemy.  As  these  pickets 
were  reached,  "A  passport  to  go  at  will"  previously  given  Dr.  Peters 
by  General  Van  Dorn,  was  presented,  until  the  guard  lines  were 
cleared  and  he  was  safely  landed  in  the  Federal  lines.  Of  the  causes 
which  led  to  this,  we  have  not  sufficient  information  to  detail.  The 
incident  was  a  notable  one  in  the  Army  of  Tennessee  and  created 
quite  a  flutter  in  army  circles.  The  South  at  a  critical  time  in  Con 
federate  history,  lost  an  experienced  and  valiant  commander,  whose 
place  it  was  thought,  could  be  hardly  supplied,  yet,  from  out  of  the 
gloom  of  misfortune,  the  star  of  General  N.  B.  Forrest  rose  more 
clearly  and  shone  with  more  resplendent  beauty  and  grandeur,  in  our 
Western  sky,  as  a  worthy  successor.  • 


THE  BATTLES  OF  HOOVER'S  GAP  AND  LIBERTY  GAP. 


On  June  23,  1863,  General  W.  S.  Rosecrans,  after  having 
ordered  up  several  small  commands  that  were  guarding  out-posts, 
moved  his  army  out  from  Murfreesboro,  he  knowing  that  Bragg  was 
well  entrenched  at  Shelbyville,  determined  with  his  superior  force  to 
flank  him  out  of  his  position;  so  Rosecrans  made  a  feint  on  Bragg' s 
left  by  moving  General  Mitchell's  cavalry  division  up  from  Triune  to 
Salem  and  Eagleville  in  the  direction  of  Shelbyville,  and  on  the  same 
day,  Gordon  Granger's  corps  of  three  divisions  and  Brannon's 
division  of  Thomas'  corps  moved  out  the  Shelbyville  pike  some  dis 
tance,  then  filed  to  the  left  and  attacked  Hardee  on  the  War  trance 
road  at  Liberty  Gap,  where  the  hardest  fight  of  this  campaign  was 
done,  except  at  Hoover's  Gap. 

Thomas'  corps  moved  out  the  Manchester  pike,  and  Crittenden 
with  the  Twenty-first  corps  moved  out  to  Readyville  and  awaited 
orders.  "He  left  Van  Cleve  with  his  division  to  garrison  Murfreesboro 
for  a  time.  General  Rosecrans  knowing  that  the  least  resistance  was 
out  the  Manchester  pike,  which  ran  through  a  long  canyon  that  is 
called  Matt's  Hollow,  and  also  through  Hoover's  Gap  in  the  direction 
of  Manchester,  a  little  village  which  lies  east  and  somewhat  in  the 
rear  of  Bragg's  position,  moved  out  on  this  pike  with  Wilder 's  brig 
ade  of  mounted  infantry,  as  the  advance  of  Thomas'  corps,  with 
orders  when  they  struck  the  Confederate  cavalry  to  follow  them 
closely  through  the  Gap  and  take  possession  of  the  southern  mouth  of 
it  before  the  Confederates  would  have  time  to  re-enforce,  which,  with 
a  force  of  about  ten  to  one,  they  did. 

I  will  here  submit  the  official  report  of  Brigadier-General  Bate 
who  was  in  immediate  command  of  the  Confederates  here. 


Report  of  Brigadier-General  William  B.  Bate,  C.  S.  Army  command 
ing  Brigade,  Stewart's  Division. 

Camp  Near  Tyner's  Station,  July  15,  1863. 

Major:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the 
battle  of  Hoover's  Gap,  fought  on  the  evening  of  June  23rd  last  by  a 
part  of  my  brigade: 

About  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  while  encamped  one 
mile  from  Fairfield,  and  four  miles  from  Hoover's  Gap,  a  courier 
arrived  from  Major-General  Stewart,  directing  me  to  send  one  regi 
ment  and  a  battery  up  Garrison's  Fork  toward  Beech  Grove.  In  a 
few  moments  a  second  courier  arrived,  directing  me  to  send  two 


THE  BATTLES  OF  HOOVER  8  GAP  AND  LIBERTY  GAP. 


183 


regiments.  The  Twentieth  Tennessee  and  Thirty-seventh  Georgia 
regiments  and  the  Eufaula  light  artillery  were  designated  for  the 
expedition,  and  at  once  started  through  a  drenching  rain  in  fulfill 
ment  of  the  order.  T.  C.  Caswell's  battalion  of  sharpshooters  (Fourth 
Georgia  battalion)  was  directed  to  follow,  and  the  remainder  of  my 
command  ordered  under  arms,  and  to  hold  itself  in  readiness  to  move. 


MAJOR 


GENERAL  (SENATOR)  WM.  B.  BATE. 


Though  the  order  was  to  send  the  force,  I  took  the  liberty  of  com 
manding  it  in  person,  believing  it  would  meet  the  approbation  of  the 
Major-General  commanding. 

The  command  had  not  passed  the  confines  of  my  camp  before 
meeting  in  scattered  remnants  a  part  of  the  First  (Third)  Kentucky 
cavalry  in  hot  haste,  stating  that  while  on  picket  they  had  been 
scattered  and  driven  from  beyond  Hoover's  Gap  by  the  advancing 
columns  of  the  enemy.  I  had  proceeded  one  mile  wlien  I  met  their 
Colonel  ( J.  R.  Butler)  with  some  eight  or  ten  of  his  men.  He  at  once 
volunteered  to  return  with  me,  and  did  so.  I  learned  from  him  that 
three  regiments  of  the  enemy's  cavalry  had  passed  down  the  Man 
chester  pike.  I  also  about  the  same  time  heard  from  a  citizen  that 
some  scouts  of  the  enemy  had  already  passed  from  the  Manchester 


184  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

pike  down  Noah's  Fork  as  far  as  A.  B.  Robertson's  mill,  which  was 
on  the  main  road  leading  to  my  right  and  rear.  I  thereupon 
immediately  sent  a  staff  officer  to  camp,  with  instructions  to  Colonel 
R.  C.  Tyler  to  move  his  command  (the  Fifteenth  and  Thirty-seventh 
Tennessee  regiments  consolidated)  to  some  eligible  and  defensible 
position  on  the  road  up  Noah's  Fork,  to  prevent  the  enemy  from 
turning  our  right  and  rear.  Through  same  channel  I  ordered  Colonel 
Bush  Jones  to  take  his  command  (Ninth  Alabama  battalion)  one  mile 
in  front  of  our  encampment,  where  the  Dismal  Hollow  road  diverges 
from  its  main  direction  and  is  intersected  by  a  road  leading  to 
Garrison's  Fork,  to  resist  any  attempt  made  by  the  enemy  to  pass  in 
that  direction,  which  was  to  my  left,  and  to  hold  himself  ready  to 
re-enforce  our  advance  should  occasion  require. 

These  dispositions  having  been  ordered,  I  hastily  communicated 
them  to  Major-General  Stewart,  at  Fairfield,  and  moved  on  briskly  to 
original  destination.  When  about  a  mile  from  Beech  Grove  (which 
is  near  the  entrance  to  Hoover's  Gap,)  I  threw  out  a  company  of 
skirmishers  to  my  right,  and  sent  forward  with  a  few  scouts  at  his 
own  instance,  Major  William  Clare,  of  General  Bragg's  staff,  to 
ascertain  the  whereabouts  of  the  enemy.  His  fire  was  soon  drawn  and 
his  position  developed.  I  immediately  prepared  to  give  him  battle, 
and  advanced  two  companies  of  skirmishers  at  double  quick  to  gain 
and  occupy  a  skirt  of  woods  before  the  enemy  could  do  so,  and  to 
which  he  was  advancing.  Major  Fred  Claybrooke  of  the  Twentieth 
Tennessee  pushed  forward  the  skirmishers  and  effected  the  object, 
driving  the  enemy  back  after  a  sharp  contest,  in  which  Major  Clay 
brooke,  while  gallantly  pressing  forward,  received  his  death  wound. 

Our  line  of  battle  composed  of  the  Twentieth  Tennessee  and 
Thirty-seventh  Georgia  regiments,  extended  at  right  angles  across  the 
main  road  leading  from  Fairfield  to  Hoover's  Gap,  its  left  resting  on 
the  east  bank  of  Garrison  Fork.  This  line,  with  skirmishers  well 
advanced,  was  moved  forward  until  the  enemy  was  driven  back  about 
a  mile  from  where  we  first  met  him,  into  Hoover's  Gap.  One  section 
of  the  Eufaula  light  artillery,  under  command  of  Lieutenant  W.  H. 
Woods,  was  in  the  meantime  placed  in  position  on  an  eminence  on  my 
right,  just  previously  occupied  by  the  enemy's  advance.  This  section 
(3-inch  rifles,)  opened  briskly  and  with  telling  effect  so  as  to  prevent 
the  enemy's  farther  advance  in  that  direction.  It,  in  conjunction 
with  our  advanced  skirmishers,  completely  commanded  the  exit  from 
the  gap  on  the  east. 

Having  thus  checked  his  advance  on  the  Manchester  pike,  and 
learning  that  the  mounted  men  who  had  been  near  Robertson's  mill 
had  returned  to  the  gap  before  we  arrived  in  sight  of  the  same, 
believing  my  right  and  rear  free  from  attack,  I  ordered,  through  a 
staff  officer,  Colonel  T}der,  to  bring  his  command  up  Garrison's  Fork 
to  the  position  we  then  occupied,  and  Colonel  Jones  to  bring  his  to 
my  left.  Finding  the  enemy  in  force,  and  knowing  he  could  without 
obstruction  turn  my  left  and  gain  a  series  of  hills  which  commanded 
our  then  line  of  battle,  and  then  relieve  the  Manchester  pike,  I  at 
once  moved  Caswell's  battalion  of  sharpshooters  which  had  just 


185 

arrived,  the  Twentieth  Tennessee  and  the  remaining  section  of  the 
Eufaula  light  artillery  under  command  of  W.  J.  McKenzie,  to  the  left 
and  across  Garrison's  Fork;  ordered  them  to  advance  and  drive  the 
enemy  before  he  could  get  a  lodgment  on  the  hills.  My  suspicion  as 
to  his  probable  movement  was  correct.  He  was  advancing  in  force  to 
gain  the  hills  and  turn  our  left. 

.  The  enemy  was  met  with  such  spirit  and  resolution  by  these  little 
commands,  each  playing  its  part  most  handsomely,  that  he  gave  way 
under  the  fierce  attack  until  pressed  back  upon  his  second  line.  The 
engagement  here  became  general  and  sanguinary. 

Finding  no  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  foe  to  press  my  right  to 
regain  the  ground  from  which  he  had  been  driven  and  relieve  the 
Manchester  pike,  I  ordered  Colonel  A.  F.  Rudler,  with  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Georgia  regiment,  to  move  his  command  across  the  creek  up 
the  steep  acclivity  of  its  left  bank,  form  line  parallel  to  the  same,  and 
give  an  enfilading  fire  to  the  force  then  heavily  engaging  my  left. 
The  order  was  obeyed  with  alacrity  and  in  good  style.  The  enemy, 
anticipating  tae  move,  met  it  with  a  line  of  battle  fronting  the  woods 
which  skirted  the  bank  of  the  creek.  A  bloody  engagement  here 
ensued  with  great  odds  against  us,  and  after  a  futile  but  most  persist 
ent  and  gallant  effort  to  dislodge  him,  Colonel  Rudler  properly  with 
drew  his  command  under  cover  of  the  bank.  At  this  juncture  every 
gun  and  piece  in  that  portion  of  my  command  which  had  arrived  on 
the  field  was  engaged  in  a  spirited  and  deadly  contest. 

In  this  position  we  fought  for  nearly  an  hour,  when,  by  his  excess 
of  numbers,  the  enemy  turned  our  already  extended  left  flank,  giving 
an  enfilading  fire  to  the  Twentieth  Tennessee.  It  recoiled  from  the 
shock,  was  rallied,  and  formed  in  good  time  on  a  fence  running  a 
short  distance  from  and  perpendicular  to  our  line  of  battle.  Caswell's 
battalion  of  sharpshooters  still  held  the  right  of  the  woods  from  which 
the  enemy  had  been  driven.  Seeing,  by  his  vastly  superior  force, 
that  he  could  again  turn  my  left  without  resistance,  as  every  gun  and 
piece  of  mine  present  were  engaged,  and  Tyler  and  Jones  not  yet 
possibly  within  supporting  distance,  I  removed  the  artillery  then 
engaged  on  the  left  to  a  line  OL  hills  immediately  in  our  rear  and  in 
front  of  William  Johnson's  house,  which  admirably  overlooked  the 
entire  battleground,  as  well  as  a  considerable  space  to  the  right  and 
left. 

The  artillery  being  placed  in  position  on  these  commanding  heights, 
my  entire  force  present,  excepting  that  guarding  the  east  exit  from 
the  gap  and  the  Manchester  pike,  was  quickly  and  advantageously 
placed  in  such  position  as  gave  protection  to  both  flanks,  and  ability 
to  successfully  repel  any  assault  from  the  front.  This  position  being 
secure,  we  held  the  enemy  at  bay  with  little  effort  and  comparative 
security. 

At  this  juncture,  an  hour  before  sunset,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Bush 
Jones,  with  the  Ninth  Alabama  battalion,  arrived  upon  the  field, 
under  a  heavy  artillery  fire,  and  was  placed  in  position  on  the  extreme 
left.  Soon  thereafter  Colonel  Tyler,  with  the  Fifteenth  and  Thirty- 
seventh  Tennessee  consolidated,  arrived  and  occupied  the  ground  from 


186  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

which  the  enemy  had  been  driven  in  the  early  part  of  the  action. 
Major- General  Stewart  arrived  with  re-enforcements  about  sundown, 
and  assumed  command. 

My  command  having  lost  in  killed  and  wounded  nearly  twenty- 
five  per  cent,  of  the  number  engaged,  being  wet  from  drenching  rain, 
and  exhausted  from  the  fight,  was  relieved  by  re-enforcements,  except 
the  Twentieth  Tennessee  and  the  Eufaula  light  artillery,  which 
remained  without  intermission  in  line  of  battle. 

Thus  closed  with  the  day  a  most  spirited  and  sanguinary  conflict, 
in  which  less  than  seven  hundred  men  (about  one-half  of  my  brigade,) 
successfully  fought  and  drove  back  into  Hoover's  Gap  and  held  at  bay 
until  nightfall  Wilder 's  brigade  of  mounted  infantry  and  two  brigades 
of  Reynold's  division  of  Thomas'  corps,  at  least  five  to  one.  It  was  a 
bright  day  for  the  glory  of  our  arms,  but  a  sad  one  when  we  consider 
the  loss  of  the  many  gallant  spirits  who  sealed  with  their  blood  their 
devotion  to  our  cause. 

Among  the  officers  who  fell  in  this  day's  action  we  have  to  lament 
that  of  Major  Fred  Claybrooke,  of  the  Twentieth  Tennessee,  one  of 
the  youngest  but  most  gallant  field  officers  known  to  the  service. 
Captain  J.  A.  Pettigrew  and  Adjutant  J.  W.  Thomas,  of  the  same 
regiment,  Avere  dangerously  wounded  and  have  not  yet  recovered. 
Captain  W.  M.  Carter  and  Adjutant  John  R.  Yourie,  of  Major  Cas- 
well's  battalion,  were  severely  wounded  early  in  the  action.  Also 
Captain  W.  A.  Quinn,  Lieutenant  William  Hutchison,  and  Lieutenant 
John  W.  Humphrey,  of  the  Thirty-seventh  Georgia. 

Our  list  of  the  killed  and  wounded  of  the  six  hundred  and  fifty 
engaged  was  one  hundred  and  forty-six,  which  list  has  been  previously 
transmitted  to  you. 

Colonel  T.  B.  Smith,  commanding  the  Twentieth  Tennessee  regi 
ment;  Colonel  A.  F.  Rudler,  commanding  the  Thirty-seventh  Georgia, 
and  his  Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  T.  Smith;  Major  T.  D.  Caswell,  com 
manding  battalion  of  sharpshooters,  and  Second-Lieutenant  McKenzie. 
commanding  Eufaula  light  artillery,  together  with  the  officers  and 
men  under  their  commands  have  interwoven  with  new  laurels  the 
wreaths  they  have  won  on  other  battlefields. 

I  am  pleased  to  make  my  acknowledgments  to  Colonels  Tyler  and 
Jones  for  the  prompt  manner  with  which  they  obeyed  every  order 
given  them,  and  for  the  rapidity  with  which  they  brought  their  com 
mands  to  the  field  when  relieved  from  the  posts  assigned  them.  My 
acknowledgements  are  likewise  due  and  most  cordially  rendered  for 
their  gallant  bearing  and  efficiency  to  Major  G.  W.  Winchester, 
Captain  W.  C.  Yancey,  Lieutenant  Thomas  E.  Blanchard,  Lieutenant 
James  H.  Bate,  members  of  my  staff,  and  Captain  J.  E.  Rice, 
ordnance  officer,  who  brought  up  and  supervised  the  distribution  of 
ammunition  under  the  severest  fire.  Lieutenant  Aaron  S.  Bate,  a 
young  man  of  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  my  volunteer  aid,  did  well 
his  part.  I  regret  his  death,  which  resulted  from  the  exposure  and 
exhaustion  of  that  day. 

Major  William  Clare,  Assistant  Inspector-General,  on  General 
Bragg's  staff,  was  making  an  inspection  of  my  brigade  when  the 


187 

order  from  General  Stewart  was  received.  He  volunteered  to  accomp 
any  and  serve  me  during  the  fight.  His  gallantry  was  marked,  and 
his  services  of  such  an  efficient  character  as  to  merit  my  special  and 
most  favorable  comment. 

The  morrow  renewed  our  association  with  the  line  of  battle,  under 
the  leadership  of  Major-General  Stewart.  The  Twentieth  Tennessee 
and  Maney's  battery,  under  command  of  Lieutenant  H.  M.  McAdoo 
which  had  previously  been  held  in  reserve,  were  transferred  by  order 
of  General  Stewart,  and  placed  under  command  of  Brigadier-General 
Bushrod  Johnson. 

The  Eufaula  light  artillery  was  retained  on  the  heights  it  had 
occupied  the  evening  previous,  and  was  under  command  of  Brigadier- 
General  Johnson.  The  Thirty-seventh  Georgia  and  Caswell's  battal 
ion  of  sharpshooters  were  held  in  reserve  during  the  25th,  except  two 
companies  of  the  former,  commanded  by  Captain  D.  L.  Gholston  and 
Lieutenant  James  A.  Sanders,  which  were  ordered  to  report  to 
Brigadier-General  Clayton  as  skirmishers.  Colonel  Tyler  and  Lieu 
tenant  Colonel  Jones,  with  their  commands,  were  helS  in  line  on  our 
center,  subject  to  severe  shelling  during  the  entire  day. 

The  next  day's  retreat  was  conducted  in  fine  style,  free  from 
undue  excitement  and  straggling.  My  brigade  was  handsomely 
covered  by  Caswell's  sharpshooters  and  two  companies  of  skirmishers 
from  Colonel  Tyler's  command.  At  one  time  they  concealed  them 
selves  in  a  skirt  of  woods  until  the  enemy's  skirmishers  had  passed 
their  right;  they  then  opened  such  a  deadly  fire  upon  their  flank  as  to 
precipitate  them  back  in  great  confusion.  This  incident  had  much  to 
do  with  the  caution  which  afterwards  characterized  our  pursuit. 

I  am,  Major,  most  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

WM.  B.  BATE, 

Brigadier-General. 
MAJOR  R.  A.  HATCHER, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General,  Stewart's  Division. 


On  the  next  day  the  division  under  General  Stewart  held  the 
enemy  in  check  for  several  hours,  and  retired  in  "fine  style,"  only 
after  an  overwhelming  force  of  the  enemy  had  passed  the  gap, 
General  Stewart  himself,  covering  the  retreat  and  bringing  up  the 
rear. 


WILLIAM  ORTON  WILLIAMS  AND  LIEUTENANT  PETER- 
SPIES. 


Franklin,  Tenn.,  June  8,  1863. 
Brigadier-General  Garfield,  Chief  of  Staff: 

Is  there  any  such  inspector  general  as  Lawrence  Orton,  colonel 
U.  S.  Army,  and  assistant,  Major  Dunlop?  If  so,  please  describe 
their  personal  appearance,  and  answer  immediately. 

J.  P.  BAIRD, 
Colonel,  Commanding  Post. 

Headquarters  Department  of  the  Cumberland, 

June  8,  1863,  10:15  p.  m. 
Colonel  J.  P.  Baird,  Franklin: 

There  are  no  such  men  as  Inspector  General  Lawrence  Orton, 
colonel  U.  S.  Army,  and  assistant,  Major  Dunlop,  in  this  army,  nor 
in  any  army,  so  far  as  we  know.  Why  do  you  ask? 

J.  A.  GARFIELD, 
Brigadier-General  and  Chief  of  Staff. 

Franklin,  June  8,  1863,11:30  p.  m. 
Brigadier-General  Garfield: 

Two  men  came  in  camp  about  dark,  dressed  in  our  uniform,  with 
horses  and  equipment  to  correspond,  saying  that  they  were  Colonel 
Orton,  inspector-general,  and  Major  Dunlop,  assistant,  having  an  order 
from  Adjutant-General  Townsend  and  your  order  to  inspect  all  posts, 
but  their  conduct  was  so  singular  that  we  have  arrested  them,  and 
they  insisted  that  it  was  important  to  go  to  Nashville  tonight.  The 
one  representing  himself  as  Colonel  Orton  (W.  Orton  Williams)  is 
probably  a  regular  officer  of  old  army,  but  Colonel  Watkins,  com 
manding  cavalry  here,  in  whom  I  have  the  utmost  confidence,,  is  of 
opinion  that  they  are  spies,  who  have  either  forged  or  captured  their 
orders.  They  can  give  no  consistent  account  of  their  conduct. 

I  want  you  to  answer  immediately  my  last  dispatch.  It  takes  so 
long  to  get  an  answer  form  General  Gordon  Granger,  at  Triune,  by 
signal,  that  I  telegraphed  General  R.  S.  Granger,  at  Nashville  for 
information.  I  also  signalled  General  Gordon  Granger.  If  these 
men  are  spies,  it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  important  that  I  should  know 
it,  because  Forrest  must  be  awaiting  their  progress. 
I  am,  General,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  P.  BAIRD, 
Colonel,  Commanding  Post. 


WILLIAM  OfiTON  WILLIAMS  AND  LIEUT.  PETER — SPIES.  189 

Headquarters  Department  of  the  Cumberland, 

Murfreesboro,  June  8,  1863,  12:00  p.  m. 
Colonel  J.  P.  Baird,  Franklin: 

The  two  men  are  no  doubt  spies.  Call  a  drum-head  court  martial 
tonight,  and  if  they  are  found  to  be  spies,  hang  them  before  morning, 
without  fail.  No  such  men  have  been  accredited  from  these  head 
quarters. 

J.  A.  GARFIELD, 
Brigadier-General  and  Chief  of  Staff. 

Franklin,  June  8,  1863. 
General  Garfield,  Chief  of  Staff: 

I  have  just  sent  you  an  explanation  of  my  first  dispatch  when  I 
received  your  dispatch.  When  your  dispatch  came,  they  owned  up 
as  being  a  rebel  colonel  and  lieutenant  in  the  rebel  army.  Colonel  Orton, 
by  name,  but  in  fact  Williams,  first  on  General  Scott's  staff,  of  Second 
cavalry,  regular  army.  Their  ruse  was  nearly  succssful  on  me,  as  I 
did  not  know  the  handwriting  of  my  commanding  officer,  and  am 
much  indebted  to  Colonel  Watkins  Sixth  Kentucky  cavalry  for  their 
detention,  and  Lieutenant  Wharton,  of  Granger's  staff  for  the  detec 
tion  of  forgery  of  papers.  As  these  men  don't  deny  their  guilt, 
what  shall  I  do  with  them?  My  bile  is  stirred  and  some  hanging 
would  do  me  good. 

I  communicate  with  you,  because  I  could  get  an  answer  so  much 
sooner  than  by  signal,  but  I  will  keep  General  Granger  posted.  I  will 
telegraph  you  again  in  a  short  time,  as  we  are  trying  to  find  out,  and 
believe  there  is  an  attack  contemplated  in  the  morning.  If  Watson 
gets  anything  out  of  Orton,  I  will  let  you  know. 

I  am,  General,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  P.  BAIRD, 
Colonel,  Commanding. 

Headquarters  Department  of  the  Cumberland, 

Murfreesboro,  June  12,  1863. 
Brigadier-General  Lorenzo  Thomas,  Adjutant-General  U.  S.  Army: 

General:  I  have  the  honor  to  forward  herewith  the  record  of  the 
proceedings  held  at  Franklin,  Tennessee,  in  the  cases  of  the  two  Con- 
f'ederate  officers  taken  as  spies  at  that  place  on  the  9th  instant;  also 
the  forged  orders  and  other  papers  found  on  their  persons.  I  trans 
mit  also  copies  of  the  telegraphic  correspondence  between  Colonel 
Baird  and  myself  in  reference  to  the  matter. 

I  am,  sir  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  S.  ROSECRANS, 
Major-General,  Commanding. 
(Inclosure.) 

"Record  of  the  Military  Commission." 
Headquarters  Post, 

Franklin  June  9,  1863. 

Before  a  Court  of  Commission  assembled  by  virtue  of  the  following 
order: 


190  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Headquarters  Post  of  Franklin, 

June  9,  3:00  a.  m. 

A  Court  of  Commission  is  hereby  called,  in  pursuance  of  orders 
from  Major-General  Rosecrans,  to  try  Colonel  Williams  and  Lieuten 
ant  Peter,  of  rebel  forces,  on  charge  of  being  spies,  the  court  to  sit 
immediately,  at  headquarters  of  the  post. 

Detail  of  Court:  Colonel  Jordon,  Ninth  Pennsylvania  cavalry, 
President;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Van  Vleck,  Seventy-eighth  Illinois 
infantry;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hoblitzel,  Fifth  Kentucky  cavalry; 
Captain  Crawford,  Eighty-fifth  Indiana  infantry,  and  Lieutenant 
Wharton,  Judge-Advocate. 

By  order  of 

J.  P.  BAIRD, 

Colonel  Commanding  Post. 

The  Court  and  judge-advocate  having  been  duly  sworn  according 
to  military  law,  the  prisoners  were  arraigned  upon  the  following 
charges: 

CHARGES  AND  SPECIFICATIONS  AGAINST  COLONEL  LAWRENCE  OKTON,  ALIAS 
WILLIAMS,  AND  LIEUTENANT  WALTER  G.  PETER,  OFFICERS  IN  REBEL 
FORCES.  CHARGES: — BEING  SPIES. 

Specifications:  — In  this,  the  said  Colonel  Lawrence  Orton,  alias 
Williams,  and  Lieutenant  Walter  G.  Peter,  officers  in  the  so  called 
Confederate  States  of  America,  did,  on  the  8th  day  of  June,  1863, 
come  inside  the  lines  of  the  Army  of  the  United  States,  at  Franklin, 
Tennessee,  wearing  the  uniform  of  Federal  officers,  with  a  pass  pur 
porting  to  be  signed  by  Major-General  Rosecrans,  Commanding 
Department  of  the  Cumberland,  and  represented  to  Colonel  J.  P. 
Baird,  commanding  post  of  Franklin,  that  they  were  in  the  service  of 
the  United  States,  all  this  for  the  purpose  of  getting  information  of 
the  strength  of  the  United  States  forces  and  conveying  it  to  the 
enemy  of  the  United  States  now  in  arms  against  the  United  States 
Government. 

E.  C.  DAVIS, 
Captain  Company  G,  Eighty-fifth  Indiana  Infantry. 

Some  evidence  having  been  heard  in  support  of  the  charges  and 
specifications,  the  prisoners  made  the  following  statement: 

"That  they  came  inside  of  the  lines  of  the  United  States  Army, 
at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  about  dark  on  the  8th  day  of  June,  1863,  wearing 
the  uniform  they  then  had  on  their  persons,  which  was  that  of  Federal 
officers;  that  they  went  to  the  headquarters  of  Colonel  J.  P.  Baird, 
commanding  forces  at  Franklin,  and  represented  to  him  that  they 
were  Colonel  Orton,  inspector,  just  sent  from  Washington  City  to 
overlook  the  inspection  of  the  several  departments  of  the  West,  and 
Major  Dunlop,  his  assistant,  and  exhibited  to  him  an  order  from 
Adjutant-General  Townsend  assigning  him  to  that  duty,  an  order 
from  Major-General  Rosecrans,  countersigned  by  Brigadier-General 
Garfield,  chief  of  staff,  asking  him  to  inspect  his  outposts,  and  a  pass 
through  all  lines  from  General  Rosecrans;  that  he  told  Colonel  Baird 
he  had  missed  the  road  from  Murfreesboro  to  this  point,  got  too  near 


WILLIAM  ORTON  WILLIAMS  AND  LIEUT.   PETER — SPIES.  191 

Eagleville  and  run  into  rebel  pickets,  and  had  his  orderly  shot,  and 
lost  his  coat  containing  his  money;  that  he  wanted  some  money  and  a 
pass  to  Nashville;  that,  when  arrested  by  Colonel  Watkins,  Sixth 
Kentucky  cavalry,  after  examination  they  admitted  that  they  were  in 
the  Rebel  army,  and  that  his  (the  colonel's)  true  name  was  Lawrence 
Orton  Williams;  that  he  had  been  in  the  Second  regular  cavalry,  Army 
of  the  United  States,  once  on  General  Scott's  staff  in  Mexico,  and  was 
now  a  colonel  in  the  Rebel  army,  and  Lieutenant  Peter  was  his 
adjutant;  that  he  came  in  our  lines  knowing  his  fate,  if  taken,  but 
asking  mercy  for  his  adjutant." 

The  court  having  maturely  considered  the  case,  after  having  all 
the  evidence,  together  with  the  statements  of  the  prisoners,  do  find 
them,  viz. :  Colonel  Lawrence  Orton  Williams  and  Lieutenant  Walter 
G.  Peter,  officers  of  the  Confederate  army,  guilt}7  of  the  charges  of 
being  spies  found  within  the  lines  of  the  United  States  Army  at 
Franklin,  Tenn.,  on  the  8th  day  of  June,  1863. 

THOMAS  J.  JORDON, 
Colonel  Ninth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry, 

President  of  the  Commission. 
HENRY  C.  WHARTON, 

Lieutenant  of  Engineers,  Judge-Advocate. 


(Indorsement  No.  1.) 

The  finding  is  approved,  and,  by  order  of  Major-General  Rose- 
crans,  the  prisoners  will  be  executed  immediately  by  hanging  by  the 
neck  till  they  are  dead. 

Captain  Alexander,  provost-marshal,  will  carry  the  sentence  into 
execution. 

J.  P.  BAIRD, 
Colonel,  Commanding  Post. 


(Indorsement  No.  2.) 

Headquarters  Post, 
Franklin,  Tenn.,  June  9,  1863. 

Captain  J.  H.  Alexander,  Seventh  Kentucky  regimemt,  cavalry, 
provost-marshal  of  Franklin,  Tennessee,  by  virtue  of  the  above  pro 
ceedings  and  order  carried  the  sentence  into  execution  by  hanging 
said  prisoners  by  the  neck  until  they  were  dead. 

J.  H.  ALEXANDER, 
Captain  and  Provost-Marshal. 

The  above  report  was  made  out  by  the  provost-marshal,  and 
returned  to  me  as  the  report  of  his  proceedings  in  executing  the 
sentence  of  the  court,  and  I  order  the  same  to  be  attached  to  the 
record  of  said  Court. 

J.  P.  BAIRD, 
Colonel,  Commanding  Post. 


192  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


APPENDIX. 


War  Department,  Adjutant-General's  Office, 

Washington,  May  25,  1863. 
Special  Orders,  ) 

No.  140.  } 

*  ***** 

IV.  Colonel  Lawrence  W.  Orton,  cavalry  United  States  Army, 
and   acting   special   inspector-general,  is  hereby  relieved  from  duty 
along  the  "Line  of  the  Potomac."     He  will  immediately  proceed  to 
the  West,  and  minutely  inspect  the  Department  of  the  Ohio  and  the 
Department  of  the  Cumberland,  in  accordance  with  special  instructions 
Nos.  140-162  and  185,  furnished  him  from  this  office  and   that  of  the 
paymaster-general . 

V.  Major  George  Dunlop,  assistant  quartermaster,    is  hereby 
relieved  from  duty  in  this  city.     He  will  report  immediately  to  Col 
onel  Orton  for  duty. 

By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

E.  D.  TOWNSEND, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General. 
COLONEL  LAWRENCE  W.  ORTON,  U.  S.  A., 
Special  Inspector-General. 


War  Department,  Adjutant-General's  Office, 

Washington,  May  25,  1863. 
Special  Orders,  ) 

No.  140.  j 

*  *  *  * 

Y.     Major   George   Dunlop,    assistant-quartermaster,  is  hereby 
relieved  from  duty  in  this  city.     He  will  report  immediately  to  Colonel 
Orton,  special  inspector-general,  for  duty. 
By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

E.  D.  TOWNSEND, 
Assistant  Adjutant- General. 
MAJOR  GEORGE  DUNLOP, 

Assistant  Quartermaster,  on  Special  Duty. 

Headquarters  Department  of  the  Cumberland, 

Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  May  30,  1863. 
Colonel  L.  W.  Orton,  Cavalry,  Special  Inspector-General: 

Colonel:  The  major-general  commancfing  desires  me  to  say  to 
you  that  he  desires  that,  if  you  can  spare  the  time  at  present,  that 
you  will  inspect  his  outposts  before  drawing  up  your  report  for  the 
War  Department  at  Washington  City.  All  commanding  officers  of 
outposts  will  aid  you  in  the  matter  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  The 
general  desires  me  to  give  his  respects  to  you. 

I  remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  A.  GARFIELD, 
Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers,  Chief  of  Staff 

and  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 


ORDER  IDENTIFYING  WILLIAM  ORTON  WILLIAMS.  193 

(Indorsements.) 

Headquarters  Department  of  the  Cumberland, 

Murfreesboro,  May  30,  1863. 

All    guards  and  outposts  will  immediately  pass   without   delay 
Colonel  Orton  and  his  assistant,  Major  Dunlop. 
By  command  of  Major-General  Rosecrans. 

J.  A.  GARFIELD, 
Volunteer  Chief  of  Staff  and  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 


Headquarters  United  States  Forces, 

Nashville,  Tenn.,  June  5.  1863. 

All  officers  in  command  of  troops  belonging  to  these  forces  will 
give  every  assistance  in  their  power  to  Colonel  L.  W.  Orton,  special 
inspector-general,  under  direct  orders  from  the  Secretary  of  War. 
By  command  of  General  Morgan. 

JOHN  PRATT, 
Assistant  Adjutant- General. 

(THE  FOLLOWING  ORDER  IDENTIFIES  WILLIAM  ORTON  WILLIAMS.) 

Headquarters  Second  Brigade  Martin's  Cavalry  Division, 

Unionville,  Tenn.,  April  30,  1863,  6:00  a.  m. 
Lieutenant-General  Folk's  Chief  of  Staff,  C.  S.  A. : 

I  have  the  honor  to  report  all  quiet  along  my  lines  this  morning. 
I  would  respectfully  ask  that  the  order  to  report  every  six  hours  be 
modified,  as  there  is  no  place  between  here  and  Shelbyville  where  a 
courier  station  can  be  kept  up,  for  want  of  forage.  Should  any  move 
ment  of  the  enemy  take  place,  I  will  report  every  two  hours,  or  even 
at  shorter  intervals. 

I  think  that  the  enemy  will  send  out  to-morrow  morning  a  heavy 
foraging  party  from  Triune  toward  College  Grove.  Such  I  infer 
from  the  large  number  of  wagons  concentrating  about  the  former 
place. 

Brigadier-General  (Major-General)  Scofield  commanded  the  expe 
dition  we  drove  back  yesterday.  It  consisted  of  about  500  men  and 
some  artillery.  The  latter  was  not  brought  into  action,  but  fell 
back  almost  immediately  to  Triune. 

If  the  lieutenant-general  commanding  will  send  me  two  regiments 
of  infantr}r,  with  two  day's  rations,  to  report  here  as  soon  as  possible, 
I  will  be  able  to  concentrate  my  command  on  the  (upper)  pike,  and, 
leaving  the  infantry  to  guard  this  road,  where  the  enemy  will  come 
to  forage,  I  can  get  into  his  rear  and  capture  his  wagons.  My  line  of 
vedettes  is  too  long  to  concentrate  my  command  for  an  offensive  move 
ment,  as  it  will  leave  one  or  other  of  the  pikes  with  a  weak  guard. 
The  enemy  will  bring,  as  he  generally  does,  about  one  regiment  of 
infantry  with  his  cavalry,  and,  perhaps,  a  section  of  the  artillery. 
I  remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

LAWRENCE  W.  ORTON, 
Colonel  Commanding  Second  Brigade,  Martin's  Division  of  Cavalry. 


WHO  WAS  WILLIAM  ORTON  WILLIAMS? 


AN  INTERESTING  LETTER  FROM  MAJOR  JOSEPH  VAULX,  GENERAL  CHEATH- 

AM'S  STAFF. 

Nashville,  April  2,  1890. 

Governor  James  D.  Porter, 
My  Dear  Sir: 

I  have  before  me  the  article  in  ''The  United  States  Service  Mag 
azine"  giving  an  account  of  the  capture  and  execution  of  Colonel 
Orton  Williams  and  Lieutenant  Peter  of  the  C.  S.  Army  by  the  Fed 
eral  forces  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  on  the  8th  of  June,  1863;  in  which 
article  is  a  statement  from  Oolonel  Wr.  F.  Prosser  of  bis  conclusions 
why  Colonel  Williams  and  Lieutenant  Peter  came  within  the  Federal 
lines  at  Franklin  with  counterfeit  orders  from  the  War  Department 
(U.  S.)  and  General  Rosecrans,  etc.  Colonel  Prosser  here  asserts  that 
on  the  night  of  the  8th  of  June  General  Cheatham  had  marched  with 
his  corps  from  Shelbyville  and  had  it  encamped  within  less  than  six 
miles  of  Franklin.  If  there  is  any  foundation  for  this  assertion  at  all, 
General  Cheatham  and  his  troops  got  to  that  point  by  riding  on  Col 
onel  Prosser's  night-mare.  No  less  a  power  could  have  placed  Gen 
eral  Cheatham  with  his  corps  (?)  at  that  point  at  that  time  than  some 
supernatural  one,  and  the  most  likely  one  would  have  been  a  night 
mare.  The  Colonel  is  far  wide  of  the  facts  in  his  "demonstrated  con 
clusion"  for  these  reasons:  At  that  time  General  Cheatham  was 
commanding  a  division,  and  Lieutenant-General  Polk  was  in  command 
of  the  corps. 

Therefore  Cheatham  had  no  corps  under  his  command.  Next, 
Cheatham  did  not  have  his  division  near  Franklin — neither  was  he 
there.  Cheatham  as  far  as  I  know,  and  as  far  as  I  can  learn  from 
members  of  his  command  moved  out  from  Shelbyville  but  once  while 
we  occupied  that  place.  Then  he  went  with  one  brigade  on  the  Mur- 
freesboro  road  to  support  the  small  cavalry  outpost  on  that  road 
against  an  anticipated  reconnaissance  of  Federal  cavalry.  (At  this 
time  a  large  part  of  the  regular  cavalry  force  had  been  sent  elsewhere). 
The  movement  was  devoid  of  notable  incident;  the  brigade  was  posted 
on  a  ridge  in  the  rear  of  the  cavalry  posts  and  the  next  day  moved 
back  to  camp  north  of  Shelbyville.  I  was  with  him  and  this  was  so 
trivial  and  so  uneventful  an  affair  that  1  had  nearly  forgotten  it,  until 
reminded  of  some  personal  incidents  by  yourself.  Of  course  you 
know  my  position  as  Inspector  General  required  me  to  accompany 


WHO  WAS  WILLIAM  ORTON  WILLIAMS?  195 

General  Cheatham  in  all  field  movements  with  troops,  and  this  move 
ment  with  Strahl's  one  brigade  out  on  the  Murfreesboro  pike  was  the 
only  one  made  while  at  Shelbyville.  Hence,  the  whole  of  Colonel 
Prosser's  statement  and  conclusion  is  a  romance  without  a  single  fact 
to  base  it  upon. 

There  was  no  military  or  personal  intercourse  between  General 
Cheatham  and  Colonel  Williams.  Colonel  Williams  had  not  been 
with  the  army  since  I  joined  it  in  1862.  The  only  time  I  ever  saw 
him  was  when  1  was  sick  at  Columbus,  Miss.,  after  the  battle  of  Shiloh. 
He  belonged  to  the  "regular  army"  of  the  C.  S.  by  virtue  of  coming 
from  the  regular  army  of  the  U.  S.,  and  how  he  was  employed  from 
that  time  in  1862  until  June,  1863,  1  do  not  know.  He  was  (so 
reputed)  very  full  of  exaggerated,  personal  and  military  conceit,  and 
had  been  an  aide  to  General  Winheld  Scott.  In  his  bearing  and  dress 
he  was  at  all  times  ultra  military,  spectacular  and  erratic.  No  doubt 
you  remember  the  small  offense  for  which  he  ran  a  soldier  through 
with  his  sword  at  Columbus,  Ky.  I  have  frequently  heard  repeated 
the  last  sentence  of  the  written  statement  he  made  with  reference  to 
the  killing  of  this  soldier  for  refusing  to  salute  him  the  second  time 
he  passed  him  in  his  morning  visit  to  the  stable;  it  will  give  some  idea 
of  the  man's  mental  and  moral  organization.  He  concluded  his  state 
ment  of  the  killing  thus:  "For  his  ignorance,  I  pitied  him;  for  his 
insolence,  I  forgave  him;  for  his  insubordination,  1  slew  him".  He 
was  away  from  the  Army  of  Tennessee  after  that  occurrence  till  in  the 
spring  of  1863  he  turned  up,  by  reason  of  some  influence  at  Richmond, 
with  a  cavalry  colonel's  commission,  accompanied  by  Lieutenant  Peter 
(regular  C.  S.  A.)  with  orders  to  report  to  General  Bragg  for  assign 
ment  to  a  command.  At  that  time  there  were  being  organized  some 
new  cavalry  regiments  at  Columbia  by  General  Van  Dorn.  These 
regiments  were  formed  by  consolidating  the  battalions  which  had 
previously  been  independent  organizations.  General  Bragg  sent  Col 
onel  Williams  with  his  adjutant.  Peter,  to  General  Van  Dorn  with 
orders  to  be  assigned  to  one  of  these  regiments.  In  compliance, 
General  Van  Dorn  issued  the  order  assigning  him  to  a  Tennessee  reg 
iment,  in  which  was  Major  Richard  McCann's  splendid  old  battalion. 
Colonal  Williams  went  out  to  the  camp  to  take  command,  when  he 
was  informed  that  no  officer  or  soldier  of  the  regiment  would  obey 
his  orders.  The  officers  believed  they  had  a  right  to  have  one  of  their 
own  number  appointed  to  the  command,  and  neither  Tennesseen  or 
volunteer  officers  nor  men  would  serve  under  the  overbearing  man  who 
had  killed  the  soldier  at  Columbus.  The  regimental  and  company 
officers  reported  this  to  Van  Dorn,  who  wisely  suspended  the  order 
and  reported  the  case  to  General  Bragg  who  also  wisely  acquiesced  in 
Van  Dorn's  action,  and  Colonel  Williams  and  Lieutenant  Peter  were 
left  in  that  anomalous  position,  termed,  "unassigned".  Williams  was 
much  mortified  by  this  state  of  affairs,  and  after  staying  in  and  about 
Columbia  for  a  short  time  set  out  on  this  journey  without  orders  to  do 
so,  or  without  confiding  to  anyone  in  Van  Dorn's  command  his  inten 
tions,  as  I  and  the  army  generally  understood  at  the  time  we  heard  of 
his  capture  and  execution.  If  1  recollect  further  rightly,  he  passed 


196  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


through  the  Confederate  pickets  secretly.  The  general  belief  about 
the  man  was  that  he  was  out  of  balance,  erratic,  full  of  conceit, 
personal  vanity  and  distorted  views  of  his  military  importance  and 
dignity.  To  sum  up — he  was  not  entirely  sane  In  this  mood,  after 
being  repudiated  by  soldiers  and  g>nerals,  he  set  out  to  do  something 
sensational.  Whether  some  brilliant  and  daring  exploit  to  return  to 
Van  Dorirs  camp,  or  whether  he  intended  to  go  through  the  United 
States  on  a  survey,  or  whether,  as  was  published  in  some  Northern 
papers  at  that  time,  he  desired  to  pass  on  through  the  army,  reach  his 
friends  at  home  and  get  money  to  go  out  of  the  country,  possibly  to 
England  or  Canada.  I  read  that  he  marie  such  a  statement  before  his 
execution.  I  never  heard  at  any  time  in  our  army  a  single  man 
express  the  opinion  that  Williams'  actions  in  this  matter  was  known 
to  any  officer  in  authority  over  him,  nor  could  anyone  imagine  any 
special  service  he  could  have  been  to  the  Confederate  army  by  visiting 
either  Franklin  or  Nashville,  for  he  was  a  stranger  to  that  section  of 
the  country  and  its  inhabitants,  and  we  had  many  capable  and  proven 
men  well  acquainted  with  both  who  could  have  been  far  more  efficient 
in  such  a  service  than  Williams.  1  think  Williams  was  well  on  his 
way  from  Franklin  to  Nashville  when  the  Commandant  of  Franklin 
had  him  captured — if  so  he  was  not  going  towards  the  point  Colonel 
Prosser  dreamed  Cheatham  to  be  with  a  part  of  his  "2500  men"  who 
possibly  (?)  was  to  brush  through  Franklin  and  gobble  up  Nashville, 
with  Kosecrans  placed  between  a  tire  in  front  and  a  tire  in  rear  from 
the  balance  of  Bragg's  army.  All  this  was  not  quite  so.  Simply 
for  the  reason  that  Colonel  Prosser's  night-mare  was  not  capable  of 
transporting  all  these  forces  into  the  positions  he  assigned  them;  to  say 
nothing  about  how  General  Bra^g  would  have  liked  his  plan. 

No,  there  was  no  cause  for  the  Colonel's  surmise  and  its  demon 
stration  in  fact,  u  'Tis  baseless  as  the  fabric  of*a  dream".  Williams' 
character  and  quality  was  appreciated  by  the  army  at  large  in  the 
matter  of  killing  the  soldier  and  in  the  statement  by  which  he  attempted 
to  justify  himself.  Neither  the  army  nor  its  generals  wanted  him;  his 
commission  and  orders  were  procured  by  some  influences  at  Rich 
mond;  he  was  chagrined,  and  reckless — he  was  not  a  sound  man,  and 
there  is  no  accounting  for  the  freaks  such  an  one  will  take.  lam  sure 
no  Confederate  authority  was  responsible  for  or  cognizant  of  his 
intentions  in  that  affair.  It  was  his  own  misfortune  to  which  was 
added  the  greater  one  involving  Lieutenant  Peter's  death  with  his  own. 

Yours  truly, 

JOSEPH  VAULX. 


McLEMOEE'S  COVE,  SEPTEMBER,  10-11,  1863. 

REPORT   OF  MAJOR-GENERAL  THOMAS  <J.   HINDMAN,  C.   S.  ARMY,  COMMAND 
ING  DIVISION. 

Atlanta,  Ga.,  October  22,  1863. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  George  William  Brent, 
Assistant  Adjutant  General: 

Colonel:  The  report  of  my  operations  in  McLemore's  Cove  on 
September  10  and  11  is  forwarded  herewith.  Many  calumnies  have 
been  circulated  against  me  in  connection  with  that  affair.  It  has  been 
my  habit  heretofore  to  disregard  such  misrepresentations,  but  in  this 
country  silence  is  taken  for  a  confession  of  misconduct,  and  an  officer's 
reputation  suffers  accordingly.  I  therefore  ask  leave  to  publish  the 
report  at  this  time.  As  no  injury  to  the  service  can  result,  I  indulge 
the  hope  that  this  request  will  de  granted  without  delay. 

1  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

T.  C.  HINDMAN, 

Major-General. 

Atlanta,  Ga.,  October  25,  1863. 

Colonel:  Between  1  and  2  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  September 
10,  I  moved  with  Anderson's,  Deas'  and  Manigault's  brigades  from 
Lee  and  Gordon's  Mills  to  Dr.  Anderson's  house,  on  LaFayette  road, 
and  thence  through  Wortham's  Gap,  of  Pigeon  Mountain,  toward 
Davis'  cross-roads,  in  McLemore's  Cove. 

The  instructions  given  me  by  the  chief  of  staff  at  army  headquar 
ters  were  to  unite  at  Davis'  with  Cleburne's  division,  of  Hill's  corps, 
and  attack  a  force  of  the  enemy  (thought  to  be  4,000  or  5,000  strong) 
uat  the  foot  of  Lookout  Mountain  at  Stephens  Gap."  1  was  advised 
that  General  Hill  was  to  open  communication  with  me  before  I  should 
reach  Davis'. 

Shortly  after  sunrise,  hearing  nothing  from  General  Hill,  I 
ordered  a  halt  at  Morgan's  four  or  tive  miles  from  Davis';  threw  out 
pickets  and  sent  scouting  parties  toward  Davis'  and  Lookout  Moun 
tain.  This  was  in  consequence  of  information  received  from  citizens 
and  from  cavalry  detachments,  of  which  I  assumed  command,  that  a 
Federal  division  was  at  Davis'  and  another  at  Stephen's  Gap;  and  also 
that  Dug  and  Catlett's  Gaps,  of  Pigeon  Mountain,  through  one  of 
which  Hill's  troops  must  march  to  join  me,  were,  and  had  been  for 
several  days,  so  heavily  blocked  as  to  be  impassible.  This  Intel li- 


198  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

mce  which  was  confirmed  by  my  scouts,  was  communicated  to  General 
ill,  and  to  army  headquarters,  and  instructions  asked. 

The  troops  being;  now  rested  and  having  obtained  water  from 
Chickamauga,  which  bends  close  to  the  road  at  Morgan's,  1  moved 
forward  one  mile  to  Colney's  where  there  is  a  spring,  the  last  conven 
ient  water  before  reaching;  Davis'.  The  several  roads  leading  to 


GEN.   T.   C.   HINDMAN   AND  FAMILY. 

Lookout  mountain  remained  in  front  of  this  position,  except  one 
diverging  at  Morgan's,  on  which  I  left  a  strong  picket.  The  road 
leading  through  Catlett's  Gap  and  thence  to  La  Fayette  was  imme 
diately  at  hand,  affording  an  easy  way  of  retirement,  if  cleared  of 
obstructions  as  promptly  as  I  anticipated.  I  could  not  perform  this 
labor,  having  with  me  no  engineer  company  or  working  tools. 

During-  the  day  I  learned  from  scouts  and  citizens  that  a  large 
Federal  force  had  moved  within  the  preceeding  twenty-four  hours 
from  Stephen's  Gap  toward  Davis',  and  that  a  considerable  force  yet 
remained  at  the  foot  of  Lookout  Mountain.  Late  in  the  afternoon  I 
received  from  army  headquarters  a  copy  of  a  communication  of 
Brigadier-General  Wood,  of  Hill's  corps,  dated  Dug's  Gap,  12:20  p.  m., 
stating  that  the  enemy,  with  infantry,  artillery,  and  cavalry,  were 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  his  front,  advancing,  and  had  charged  and 
had  broken  his  cavalry;  that  he  thought  it  a  movement  in  force,  and 
needed  support.  With  this  was  a  copy  of  a  note  from  General  Hill, 
dated  1:30  p.  m.,  stating  that  he  had  ordered  Cleburne's  division  to  Dug's 
Gap,  and  that  if  the  enemy  was  attacking  there  it  would  be  a  good 
time  for  me  to  attack  in  the  rear.  It  was  endorsed  on  these  copies 
that  they  were  referred  to  me  for  my  information  and  guidance.  In 
the  absence  of  more  definite  instructions,  I  supposed  this  to  meam 
that  I  was  to  advance  and  to  attack  the  enemy  when  General  Hill  would 
engage  him,  but  no  such  contingency  happened.  Shortly  afterward  the 


199 

enemy  advanced  upon  the  cavalry  in  my  front,  under  Colonel  John 
T.  Morgan,  which  retired  skirmishing  and  I  formed  line  of  battle, 
expecting  an  attack. 

At  4:45  p.  m.,  General  Buckner  reached  Morgan's  with  his  corps, 
and  reported  to  me  for  orders,  i  directed  him  to  bivouac  there, 
because  the  water  at  Colney's  was  insufficient  for  the  whole  force,  and 
because  holding  that  position  secured  my  retirement  through  Worth- 
am's  Gap,  should  it  become  necessary. 

Brigadier- General  Anderson  was  now  put  in  command  of  my 
division. 

Previous  to  General  Buckner's  arrival  I  received  from  army 
headquarters  a  communication,  dated  8  a.  m.,  addressed  to  me  at 
Davis'  cross-roads,  informing  me  of  the  instructions  to  him,  and  in 
closing  a  letter  from  General  Hill,  dated  4:*25  a.  m.,  stating  his  inabil 
ity  to  co-operate  with  me  because  of  the  weakness  of  Cleburne's  division 
and  the  obstructions  in  the  passes  of  Pigeon  Mountain. 

At  8  p.  m.  I  assembled  the  general  officers  of  the  command, 
laid  before  them  my  instructions  and  the  information  obtained,  and 
asked  their  advice.  Pending  this  conference  a  dispatch  from  army 
headquarters,  dated  6  p.  m.,  notified  me  that  Crittenden's  corps,  of 
the  Federal  army,  marched  southward  from  Chattanooga  that  morn 
ing,  and  that  it  was  highly  important  to  finish  my  operations  in  the 
Cove  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Another,  dated  7.30  p.  m.,  informed  me 
that  our  force  at  and  near  La  Fayette  was  superior  to  the  enemy,  and 
that  it  was  important  to  move  vigorously  and  crush  him. 

I  was  informed,  (by  whom  I  do  not  now  recollect)  that  the  bag 
gage  train  of  my  division  had  been  ordered  from  Lee  and  Gordon's 
Mills  to  La  Fayette,  and  that  Cheatham's  division  of  Polk's  corps  was 
at  Dr.  Anderson's,  to  resist  Crittenden  and  protect  my  rear. 

According  to  my  information,  the  distance  from  Chattanooga  to 
Morgan's,  by  way  of  Crawfish  Spring,  did  not  much,  if  any,  exceed 
twenty  miles.  Crittenden  might  take  the  route,  entirely  avoiding 
Cheat  ham,  and  fall  on  our  rear  while  engaged  at  Davis'.  There  was, 
besides  an  unknown  force  of  the  enemy  within  striking  distance  on  our 
right  and  another  force  in  our  front  probably  equal  to  our  own.  In 
every  direction,  unless  we  should  retire  through  Wortham's  Gap,  we 
were  hemmed  in  by  Pigeon  Mountain,  and  every  way  of  retirement  or 
receiving  support  closed  against  us  by  the  blockade  of  Dug's 
and  Catlett's  Gaps.  .General  Hill's  failure  to  attack  during  the  after 
noon  justified  the  belief  that  these  passes  remained  obstructed.  Our 
conclusion,  which  was  unanimous,  was  that  we  ought  not  to  advance 
without  more  definite  information  as  to  the  force  at  Stephens'  Gap, 
nor  until  assured  that  General  Hill  could  move  through  Dug's  Gap  and 
force  a  juncture  with  us  at  Davis'  cross-roads;  and  if  General  Hill 
could  not  do  this,  or  if  the  enemy  on  our  flank  proved  to  be  so  strong 
that  an  advance  would  be  hazardous,  our  best  course  would  be  to  turn 
upon  Crittenden,  Cheatham  co-operating,  and  Hill  if  possible,  and 
thus  crush  that  corps  of  the  enemy.  This  last  operation  would  destroy 
one-third  of  the  enemy's  force  and  leave  all  our  own  united  to  contend 
against  the  balance  on  his  line  of  communication,  1  addressed  a 


200  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AEMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

letter  to  General  Hill,  inquiring  what  was  to  be  expected  of  him,  and 
sent  a  copy  of  the  same  to  army  headquarters,  with  a  letter  stating 
the  opinion  as  above  expressed,  of  the  general  officers  of  my  command. 
These  communications,  both  to  army  headquarters  and  to  General 
Hill,  were  borne  by  Major  Nocquet,  of  General  Buckner's  staff,  who 
undertook  that  service  at  my  request. 

At  9:10,  before  the  conference  had  reached  any  conclusion,  I  had 
written  a  letter  to  army  headquarters,  stating  the  information  gained, 
with  my  impression  as  to  the  enemy's  purpose  and  the  course  I  ought 
to  adopt. 

During  the  night  as  fast  as  reliable  guides  could  be  obtained,  I 
sent  out  small  scouting  parties  to  the  rear,  right,  and  front  to  get 
information  of  the  enemy. 

At  4:20  a.  m.  on  the  llth,  i  received  from  army  headquarters 
the  following  dispatch: 

"La  Fayette,  September  10, 1863,  12  p.  m. 

General:  Headquarters  are  here  and  the  following  is  the  in 
formation:  Crittenden's  corps  is  advancing  on  us  from  Chattanooga. 
A  large  force  from  the  South  has  advanced  within  seven  miles  of 
this.  Polk  is  left  at  Anderson's  to  cover  your  rear.  General  Bragg 
orders  you  to  attack  and  force  your  way  through  the  enemy  to  this 
point  at  the  earliest  hour  that  you  can  see  him  in  the  morning. 
Cleburne  will  attack  in  front  the  moment  your  guns  are  heard. 
I  am,  general,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

GEO.  Wm.  BKENT, 
Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

My  construction  of  the  above- quoted  dispatch  was  that  the  general 
commanding  considered  my  position  a  perilous  one,  and  therefore 
expected  me  not  to  capture  the  enemy,  but  to  prevent  the  capture  of 
my  own  troops,  forcing  my  way  through  to  La  Fayette,  and  thus 
saving  my  command  and  enabling  him  to  resist  the  forces  that  seemed 
about  to  envelop  him.  This  idea  only  was  conveyed  by  the  language 
used.  Keeping  it  in  view,  I  delayed  issuing  the  order  of  march  until 
the  scouting  parties  sent  toward  Lookout  Mountain  should  report, 
and  in  the  hope,  also,  of  hearing  from  army  headquarters  and  from 
General  Hill  in  answer  to  the  important  letters  sent  by  Major  Nocquet, 
or  the  one  of  9:10  p.  m.  of  the  10th  sent  by  courier. 

Between  four  and  five  o'clock  the  scouting  party  sent  toward 
Davis'  cross-roads  reported  a  large  force  of  the  enemy  still  in  that 
vicinity,  and  the  parties  sent  out  on  the  Crawfish  Spring  road  and  be 
tween  it  and  Lookout  Mountain  reported  no  indications  of  an  enemy. 

At  5:30  o'clock  the  scouts  sent  towards  Stephen's  Gap  returned 
bringing  no  information,  having  been  detained  all  night  at  a  cavalry 
outpost  and  the  detention  not  made  known  to  me.  1  immediately 
sent  another  party  in  the  same  direction,  instructed  to  report  by  7  a. 
m.,  and  at  the  same  time  issued  the  order  of  march,  fixing  that  hour 
for  starting. 

At  6:30  o'clock  Major  Nocquet  returned,  reporting  that  General 
Hill  expected  me  to  make  the  attack,  and  would  co-operate,  and  that 


MCLEMORE'S  C«»VE.  201 


the  general  commanding  directed  him  to  say  that  I  should  execute  my 
own  plans  and  he  would  sustain  me. 

The  command  moved  at  7.  Marching,  necessarily,  on  a  single 
road,  its  progress  was  very  slow.  There  were  various  stoppages  and 
detentions  as  commonly  happens  under  like  circumstances,  and  much 
time  was  thereby  lost.  After  proceeding  about  two  miles  skirmishing 
began  with  the  cavalry  in  front.  Afterwards,  the  country  being 
broken  and  densely  wooded  and  the  position  and  strength  of  the  enemy 
unknown,  frequent  reconnaisances  were  necessary,  consuming  consid 
erable  time.  In  all  this  1  endeavored,  as  far  as  practicable,  to  pre 
vent  needless  delays,  and  I  have  no  complaint  to  make  of  any  officer 
under  me,  nor  against  any  portion  of  the  command. 

While  on  the  march  the  last  scouting  party  sent  toward  Steven's 
Gap  reported  that  a  heavy  force  of  the  enemy  had  been  passing 
thence  toward  Davis'  all  the  previous  night  and  up  to  6  o'clock  that 
morning.  A  party  sent  out  by  General  Buckner  reported  to  the  same 
effect,  and  that  the  enemy  had  continued  moving  in  the  same  direction 
up  to  9  a.  m. 

About  10  o'clock  General  Buckner's  engineer  corps,  which  had 
been  ordered  to  Catlett's  Gap  to  clear  it  of  obstructions,  reported  that 
it  would  be  open  by  12. 

At  11:10  infantry  skirmishers  of  the  enemy  appeared  about  two 
and  one-half  miles  from  Davis',  and  General  Buckner  made  his  de 
ployment,  his  left  resting  on  the  spurs  of  Pigeon  Mountain,  his  right 
extending  across  the  Cove  road.  Before  his  line  was  fully  established 
the  enemy  was  reported  moving  in  force  upon  his  left,  and  I  ordered 
Anderson  to  that  flank,  that  my  connection  with  Hill's  troops  might 
be  secured.  Upon  further  information,  Anderson  was  directed  to 
deploy,  so  as  to  support  the  right  of  Buckner's  line. 

The  enemy's  skirmishers   were  now  driven  in  and  my  whole  line 
about  to  advance,  when  I  received  from  army  headquarters  the  fol 
lowing  communication. 
uFive  miles  on  the  road  from  La  Fayette  to  Steven's  Gap, 

September  11,  1863,  11  a.  m. 
General  Hindman: 

If  you  find  the  enemy  in  such  force  as  to  make  an  attack  impru 
dent,  fall  back  at  once  on  La  Fayette  by  Catlett's  Gap,  from  which 
obstructions  have  now  been  moved.  Send  your  determination  at  once 
and  act  as  promptly. 

W.  W.  MACKALL. 

Chief  of  Staff." 

The  substance  of  my  answer  to  the  chiof  of  staff,  of  which  no 
copy  was  retained,  was,  that  I  was  not  yet  sufficiently  advised 
finally  upon  my  course,  but  that  I  would  act  as  circumstances  might 
dictate,  retiring  if  necessary.  An  hour,  or  thereabouts,  after  the 
receipt  of  this  dispatch  a  staff  officer  from  army  headquarters  came  to 
me  on  behalf  of  General  Mackall,  inquiring  whether  or  not  I  felt 
certain  I  could  make  my  way  out  through  Catlett's  Gap.  I  replied 
that  there  was  no  doubt  of  my  ability  to  do  so  should  1  decide  to  re 
tire,  but  that  1  had  just  given  the  order  to  advance.  Shortly  after- 


202  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

wards  I  received  the  following  dispatch: 

"Headquarters, 

Dugout  Pass  (Dug  Gap) — half  past — 
General  Hindman: 

The  enemy,  estimated  12,000  or  15,000,  is  forming  line  in  front 
of  this  place.  Nothing  heard  of  you  since  Captain  Presstman,  engin 
eer,  was  with  you.  The  general  is  most  anxious  and  wishes  to  hear 
from  you  by  couriers  once  an  hour.  A  line  is  now  established  from 
your  headquarters  to  ours.  The  enemy  are  advancing  from  Gravs- 
ville  to  La  Fayette.  Dispatch  is  necessary  to  us. 

Yours  respectfully, 

W.  W.  MACKALL. 

Chief  of  Staff." 

This  information  from  army  headquarters  showing  so  large  a 
force  forming  line  of  battle  before  Dug's  Gag,  in  addition,  as  I  sup 
posed,  to  that  in  my  immediate  front,  caused  me  to  stop  the  forward 
movement,  order  a  more  careful  reconnaisance  than  had  yet  been 
made,  and  consult  Generals  Buckner  and  Anderson  as  to  the  best 
course  to  pursue.  They  concurred  with  me  in  the  opinion  that  with 
the  lights  before  us  it  would  be  imprudent  to  advance  farther.  The 
order  to  retire  through  Catlett's  Gap  was  given,  but  before  its  execu 
tion  the  reports  of  scouts  satisfied  me  that  the  enemy  was  retiring 
toward  Stevens'  Gap.  I  at  once  ordered  my  line  advanced  as  rapidly 
as  possible,  Anderson  on  Buckner's  right,  and  that  every  effort  be 
made  to  intercept  the  retreating  column.  While  pursuing  the  enemy 
an  officer  notified  me  that  General  Hill  desired  to  see  me  at  the  left  of 
my  line.  Informing  Generals  Buckner  and  Anderson  of  the  fact,  and 
authorizing  the  former  to  give  an}T  orders  that  might  seem  necessary, 
I  proceeded  to  the  point  indicated,  but  did  not  meet  General  Hill. 
Returning  toward  the  center,  I  found  Deshler's  brigade,  of  Hill's 
corps,  without  special  instructions,  and  ordered  it  to  conform  to 
Buckner's  movements. 

About  dark  our  ineffectual  pursuit  of  the  enemy  ceased,  under 
orders  given  to  General  Buckner  direct  by  the  general  commanding, 
to  whom  I  then  reported  in  person  at  Davis'  cross-roads.  The  enemy 
had  retired  to  Stevens'  Gap,  the  place  at  which  I  was  originally  or 
dered  to  make  the  attack, and  Hill's  troops  had  now  united  with  me  at 
Davis',  the  place  prescribed  for  the  junction,  Buckner  being  with  me 
in  addition;  but  as  soon  as  I  reported  to  the  general  commanding  he 
remarked,  "We  can't  stay  here,"  and  ordered  the  command  marched 
that  night,  and  with  the  least  possible  delay  to  La  Fayette.  This  was 
accordingly  done,  Buckner's  corps  moving  by  Dug's  Gap  and  my  divis 
ion  through  Catlett's  Gap. 

It  is  due  the  officers  and  men  to  say  that  they  evinced  the  utmost 
anxiety  to  meet  the  enemy  and  an  admirable  alacrity  in  obeying  all 
orders. 

Generals  Buckner  and  Anderson  are  especial^  entitled  to  my 
thanks.  Their  reports  are  forwarded  herewith. 

Having  now  stated  my  operations  and  the  various  causes  of  delay, 
I  beg,  for  greater  clearness,  to  recapitulate  the  latter: 


MCLEMORE'S  COVE.  203 


1.  There  was  a  loss  of  one  or  two  hours  before  daylight  on  the 
10th,  caused  by  my  being  instructed  to  march  around  by  Dr.  Ander 
son's  instead  of  going  direct  to  Crawfish  Spring. 

2.  An  entire  day  (the  10th)  was  lost,  because  the  general  com 
manding  did  not  know  the  obstruction  of  Dug's  and  Catlett's  Gaps, 
rendered  it  impracticable  for  Hill's  troops  to  unite  with  mine. 

3.  Allowing  an  hour  and  a  half  as  fair  time  for  transmitting  the 
order  of  march  and  putting  a  column  of  15,000  troops  in  motion,  with 
their  artillery,   ordnance  and  ambulance  trains,  there  was  a  delay  on 
the  morning  of  the  llth  of  one  hour,  for  which  I  am  accountable,  and 
the  reasons  for  which  are  hereinbefore  fully  explained.     If,  without 
so  delaying,  I  had  marched  at  5:50,  the  earliest  hour  practicable,  the 
result  would  have  been  the  same,  as  Major  Nocquot  returned  at  6: 30— 
before  I  could  possibly  have  attacked — bringing  the  message  from  the 
general  commanding  to  carry  out  my  own  plans,  which  conceded  to  me 
the  discretion  I  had  already  exercised. 

4.  There  were  the  usual  stoppages,  detentions,  etc.  while  march 
ing  in  column  on  a  single  road,  all  of  which  were  unavoidable  so  far 
as  I  know. 

5.  Time  was  necessarily  lost  when  near  the  enemy  in  trying  to 
ascertain  his  position  and  strength,  and  in  deploying. 

6.  There  was  a  loss  of  one  or  two  hours  considering  the  commu 
nications  of  the  chief  of  staff  of  the  general  commanding  and  making 
additional  reconnaissances  in  consequence  of  their  reception. 

7.  Considerable  time    was    afterwards    unavoidably    lost   while 
pursuing  the  enemy  over  ground  of  very  broken  character,  rendered 
almost  impenetrable  by  the  thick  undergrowth. 

I  deem  it  proper  to  say  that  in  my  opinion,  the  delays  of  the  llth 
did  not  effect  the  result.  From  Lookout  mountain,  three  or  four 
miles  distant,  the  enemy  could  count  every  regiment  of  my  command 
marching  from  Wortham's  Gap  to  Morgan's,  and  thence  along  open 
fields  to  Conley's,  and  this  in  ample  time  to  re-enforce  at  Davis' 
cross-roads  or  retire  from  that  position,  at  his  discretion. 

The  following  letter  of  General  Hill,  received  by  me  on  the  after 
noon  of  the  10th,  is  submitted  in  this  connection: 

September  10,  1863,  11  a.  m. 

General:  General  Bragg's  order  did  not  reach  me  until  5  o'clock 
this  morning.  I  directed  Cleburne's  division  to  co-operate  with  you. 
That  officer  was  sick,  and  four  of  his  best  regiments  were  absent  and 
could  not  be  got  up.  The  road  across  Dug's  Gap  is  strongly  blockaded, 
and  if  Cleburne  had  started  he  could  not  have  gotten  to  you  until  after 
night.  Under  the  discretionary  orders  received  from  General  Bragg, 
I  therefore  decided  not  to  move  Cleburne.  I  immediately  wrote  to  him 
to  that  effect,  but  have  heard  nothing  as  yet.  General  Wheeler 
reports  that  the  Yankees  are  moving  on  Summersville  in  force.  If 
that  be  so,  this  division  of  Negley's  is  sent  out  as  a  bait  to  draw  us 
off  from  below.  When  it  is  pressed,  (unless  he  has  a  strong  support 
ing  force)  he  will  fall  back  in  the  gap,  and  there  the  matter  will  end. 

Very  respectfully, 

D.  H.  HILL, 
Lieutenant-General. 


204  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

If  I  had  marched  from  Lee  and  Gordon's  mills  early  on  the 
evening  of  the  9th,  and  Dug's  Gap  had  been  then  open,  so  as  to  enable 
Hill  to  unite  with  me,  and  both  to  attack  the  enemy  at  Davis'  cross 
roads  at  daylight  on  the  10th;  an  advantage  might  possibly  have  been 
gained.  I  think  that  was  the  only  chance. 

Headquarters  Army  of  Tennessee. 

Missionary  Ridge,  September  29,  1863. 
Special  Orders 
No.  249 

11.  Major-General  T.  C.  Hindman,  for  not  obeying  his  orders 
for  the  attack  on  the  enemy  in  McLemore's  Cove  on  the  llth  instant, 
is  suspended  from  his  command.  He  will  proceed  with  his  personal 
staff  to  Atlanta,  and  await  further  orders. 

By  Command  of 

GENERAL  BRAGG. 
GEORGE  WM.  BRENT, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

On  the  2d  instant,  I  requested  a  court  of  inquiry,  and  also  asked 
if  it  was  still  my  duty  to  make  a  report  of  my  operations  in 
McLemore's  Cove  and  the  causes  of  the  delay  in  attacking  the  enemy, 
as  directed  on  September  14,  but  which  I  had  been  unable  to  do  in 
consequence  of  sickness  and  injuries  received  in  the  battle  at  Chicka- 
mauga  on  September  20th.  The  answer  returned  was  that  there  now 
rested  on  me  no  obligations  to  make  such  report.  But  on  reflection  I 
have  concluded  that  in  justice  to  all  parties  the  report  ought  to  be 
made.  It  is  therefore  respectfully  submitted. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant. 

T.  C.  HINDMAN, 

Major-General. 

LlEUTENANT-COLONEL  GEORGE  WlLLIAM  BRENT, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General. 


THE  SOUTHERN  SIDE  AT  CHICKAMAUGA. 


Chattanooga  was  the  Southern  base  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee 
(Bragg's)  in  early  September,  1863;  Stevenson  and  Bridgeport,  the 
Northern  base  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  (Rosecrans).  Sep 
tember  7th  and  8th  found  the  Army  of  Tennessee  moving.  It  was 
a  grand  strategic  move  to  blind  Rosecrans,  who  was  scheming  for 
Bragg's  rear,  and  the  conception  of  the  plan  would  have  mad^  General 
Bragg  a  greater  hero  had  it  not  been  thwarted  in  the  execution. 

From  Stevenson  and  Bridgeport,  the  Federal  army  was  also  in 
motion,  McCook's  and  Thomas'  corps  crossing  the  Tennessee  at  Cap- 
erton's  Ferry  and  striking  for  Bragg's  rear  and  communications  at 
Dalton,  equally  distant  from  Chattanooga — the  one  penetrating  Mc- 
Lemore's  Cove,  the  other  going  across  Sand  Mountain  to  Wills' 
Valley — while  Crittenden's  corps  was  marching  on  Chattanooga  from 
Wauhatchie.  Lookout  Mountain  was  the  cover  under  which  Bragg 
(on  the  South)  was  paralleling  and  Rosecrans  (on  the  North)  pur 
suing  the  scheme  to  be  carried  out. 

Burnside  was  expected  to  march  against  Buckner  in  East  Ten 
nessee  with  twenty  thousand  men  below  Chattanooga.  At  one  grasp 
General  Bragg  saw  the  Federal  corps  would  be  far  apart — about 
sixty  miles — and  to  throw  a  crumb  of  comfort,  Chattanooga,  to  a 
whale,  would  divert  them  from  his  object  in  pouncing  upon  Rose 
crans  in  detail  and;  crushing  him  before  a  concentration.  Fighting 
joe  Wheeler  was  on  the  qui  vive  with  Southern  cavalry  on  the  left. 
He  had  ninety  miles  to  guard,  from  Lookout  to  Decatur,  Ala., 
and  his  vigilance  was  one  of  the  phenomenal  triumphs  of  the 
times.  The  "Wizard  of  the  Saddle,"  Bedford  Forrest,  was  equally 
watchful  and  persistent  in  fighting  back  the  hordes  of  the  Northern 
right  from  Dalton;  while  Crittenden,  flushed  with  the  capture  of 
Chattanooga,  was  turning  loose  the  dogs  of  war  and  pressing  on 
Ringgold.  Thus  it  will  be  seen,  a  repetition  of  Napoleon's  first  cam 
paign  in  Italy — beginning  with  Montenotte  and  ending  with  Mon- 
dovi,  crushing  out  Beaulieu's  three  corps — was  sought,  and  the  result 
would  have  been  a  counterpart  had  the  plans  been  carried  out.  Gen 
eral  Bragg  on  the  loth  of  September  ordered  Hindman  to  co-operate 
with  Buckner  at  Davis'  Cross  Roads  and  crush  out  Thomas  in  the 
Cove,  then  light  on  McCook.  The  attack  was  to  be  at  daylight  on 
the  nth,  but  for  some  mismanagement  on  the  part  of  subordinates 
it  was  delayed  until  4  p.  m.  When  we  offered  battle  Thomas  had 


206  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE". 

fled  and  the  Southern  wolves  had  lost  their  supper.  General  McCook, 
near  Alpine,  captured  a  few  of  Breckinridge's  -division.  The  idea 
dawned  that  he  had  struck  Bragg's  army.  He  beat  a  hasty  retreat 
and  rapidly  fell  back  to  Thomas  in  the  Cove.  This  having  failed, 
General  Bragg  turned  his  eyes  on  Crittenden,  near  Ringgold,  but  for 
some  reason  not  explained  this  failed;  and  so  it  was,  with  LaFayette, 


GENERAL  BRAXTON  BRAGG. 

Ga.,  south  of  Pigeon  Mountain,  as  the  base,  the  disappointed  Army 
of  Tennessee  lingered  far  from  home,  itching  to  check  the  hordes 
that  were  gradually  nearing  us  to  the  sea.  O,  in  what  fighting  trim 
the  Army  of  Tennessee  was,  when  on  the  i6th  of  September,  1863, 
they  received  the  famous  battle  order  No.  180.  Soldiers  of  Bragg's 
army,  do  you  recollect  it? 

"Headquarters  Army  of  Tennessee,  in  the  Field-, 

LaFayette,  Ga.,  September  i6th,  1863. 

The  troops  will  be  held  for  an  immediate  move  against  the 
enemy.  His  demonstration  on  our  flank  has  been  thwarted  and 
twice  he  has  retired  before  us  when  offered  battle.  We  must  now 


THE    SOUTHERN   SIDE   AT   CHICK AMAUGA. 


207 


force  him  to  the  issue.  Soldiers,  you  are  largely  re-inforced;  you 
must  now  seek  the  contest.  In  so  doing  I  know  you  will  be  content 
to  suffer  privations  and  encounter  hardships.  Heretofore  you  have 
never  failed  to  respond  to  your  general  when  he  has  asked  sacrifice 
at  your  hands.  Relying  on  your  gallantry  and  patriotism,  he  asks  you 
to  add-  the  crowning  glory  to  the  wreath  you  wear.  Our  cause  is  in 


REED  S  BRIDGE,  CHICKAMAUGA  CKKEK 
CHICKAMAUGA. 


THE  FIRST  GUN  AT 


your  keeping.  Your  enemy  boasts  that  you  are  demoralized  and 
retreating  before  him.  Having  accomplished  your  object  in  driving 
back  his  flank  movement,  let  us  now  turn  on  his  main  force  and  crush 
it  in  its  fancied  security.  Your  generals  will  lead  you.  You  have 
but  to  respond  to  assure  us  a  glorious  victory  over  an  insolent  foe. 
I  know  what  your  response  will  be.  Trusting  in  God  and  the  justice 
of  our  cause,  and  nerved  by  the  love  of  the  dear  ones  at  home,  failure 
is  impossible  and  victory  must  be  ours. 

BRAXTON  BRAGG, 

Commanding  General." 

Just  before  receiving  this  order  of  the  i6th,  my  journal  says  that 
Captain  Humphreys,  commanding  the  First  Arkansas  battery  of 
Eldridge's  battalion,  reported  to  us  and  told  us  to-day  at  Major  Hatch 
er's  tent  that  he  the  night  before  dreamed  that  he  would  soon  battle 
with  Rosecrans  and  a  brilliant  victory  would  follow. 

On  the  I /th  Buckner's  corps — Stewart's  and  Preston's  divisions 
— commenced  the  march  at  sunrise  and  bivouacked  for  the  night  on 
Peavine  Creek.  Early  on  the  i8th  the  following  circular  reached 
our  quarters: 


208  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Headquarters  Army  of  Tennessee,  Leet's  Tanyard, 

September  i8th,  1863. 

"I.  Bushrod  Johnson's  column  (Hood's),  on  crossing  at  or  near 
Reed's  bridge,  will  turn  to  the  left  by  the  most  practicable  route  and 
sweep  up  the  Chickamauga  toward  Lee  and  Gordon's  mill.  2 :  Walker 
crossing  at  Alexander's  bridge,  will  unite  in  this  move  and  push 


GEN.  A.  P.^STEWAKT. 

vigorously  on  the  enemy's  flank  and  rear  in  the  same  direction.  3: 
Buckner  crossing  at  Thedford's  Ford,  will  join  the  movement  to  the 
left  and  press  the  enemy  up  the  stream  from  Folk's  front  at  Lee  and 
Gordon's  mill.  4:  Polk  will  press  his  force  to  the  front  of  Lee  and 
Gordon's  mill,  and  if  met  by  too  much  resistance  to  cross,  will  bear 
to  the  right  and  cross  at  Dalton's  Ford  or  at  Thedford's,  as  may  be 
necessary ;  and  join  in  the  attack  wherever  the  enemy  may  be.  5 : 
Hill  will  cover  our  left  flank  from  an  advance  of  the  enemy  from 
the  Cove  and,  by  pressing  the  cavalry  in  front,  ascertain  if  the  enemy 
is  re-inforcing  at  Lee  and  Gordon's  mill,  in  which  event  he  will  attack 
them  in  flank.  6:  Wheeler's  cavalry  will  hold  the  gap  in  Pigeon 
Mountain,  cover  our  left  and  rear  and  bring  up  stragglers.  7:  Ail 
trains  not  with  troops  should  go  toward  Ringgold  and  Taylor's  ridge. 
All  cooking  should  be  done  at  trains.  Rations  when  cooked  will  be 
forwarded  to  troops.  8:  The  above  movements  will  be  executed 
with  the  utmost  promptness,  vigor  and-  persistence. 

By  command  of 

GENERAL  BRAGG. 

GEORGE  W.  BRENT, 

A.  A.  General." 

And  now  under  said  direction  the  army  moved — Buckner's  corps, 
Stewart  and  Preston  resumed  the  march  early  on  the  i8th — Stewart, 
with  Bate  in  front,  Clayton  following  and  Brown  in  the  rear,  taking 
the  direction  of  Thedford's  Ford  on  the  West  Chickamauga.  The 
booming  of  cannon  in  the  distance  told  us  that  the  struggle  was  nearly 
on.  Forrest's  cavalry  was  on  the  right,  Pegram  in  the  center,  and 
Wheeler  on  the  left.  The  marching  column  that  day  told  too  well 
what  was  in  every  mind-.  'Tramp,  tramp,  tramp,  the  boys  are  march 
ing" — no  guying  of  each  other  and  no  frivolous  flings  at  passing 
horsemen.  The  rapid  step  toward  the  scene  of  the  conflict  indicated 


THE  SOUTHERN  SIDE  AT  CHICKAMAUGA.  209 

the  determination  that  was  written  on  every  brow  and  remarks  to 
each  other  such  as,  "Boys,  we  have  retreated  far  enough;  we  will 
whip  'em  this  time  or  die/'  were  figured  in  every  tongue.  The  closer 
the  music  of  the  guns  the  more  rapid  the  stride.  We  arrived  during 
the  afternoon  (Friday)  within  a  mile  of  the  ford.  General  Buckner 
directed  General  Stewart  to  proceed  to  the  support  of  Pegram's  cav- 


MRS.  THEDFORD,  OF  THEDFORD'S 
FORD. 

airy  and  to  occupy  the  high  ground  in  the  vicinity  of  the  ford  com 
manding  approaches,  but  not  to  bring  on  a  general  engagement  with 
the  enemy  that  afternoon  unless  it  was  necessary.  Preston's  division 
was  ordered  to  Hunt's  or  Dalton's  Ford.  Major  Noequet,  engineer, 
placed  Bate's  brigade  in  position  above  the  ford  and  Clayton's  below. 
Whilst  in  movement,  a  cannon  ball  of  the  enemy  struck  within  about 
five  steps  of  Stewart  and  Pegram,  ricochetted  and  came  near  strik 
ing  Captain  Hamp  Cheney,  of  Brown's  staff.  Several  solid  shot 
struck  in  Clayton's  line  killing  and  wounding  two  men  while  going 
into  position.  We  feared-  the  bad  effect  of  this  on  Clayton's  men  as 
this  was  to  be  their  first  battle.  Bate  advanced  about  5  p.  m.  with 
Caswell's  sharpshooters.  His  battery  (the  Eufaula)  opened  in  the 
direction  of  Alexander's  bridge  causing  the  enemy  to  retire.  (General 
BaLe  in  his  report  claims  for  this  battery  the  honor  of  opening  and 
closing  the  Chickamauga  battle.)  Three  companies  from  Clayton's 
brigade  went  across  and  occupied  a  wooded  hill,  afterwards  his  entire 
brigade.  On  our  right,  in  the  direction  of  Reed's  and  Alexander's 
bridges,  a  salvo  of  musketry  and  artillery  indicated  a  struggle.  Gen 
eral  Forrest  with  one  hundred  picked  men  from  Bushrod  Johnson's 
and  his  detachment  of  General  John  H.  Morgan's  men,  led  a  charge 
on  Reed's  bridge.  From  the  representation  it  was  similar  to  that  ot 


210 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


Lannes  at  Lodi.  The  dispute  of  the  crossing  everywhere  seemed 
general.  Finding  that  it  had  to  be  fought  for,  Walthall  of  Liddell's 
division,  with  the  electrical  courage  of  Ney,  rushed  and  got  Alexan 
der's.  In  the  meantime  Wheeler  was  demonstrating  on  the  left  at 
Glass'  Mills,  with  Breckinridge  at  his  back,  Cleburne  and  Hindman 
close  by.  The  Federal  Army  extended  its  main  force  from  Lee  and 


, 


i 


JAMES  M.   LEE,   OF  LEE  &  GORDON'S  MILLS, 
CHICK  AM  AUGA. 

Gordon's  Mill  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.     Its  right  extended  up 
the  valley  of  the  Chickamauga. 

About  5  p.  m.  it  was  whispered  in  our  army  that  Major-General 
Hood  of  Longstreet's  corps,  had  arrived-  and  that  Longstreet  was 
enroute.  He  was  placed  in  command  on  our  right  and  Bushrod 
Johnson  was  put  in  command  of  an  improvised  division  composed 
of  Johnson's,  Gregg's,  McNair's  brigades,  with  Robertson's  in  re 
serve.  This  command  was  to  first  cross  the  stream  and  one  of  out 
troops  were  to  go  over  at  any  point  until  Johnson's  column  had 
swept  the  west  bank  in  front  of  their  respective  places  of  crossing 
It  turned  out,  however,  that  Generals  Hood  and  Johnson,  the  next 
morning,  had  passed  Jay's  sawmill  and  found  that  their  skirmishers 
were  in  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  Preston's  division  of  Buck- 


THE  SOUTHERN  SIDE  AT  CHICKAMAUGA. 


'211 


ner's  corps,  which  had  crossed  at  Dalton's  Ford  during  the  night 
that  their  line  was  perpendicular  to  Preston,  and  that  most  of  out 
right  had  crossed  at  points  lower  down,  placing  Hood  (his  othei 
brigades  under  Law  having  come  up)  and  Johnson  near  the  left  oi 
our  army,  Hood  now  commanding  both  improvised  divisions.  That 
night  Walker  crossed  at  Byrom's  Ford — ordered  to  Hood.  On  the 


MRS.  'JAMES  LEE,  OF  LEE  ^GORDON'S  MILLS, 
CHICKAMAUGA. 

night  of  the  i8th  the  right  of  our  army  was  near  Reed's  Bridge,  the 
left  at  Glass's  mills,  two  miles  from  Crawfish  Springs,  where  Rose- 
crans,  on  our  left,  had  his  headquarters. 

On  the  night  of  the  i8th  Rosecrans  began  shifting  his  army. 
Thomas  by  daybreak  on  the  igth  was  on  the  Federal  left,  Crittenden 
to  close  on  his  right,  McCook  on  Crittenden's  right,  Gordon  Granger 
to  be  withdrawn  in  reserve,  so  that,  on  the  night  of  the  i8th  the  antag 
onizing  armies  were  forming  for  the  greatest  of  battles,  the  Army  of 
Tennessee  pressing  for  an  onset.,  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland 
gloating  in  once  having  taken  laurels  from  us  at  Murfreesboro.  O, 
how  we  all  felt  when  we  bitterly  thought  of  the  morrow  and  of  the 
blood  to  flow  in  crushing  such  a  foe  in  his  fancied  security!  The 
resignation  of  giving  up  so  much  territory,  and  waiting  for  the  word 


212 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


to  be  given  for  a  fighting  chance,  was  one  of  the  wonderful  virtues 
of  the  Army  of  Tennessee.  When  they  saw  sorrow  rising  in  their 
way,  they  tried  to  flee  from  the  approaching  ill,  and  made  the  most 
of  cheery  moments  created  by  diversion.  One  of  these,  with  Stew 
art's  division,  was  the  apparent  delight  of  old-  Mrs.  Thedfoid  at  the 
ford,  in  having  her  own  boys  there.  They  made  a  raid  that  night 


GENERAL  H.   D.   CLAYTON,   OF  ALABAMA.         STEWART'S 
DIVISION  AT  CHICKAMAUGA. 

on  her  potato  patch  and  on  being  ordered  out  she  said:  "Hold  on, 
Mr.  Officer!  They  are  my  potatoes,  and  my  boys;  let  'em  take'em." 
She  was  an  uncompromising  Southerner.  We  learned  that  she  was 
formerly  a  Miss  Debbie  Simmons,  of  Bradley's  Creek,  Rutherford 
county,  Tennessee,  and  it  was  a  coincidence  that  mostly  a  Tennessee 
division  was  about  her  house,  going  into  a  terrible  battle.  Another 
coincidence  was  that  two  of  Mrs.  Thedford's  boys  had  come  in  with 
Longstreet's  corps,  both  wounded,  and  she  never  knew  that  they  were 
there  until  they  were  both  brought  on  utters  to  her  house.  Thed 
ford's  Ford  became  memorable  not  only  as  the  headquarters  of  Gen 
eral  Bragg  but  as  the  home  of  a  Southern  heroine  who  made  her 
house  a  hospital  and  fearlessly  ministered  to  many  a  soul  shot  in 
battle.  Buckner's  corps  christened  her  "The  Mother  of  Chicka- 
mauga"  and  many  a  maimed  soldier  has  gone  and  will  go  to  his  grave 


THE  SOUTHERN  SIDE  AT  CHICK AMAUGA. 


213 


with   the   tenderest   recollections   of   that   blessed    spirit   who   nursed 
him  with  a  mother's  care. 

From  Reed's  Bridge  up  the  Chickamauga  to  Glass's  Mills,  with 
flanks  guarded  by  cavalry,  was  the  position  of  the  Southern  army 
on  the  night  of  the  i8th.  From  the  McAfee  Springs  on  the  left  -o 
Pond  Springs  on  the  right,  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  was  guarded 


CAPTAIN  W.   W.   CAKNES. 

by  cavalry  ready  to  parry  their  deadly  thrusts. 

Bragg  slept  sweetly  that  night  confident  of  the  result  as  for  once 
the  forces  were  nearly  equal ;  Rosecrans  on  the  other  hand,  was 
restless  and  perturbed,  fearful  of  his  left  being  turned  so  that  Burn- 
side,  with  twenty  thousand  men,  would  not  be  able  to  swoop  in 
from  Jonesboro  or  Athens  and  lend  a  helping  hand.  Fearful  visions 
of  Joe  Johnston,  of  paroled  prisoners,  of  Longstreet,  even  of  Ewell 
re-enforcing  Bragg,  were  agitating  him.  Instead  of  a  demoralized 
army  he  found  confronting  him  bristling  bayonets  and  belching 
Confederate  Napoleons.  The  increase  of  anxiety  even  permeated 
the  brain  of  C.  A.  Dana,  the  Assistant  Secretary  of  War,  as  the  dawn 
of  the  conflict  approached.  On  the  i/th  from  Crawfish  Springs  he 
telegraphed  to  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War,  "Nothing  positive  from 


214  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Burnside ;  his  forces  needed  here ;"  and  on  the  i8th  at  12  m.,  "nothing 

from  Burnside." 

''By  the  Apostle  I-Vil,  shadows  to-night 
Have  struck  more  terror  to  the  soul  of  Richard 
Than  can  the  substance  of  ten  thousand  soldiers, 
Armed  in  proof,  and  led  by  shallow  Richmond." 


GENERAL  JOHN   C.   BliOWN. 

GOVERNOR  1871-75. 
GRAND  MASTER  TENNESSEE,   1870. 

ARTICLE  II. 
"We  are  coming,  Father  Abraham, 

Near  sixty  thousand  strong." 

The  morning  of  the  iQth  (Saturday)  opened-  cloudy  but  the  sun 
soon  lifted  the  veil  to  look  down  upon  the  awful  scenes  in  progress — 
of  man's  inhumanity  to  man — the  country  now  up  and  down,  and 
about  the  West  Chickamauga  was  comparatively  level  with  a  heavy 
woodland  of  dense  undergrowth  interspersed  with  occasional  fields 
and  habitations.  It  extended  four  miles  square.  This  was  grand 
for  the  soldier,  for  a  tree  and  even  a  twig  was  often  invaluable,  to 
turn  the  course  of  a  well  directed  bullet.  Reed's  Bridge,  Alexander's 
and  Glass's  Mills,  the  fords  where  the  Southern  army  crossed,  Craw 
fish  Springs,  the  widow  Glenn's  house,  Lee  and  Gordon's  Mill,  the 
Kelley  and  Dyer  fields,  the  McAfee  church  and  Lafayette  and 
other  roads  of  Federal  position,  although  obscure  now,  were  soon 
to  be  as  memorable  in  American  history  as  Namur  and  Ligny  and 
Quatre  Bras  and  Wave  at  Waterloo. 


THE  SOUTHERN  SIDE  AT  CHIOKAMAUGA. 


215 


General  Bragg  gives  a  condensed  statement  of  the  disposition 
of  his  army.  "The  movement,"  says  he,  "was  resumed  at  daylight 
on  the  iQth ;  and  Buckner's  corps,  with  Cheatham's  division  of  Folk's, 
had  crossed  and  formed  when  a  brisk  engagement  commenced  with 
our  cavalry  under  Forrest  on  the  extreme  right,  about  nine  o'clock. 
A  brigade  from  Walker  (Wilson)  was  orederd  to  Forrest's  support 


8.   B.    DYER,   OF    DYERFIELD— CHICKAMAUGA. 

and  soon  after,  Walker  was  ordered  to  attack  with  his  whole  force. 
Our  line  was  now  formed  with  Buckner's  left  resting  on  the  Chicka- 
mauga,  about  one  mile  below  Lee  and  Gordon's  Mills.  On  his  right 
came  Hood  with  his  own  and  Bushrod  Johnson's  divisions,  with 
Walker  on  his  extreme  right,  Cheatham's  division  being  in  reserve — 
the  general  direction  being  a  little  east  of  north.  The  attack  or 
dered  by  our  right,  was  made  by  General  Walker  in  his  usual  gallant 
style,  and  soon  developed  a  largely  superior  force  opposed.  He 
drove  them  handsomely,  however,  and  captured  several  batteries  in 
most  gallant  charges.  Before  Cheatham's  division,  ordered  to  his  sup 
port,  could  reach  him  he  (Walker)  had  been  forced  back  to  his  first 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


position  by  the  extended  lines  of  the  enemy  assailing  him  on  both 
flanks.  The  two  commands  united,  were  soon  enabled  to  force  the 
enemy  back  again  and  recover  our  advantage  though  we  were  yet 
greatly  outnumbered.  These  movements  on  our  right  were  in  a  direc 
tion  to  leave  an  opening  in  our  line  between  Cheatham  and  Hood. 
Stewart's  division  forming  Buckner's  second  line,  was  thrown  to  the 


HIKAM  VITTITOE. 

right  to  fill  this,  and  it  soon  became  hotly  engaged  as  did  Hood's 
whole  front.  The  enemy  whose  left  was  at  Lee  and  Gordon's  Mill 
when  our  movement  commenced,  had  rapidly  transferred  forces  from 
his  extreme  right,  changing  his  entire  line,  and  seemed  disposed  to 
dispute  with  all  his  ability  our  effort  to  gain  the  main  road  to  Chat 
tanooga,  in  his  rear.  Lieutenant-General  Polk  was  ordered  to  remove 
his  remaining  division  across  at  the  nearest  ford  and  assume  command 
in  person.  On  our  right,  Hill's  corps  was  also  ordered  to  cross  below 
Lee  and  Gordon's  Mill,  and  join  the  line  on  the  right.  While  these 
movements  were  being  made  our  right  and  center  were  heavily  and 
almost  constantly  engaged.  Stewart  by  a  vigorous  assault,  broke 
the  enemy's  center  and  penetrated  far  into  his  lines  but  was  obliged  to 
retire  in  the  face  of  heavy  re-enforcements  confronting,  that  threat 
ened  his  flank  anft  rear  for  want  of  sufficient  force  to  meet  the  heavy 


THE  SOUTHERN  SIDE  AT  CHICK AMAUGA. 


21Y 


enfilade  fire  which  he  encountered-  from  the  right.  Hood  later  en 
gaged,  advanced  from  the  first  fire,  with  Stewart,  and  continued  to 
drive  the  forces  in  his  front  until  night.  Cleburne's  division  of  Hill's 
corps,  which  first  reached  the  right,  was  ordered  to  attack  immedi 
ately  in  conjunction  with  the  force  already  engaged.  This  veteran 
command  under  its  gallant  chief,  moved  to  its  work  after  sunset  taking 


MRS.   HIRAM  VITTITOE,    FAMOUS   CHARACTER, 
CHICKAMAUGA. 

the  enemy  completely  by  surprise  and  driving  him  in  great  disorder 
for  nearly  a  mile  and  inflicting  a  very  heavy  loss.  Night  found  us 
masters  of  the  ground  after  a  series  of  very  obstinate  contests  with 
largely  superior  numbers.  The  remaining  forces  on  our  extreme  left 
east  of  the  Chickamauga,  had  been  ordered  up  early  in  the  afternoon 
but  reached  the  field  too  late  to  participate  in  the  engagement  o  fthat 
day.  They  were  however,  put  into  line  for  a  renewal  of  the  battle 
of  the  2Oth.  Information  was  received  from  Lieutenant-General 
Longstreet  of  his  arrival  at  Ringgold  and  departure  for  the  field 
Five  small  brigades  of  his  corps  (about  five  thousand  effective  in 
fantry,  no  artillery)  reached  us  in  time  to  participate  in  the  action — 
three  of  them  on  the  ipth  and  two  more  on  the  2Oth." 

This  much  of  the  report  gives  the  general  movement  on  the  I9th, 


218  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


and  explains  the  shifting  of  Bragg's  army  which  was  facing  to  the 
west  to  encounter  Rosecran's  change.  Thomas  brought  on  the  bat 
tle  in  an  endeavor  to  use  up  a  lone  brigade  that  had  been  sent  to 
support  Forrest  (Wilson).  The  volcano  was  fairly  bursting  when 
Liddell  with  Govan  and  Walthall  went  also  to  Forrest's  support. 
Walker's  whole  force  then  opened  up  and  the  onslaught  continued 


MR.   AND    MRS.    SNODGKASS    AT  THEIR   HOME    ON 
SNODGR  A  SS  H I LT, . 

in  detail,  each  side  overlapping  until  the  whole  army  of  Rosecrans 
from  left  to  right  became  engaged.  Thomas  was  mystified  when  he 
discovered  that  Walker  was  in  his  flank,  and  Rosecrans  was  dis 
mayed  when,  instead  of  turning  Bragg's  right,  the  tide  of  battle 
swept  with  demonical  energy  from  his  left  to  his  right,  and  his 
stubborn  charges  were  met  by  refluent  surges  from  the  lines  of  gray. 
Brannon,  Palmer,  Baird,  Reynolds,  and  Johnson  went  in  and  like  the 
swaying  of  the  waves,  pushed  on  and  receded  with  the  onslaught  of 
repellant  forces,  led  by  Walker,  Cheatham,  Stewart  and  Cleburne. 

At  10:45  Thomas  said  to  Crittenden:  "If  another  division  can 
be  spared  send  it  without  delay."  At  3  :3O  p.  m.  the  enemy  was  press 
ing  Palmer  with  very  hard  righting  and  he  asked  for  Vancleve  to 
come  to  his  assistance.  At  7:10  (sunset)  an  attack  on  Johnson  threw 
him  into  great  confusion  and  he  wanted  re-inforcements  to  support 
his  left.  Thomas  then  had-  Baird,  Brannon,  Reynolds,  Palmer,  John 
son  and  Vancleve,  and  was  restless  even  with  Gordon  Granger's 
reserve  to  support  him.  In  the  meantime  Bragg's  line,  now  two 
miles  long,  was  forcing  the  battle.  Like  meeting  clouds  in  the  dark 
ness  of  the  storm,  the  smoke  from  the  firearms  in  that  dense  wood 
land  almost  concealed  the  combatants.  Thunderbolts  shot  forth  in 
flashes  from  the  lines  like  forked  lightning  from  the  clouds  and  seemed 
to  sweep  death  and  destruction  before  them.  When  Stewart  was  sent 
to  fill  up  the  gap  between  Cheatham  and  Hood,  in  the  center,  with 


THE  SOUTHERN  SIDE  AT  CHICKAMAUGA. 


219 


unabated   fury   "the   death   shot   was   rattling  and   the   dark   thunder 
clouds  did  burst." 

From  Thedford's  ford,  from  west  brigade  front,  directly  to  the 
right,  east  of  north,  the  march  of  Stewart  began.  Wounded  men  and 
mangled  horses  were  soon  met.  Field  surgeons  and  litter  forces 
were  becoming  busy;  but  the  spirit  of  none  flagged  but  increased 


ADJUTANT  JAMES  D.  KlCHARDSON 
AT  SEVENTEEN.  LATER  MEM- 
OF  CONGRESS  FROM  TENNESSEE. 

with  the  raging  torrents  of  shot  and  shell.  One  man,  as  he  was  borne 
off  on  a  litter,  passed  us  with  bowels  protruding  yet  with  animated 
fervor  waved  his  hat  and  cried :  "Boys,  when  I  left  we  were  driving 
'em!"  Cheatham's  left  was  being  flanked,  the  sweep  of  the  battle 
was  becoming  more  terrific,  limbs  were  falling  and  the  sound  was  like 
the  roar  of  the  river  and  the  roll  of  the  thunder.  The  column  hurriedlv 
increased  into  a  quick-step  until  there  and  ready,  and  rushing  with 
the  shouts  of  onset,  the  division  went  in  only  to  encounter  walls 
emitting  lava  of  bullets  and  sulphurous  flames  and  forcing  from  vic 
tims  the  shriek  of  agony.  At  the  south  of  Brotherton's  field  our  line 
was  going  in  beautifully.  On  the  ri^ht  banners  and  guidons  were 
flying,  borne  by  Cheatham's  reserve,  marching  to  the  music.  A  young 
staff  officer  of  Wright's  (Harris)  met  us  with  the  statement  that 
Wright's  brigade  was  much  cut  up  by  an  enfilade  fire;  that  Games' 
battery  had  been  lost,  and  help  was  wanted.  As  quick  as  told,  Clay 
ton  forming  Stewart's  first  line,  was  obliqued  to  the  left  and-  vigor 
ously  rushed  to  the  rescue. 

Did  you  ever  notice  the  thickness  of  rain  drops  in  a  tempest? 
Did  you  ever  see  the  destruction  of  hail  stones  to  a  growing  corn- 


220  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

field?  Did  von  ever  witness  driftwood  in  a  squall?  Such  was  the 
havoc  upon  Clavton.  Four  hundred-  of  his  little  band  were  mown 
down  like  grain  before  the  reaper.  It  was  his  first  baptism  of  fire, 
but  he  stayed  there  until  out  of  ammunition.  General  J.  C.  Brown  then 
went  in  and  was  greeted  like  Clavton.  The  booming  of  the  cannon, 
the  thinning-  of  the  ranks,  the  thickness  of  dead  men,  the  groaning  of 
the  dying — all  were  overcome  to  recapture  that  battery.  F  >rty-eight 
horses  of  Games'  had  been  shot  down,  and  amid  their  writhings  the 
close  quarters  had  set  the  woods  on  fire.  The  shot  and  shell  were 
raging  in  the  tempest  and  ramrods  flew  bv  us,  but  Brown  drove  back 
the  hordes  and  got  Games'  battery  out  of  the  cyclone.  Another 
surging  wave  after  a  while  brought  him  back  uoon  the  reef.  Then 
Bate  came  into  the  arena  and  with  his  crack  brigade  and  prompt 
movement  vied  with  his  compeers  in  deeds  of  valor.  He  rescued  the 
colors  of  the  Fifty-first  Tennessee  regiment  and  captured  several 
pieces  of  artillery.  Tennessee  and  Georgia  and  Alabama  tried  them 
selves  and  from  2.  o'clock  until  dark  beat  and  battered  the  walls  of 
blue,  buffeting  the  storm  clouds,  charge  meeting  charge  with  san 
guinary  success,  until  nothing  would  stand  before  them. 

If  you  want  a  proper  conception  of  the  battle  visit  the  cyclorama 
of  Gettysburg,  and  Pickett's  charge  will  only  impersonate  that  oi 
both  armies  for  two  entire  days  at  Chickamauga. 

Stewart  here  penetrated  the  enemv's  center,  threatening  to  cut 
that  army  in  two  and  drove  Vancleve  bevond  the  Lafavette  road  to 
the  tanyard  and  the  Poe  house  and  carried  dismay  to  Rosecrans,  at  the 
widow  Glenn's.  Later,  Hood  and-  Johnson  on  our  left  followed  it  up 
until  from  the  Brotherton  to  the  Poe  field  we  pierced  his  line.  Added 
to  the  horror  of  the  galling  fire,  the  generals  and  staffs  encountered 
a  number  of  yellow  jackets'  nests  and  the  kicking  of  the  horses  and 
their  ungovernable  actions  came  near  breaking  up  one  of  the  lines. 
Blue  jackets  in  front  of  us,  yellow  jackets  upon  us,  and  death  missiles 
around  and  about  us — oh,  the  furv  of  the  battle,  the  fierceness  of  the 
struggle  over  Games'  battery!  From  2.  o'clock  until  an  hour  after 
dark  "it  was  war  to  the  knife  and  a  fight  to  the  finish" 

About  sunset  General  Pat  Cleburne,  the  Augereau  of  the  Armv 
of  Tennessee,  came  gliding  up  behind  us.  He  was  told  that  Brown's 
and  Bate's  brigades  were  in  front  of  him  and  not  to  fire  upon  them. 
Cleburne  right  obliqued  his  division  to  get  into  line  and  drove  John 
son's  Federal  divison  for  nearly  a  mile.  The  pencil  has  yet  to  paint 
the  scenes  of  that  afternoon.  Thomas  became  overawed  and-  Rose- 
crans  d-um founded.  In  the  meantime  Hood  and  Johnson,  to  our 
left,  were  driving  Davis  and  Sheridan  and  when  night  came  on  Rose- 
crans  found  himself  driven  out  of  position  and  absolutely  whipned. 
Here  is  what  he  savs :  "On  the  night  of  the  iQth,  at  the  close  of  the 
day  we  had  present  but  two  brigades  which  had  not  been  opportunely 
and  squarely  in  action,  which  assured  us  that  we  were  greatly  out 
numbered,  and  that  the  battle  next  day  must  be  for  the  safety  of  the 
army  and  tfee  possession  of  Chattanooga."  In  tfie  consultation  at  tfce 


THE  SOUTHERN  SIDE  AT  CHICKAMAUGA.  221 

widow  Glenn's  house  that  night,  it  developed  that  Thomas  had  drawn 
in  his  attenuated  lines,  that  the  center  had  been  penetrated  and  the 
right  driven,  and  a  realignment  was  necessary;  that  the  casualties 
were  fearful,  Thomas  asking  for  more  re-enforcements  to  take  care 
of  his  left.  C.  A.  Dana  wired  to  Stanton,  Federal  Secretary  of  War, 
at  5  :2O :  "It  now  appears  an  undecided  contest.  The  firing  did  not 
cease  until  an  hour  after  dark.  The  enemy's  attempt  was  furious 
and  obstinate.  The  ground  fought  over  was  left  with  Bragg's  army/' 
From  the  time  his  center  was  penetrated,  Rosecrans  became  fevered 
with  apprehension  and  panicked  with  horror  at  the  adverse  tidal  wave, 
Here  are  the  pointers:  "Lafayette  Road,  September  19. — General 
Burnside:  Johnston  is  with  Bragg  with  a  large  portion  of  his  force, 
and  re-enforcements  have  arrived  from  Virginia.  We  need  all  we  can 
concentrate  to  oppose  them.  Let  me  hear  from  you."  Again  he  dis 
patched:  "It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  you  close  down  this 
way  to  cover  our  left  flank.  We  have  not  force  to  cover  our  flank 
against  Forrest  now ;  we  may  want  all  the  help  we  can  get  promptly." 

While  Rosecrans  is  thus  harassed  our  army  is  drawn  back  and 
put  in  position  for  tomorrow's  onslaught.  No  fires  allowed;  the  night 
cold  and:  chilly;  the  moon,  although  shining,  sends  a  meager  light 
through  the  dense  woodland.  Dead  and  wounded  all  around  us, 
friend  and  foe  writhing  in  pain;  litter  bearers  worked  to  exhaustion 
for  their  comfort;  cries  for  water  from  the  wounded  rending  the 
air,  and  yet  a  threatened  night  battle.  A  Federal  officer  rides  into 
our  immediate  lines — Colonel  Vonschrader,  of  Thomas'  staff.  Soon 
it  is  whispered  that  our  General  Preston  Smith  is  dead,  and  Hegg 
and  Baldwin  (Federals)  killed.  The  work  now  begins  of  throwing 
up  log  breastworks;  at  the  same  time  the  sound  of  the  ax  indicates 
that  the  enemy  is  doing  likewise.  We  find  a  few  nubbins  in  Brother- 
ton's  field  for  horses,  yet  nothing  for  the  hungry  man.  A  comrade 
turns  over  a  dead  man  and  gets  some  crackers  out  of  his  haversack, 
his  life  blood  sprinkled  upon  them;  this  is  chipped  off,  and  to  the 
hungry  palate  they  are  delicious.  A  cavalryman,  unaccustomed  to 
infantry,  in  the  battle  to-day  saw  a  whole  line  fall  to  reload.  Every 
hair  stood  on  end  and  his  exclamation,  "Great  heavens!  have  they 
killed  all  of  them  and  left  me  here?"  was  one  of  the  amusing  inci 
dents.  An  old  soldier  said  that  he  had  been  out  there  watching  a 
human  vampire  overlooking  a  victim  who  was  going  to  die.  The  man 
had  on  a  fine  watch.  To  the  doomed  man  he  gave  a  drink  of  water, 
but  when  the  life  blood  ebbed  away  the  fellow  ran  his  hand  into  his 
pocket,  relieved  him  of  his  watch  and  disappeared.  Such  ;s  the 
history  of  all  battlefields ;  stragglers  and  ghouls  ready  to  rob  the  dead. 

And  now  the  death  of  dear  ones  is  whispered  to  us,  the  fearful 
mortality  in  our  ranks— the  death,  they  say,  of  honor,  on  the  field  of 
glory.  The  moral  effect  wrought  by  such  a  picture  makes  my  feelings 
revolt  with  the  idea  of  depravity  in  the  human  heart  that  must  be 
curbed,  so  that  humanity  will  brand  the  infamy  of  "man's  shootin^ 
his  fellows."  O,  that  unhappy  night  of  the  ipth  at  Chickamauga*! 


222  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Sleep  is  overcome  with  the  fear  that  to-morrow  might  be  the  last  on 
earth.  Longstreet  has  come  and  the  army  is  to  be  divided  into  two 
wings,  Polk  to  command  the  right  and  Longstreet  the  left.  The  enemy 
is  in  a  state  of  unrest — Crittenden  confused  because  Thomas  has  his 
command  also,  McCook  palsied  because  his  corps  is  scattered.  The 
agitation  together  with  magnified:  reports  of  Bragg's  re-enforcements 
swelling  his  forces  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand,  put  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland  in  a  state  of  fermentation  and  bewildered 
Rosecrans,  whose  blushing  honors  up  to  this  had  not  seen  a  frost, 
but  who  from  the  moment  finds  his  full-blown  pride  breaking  under 
him  and  a  serious  threatening  of  a  long  farewell  to  all  his  military 
fame. 


ARTICLE  III. 
"Great  God  of  heaven,  say  amen  to  all." 

And  now  comes  the  2Oth — Sunday — the  weather  clear  but  crisp. 
Every  arm  in  readiness  for  a  "hand  all  round"  battle.  The  enemy 
sheltered  behind  his  breastworks;  Bragg  still  to  force  the  fighting. 
The  attack  to  commence  on  the  right  and  to  be  followed  in  quick 
succession  on  the  left.  Breckinridge,  Liddell,  Gist,  Walker  and  Cle- 
burne  with  Cheatham  in  reserve,  forming  Lieutenant-General  Folk's 
command,  with  Forrest's  cavalry;  whilst  Stewart,  Bushrod  Johnson, 
Hood,  McLaws  (under  Kershaw),  and  Hindman,  with  Preston  in 
reserve,  with  Wheeler's  cavalry  forming  the  left  wing. 

At  daybreak  the  troops  are  under  order,  ready.  A  lone  horseman 
without  staff  or  escort  approaches  from  the  rear — shakes  hands  with 
Stewart  in  the  center ;  his  overcoat  hides  his  stars  and  wreath.  Sol 
diers  wonder  who  the  stranger  can  be !  It  is  Longstreet,  meeting 
his  old  West  Point  roommate.  He  had  come  to  say  that  Stewart 
would  form  the  right  of  the  left  wing  and  be  under  his  command  to 
day.  Just  behind  him  came  some  of  his  troops — McLaw's  two  bri 
gades,  just  gotten  up,  dressed  in  new  clothes  (something  new  to 
Bragg's  army)  and*  guying  us  with  such  remarks  as:  "Boys,  the 
Army  of  Virginia  will  show  you  how  to  fight  to-day."  It  is  to  be 
"hilt  to  hilt"  and  "breast  to  breast"  now,  with  Western  Yankees, 
never  met  them  before,  and  soon  taught  them  as  we  had  learned, 
that  we  were  of  the  same  blood  and  meeting  foemen  worthy  of 
our  steel. 

Six  o'clock  came,  then  seven — no  movement  of  our  army;  eight, 
even  nine,  and  Bragg  and  staff  were  dashing  restlessly  along  the  lines. 
Major  Pollock  B.  Lee  rode  by  in  search  of  General  D.  H.  Hill  and 
General  Polk.  Soon  he  came  back  having  found  General  Polk,  whose 
heart  overflowed  with  anxiety  for  the  battle  to  commence  but  a 
message  had  just  reached  him  from  General  Hill  that  he  was  ration 
ing  his  troops.  In  the  meantime  Longstreet's  message  to  General 
Bragg,  "Had  I  not  better  make  my  attack,"  drew  forth  the  command 
from  Bragg,  through  Major  Pollock  B.  Lee  to  "go  to  every  division 
and  brigade  commander  and  tell  him  to  throw  his  force  at  once 


THE  SOUTHERN  SIDE  AT  CHICK  AM  AUGA. 


223 


against  the  enemy."  O,  fatal  hour!  that  so  often  blights  brilliant 
prospects  in  battle  and  turns  them  to  blasted  hopes.  The  heart  grew 
sick  at  the  delay  which  was  death  to  hundreds  that  would  be  living 
to-day  had  orders  been  obeyed  and-  the  enemy  routed  sooner.  It 
came  near  losing  to  Bragg  the  battle.  Rosecrans  says,  in  substance, 
that  he  rode  his  lines  at  6:40,  and  to  his  astonishment  found  in 
many  places  gaps,  that  threatened  destruction  to  his  army.  C.  A. 
Dana,  Federal  Assistant  Secretary  of  War,  says  that  "Rosecrans 
was  frantic  with  the  disposition  of  McCook's  elongated  lines."  Had 
our  attack  been  made  at  dawn,  these  gaps  would  have  been  penetrated, 
the  enemy's  army  dismembered,  and  Bull  Run  repeated  by  South 
ern  arms. 

But  now  about  10:30  o'clock  the  battle  opens — it  is  a  charge  of 
breastworks  for  four  long  miles.  The  din  of  musketry  is  like  the 
unintermitted  sound  of  packs  of  lighted  firecrackers,  the  terrific  can 
nonading  so  deafening  that  the  eyewitness  stands  aghast  at  the 
idea  that  he  is  living  through  it;  the  Northman  and  the  Southman 
standing  to  the  racket  like  gladiators,  forgetful  of  everything  but 
the  mastery;  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  trying  to  parry  a  foe 
whose  dogged  persistence  rumor  has  told  their  bewildered  commander 
is  now  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand,  but  who,  from  the  records, 
show  his  army  about  seventeen  thousand  superior  and  on  the  defensive. 
When  1  read  of  the  "Old  Guard,"  generaled  by  Cambronne,  at 
Waterloo,  and-  see  the  charges  of  the  entire  army  of  Bragg,  from  10:30 
a.  m.  until  the  rout  after  5  p.  m.,  the  picture  is  not  overdrawn  with 
a  parallel  at  Chickamauga.  When  breastworks  were  not  carried,  or 
commands  disconcerted*,  it  was  a  rally,  reform  and  charge  again  with 
out  a  murmur.  No  panic  amongst  the  troops,  no  shrinking  from  duty 
nor  falling  out  of  line ;  no  stragglers,  but  a  reorganization  to  administer 
the  final  stroke. 

About  10:30  o'clock  Thomas  finds  Breckinridge  and  Forrest 
threatening  his  rear  on  the  left.  Again  he  asks  for  another  division. 
The  Federal  management  have  been  impressed  that  the  left  must  be 
protected  if  it  takes  the  whole  army  and  yet  Rosecrans  wonders  how 
he  is  to  do  it.  While  this  is  going  on,  Longstreet  is  thundering  on 
the  enemy's  right,  Hindman  popping  it  to  Sheridan,  Hood  sprinkling 
Davis,  McLaw's  command  peppering  Vancleve,  Johnson  chugging 
Brannan,  and  Stewart  driving  Reynolds,  leaving  the  right  wing  to 
pound  and  batter  the  massed  minions  confronting  them.  General 
Pat  Cleburne  forming  the  left  of  Folk's  right,  is  fighting  by  our  side 
to-day;  one  of  his  generals,  Deshler,  killed,  and  Lucius  Folk's  bri 
gade  struggling  to  rescue  the  body.  Farther  on  we  hear  of  Helm's 
death,  and  the  wounding  of  Adams  of  Breckinridge's  division.  To 
our  left,  Major-General  Hood  is  wounded  and  worlds  of  subordinates 
submerged  in  the  fiery  vortex.  In  front  of  us  the  Federal  General 
Lytle,  Colonel  King  and  others  fall  and  the  dance  of  death  goes  bravely 
on.  Thomas  is  now  heard  from  again  and  the  same  old  entreaty 
comes:  "Send  me  more  re-enforcements  without  delay."  He  has 


224  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE^ 

already  two-thirds  of  his  army  yet  Rosecrans  withdraws  Sheridan 
and  starts  him.  Longstreet  seems  moved  by  a  kind  of  intuition  with 
the  necessities  of  the  moment.  He  has  been  battling  over  the  burnt 
house  (Foe's)  and  the  vineyard,  and  gradually  wheeling  with  John 
son  and  Hood  and  Hindman  on  his  left,  the  alignment  being  kept  up 
with  Stewart  Like  the  breaking  of  a  levee  and  the  rushing  in  of  the 
tide,  they  penetrate  a  line  that  runs  into  Sheridan  and  the  crevasse 
widens  until  a  confused  mass  of  fleeing  bluecoats  threaten  their 
army's  complete  overthrow. 

I  quote  from  C.  A.  Dana  again  to  give  you  the  condition  at  this 
time:  "Never  in  any  battle  I  had  witnessed  was  there  such  a  dis 
charge  of  cannon  and  musketry.  I  sat  upon  the  grass  and  the  first 
thing  I  saw  was  General  Rosecrans  crossing  himself — he  was  a  very 
pious  Catholic.  'Hello !'  I  said  to  myself ;  'if  the  General  is  crossing 
himself  we  are  in  a  desperate  situation/  I  was  on  my  horse  in  a 
moment.  I  had  no  sooner  collected  my  thoughts  and  looked  around 
towards  the  front  where  all  of  this  din  came  from  than  I  saw  our  lines 
break  and  melt  away  like  leaves  before  the  wind.  Then  the  head 
quarters  around  me  disappeared — the  graybacks  came  through  with  a 
rush  and  soon  'the  musket  balls  and  cannon  shots  began  to  reach 
the  place  where  we  stood.  The  whole  right  of  the  army  had  appar 
ently  been  routed."  Mr.  Dana  reports  further  that  the  night  before 
General  McCook,  after  the  council  of  war  at  Rosecrans'  head 
quarters,  regaled  them  with  the  song  of  the  "Hebrew  Maiden" — but 
now,  with  Hindman  at  the  vineyard,  and  Longstreet's  whole  com 
mand*  in  conjunction,  the  "Hebrew  Maiden"  is  forgotten  in  the  sound 
of  Dixie's  whistling  tunes  of  shot  and  shell — one  of  which  in  the 
medley,  on  the  part  of  Rosecrans'  right  wing,  is  the  never-to-be-for 
gotten  air  of  "H — 's  broke  loose  in  Georgia."  Rosecrans  left  his 
army  and  did  not  stop  short  of  Chattanooga,  thirteen  miles ;  Crittenden 
following;  then  McCook,  and  even  the  Assistant  Secretary  of  War, 
who,  upon  arrival,  telegraphs  to  Stanton  that  the  name  of  Chicka- 
mauga  is  "as  fatal  to  .Northern  arms  as  was  Bull  Run." 

At  the  opening  of  the  Chickamauga  Park  it  was  highly  amusing 
to  me  to  hear  some  of  our  Northern  visitors  slightly  allude  to  "with 
drawing"  from  Chickamauga,  and  wind  up  with  exaggerated  accounts 
of  the  famous  battle  above  the  clouds,  which  at  most,  viewed  by  us 
from  Mission  Ridge,  from  base  to  summit,  was  a  lightning  (fire)  bug 
skirmish,  and  then  go  wild  over  the  grand  charge  of  Missionary 
Ridge,  which  was  nothing  more  than  a  stampede  of  our  army,  con 
fronted  by  four  or  five  times  its  number,  on  a  flying  report  that  the 
enemy  were  getting  in  our  rear.  All  the  world  knows  that  an  old 
soldier  will  fight  an  enemy  to  the  finish  in  front,  but  get  in  his  rear 
and,  like  the  panicked  herd  on  the  prairie,  he'll  run  from  fear  of 
capture. 

Look  at  the  mortality  reports  of  commands  amongst  Federals 
and  the  history  of  Northern  valor  at  Missionary  Ridge  is  nipped  in 
the  bud.  When  Rosecrans  left  the  field  he  thought  his  entire  army 


THE  SOUTHERN  SIDE  AT  CHICKAMAUGA.  '225 

was  routed.  As  Wellington,  at  Waterloo,  clamoring  for  Blucher— 
Rosecrans  was  longing  at  Chattanooga  for  Burnside  or  for  night. 
Dispatch  after  dispatch  was  sent  him.  Two  and  one-half  hours  from 
the  attack  the  commanding  general  and  two  of  his  corps  were  gone. 

Had  we  commenced  at  daybreak  on  the  elongated  lines  of  Mc- 
Cook,  we  would  have  crushed  and  broken  up  the  Army  of  the  Cum 
berland.  But  now,  in  the  desperate  charges  whilst  we  are  driving 
on  the  left,  about  12  o'clock  our  lines  give  way  on  the  right,  and  the 
confusion  continues  until  stopped  by  Stewart. 

An  incident  touching  our  present  Congressman,  James  D.  Rich 
ardson  (adjutant  Forty-fifth  Tennessee)  comes  upon  me  as  an  illus 
tration  of  composure  amongst  all  troops.  He  was  coming  back  slowly 
in  this  break.  His  remark  to  me,  'This  is  hot,  isn't  it?"  impressed 
me  as  very  cool  and  deliberate. 

Near  one  of  the  trees,  behind  which  several  were  sheltered,  a 
soldier  came  up.  Richardson  and  S.  H.  Mitchell  passing  asked  his 
command.  The  soldier  uttered,  "Thirty-eighth  Ala — ,"  and  before 
completing  the  word  Alabama,  a  cannon  ball  took  half  of  his  head  off, 
the  blood  spattering  them. 

During  the  reformation  of  lines,  Bate,  Brown,  Clayton,  Stewart 
and  staff  nearly  all  received  contusions  from  spent  grape  and 
canister. 

Longstreet  now  directs  Stewart  to  go  no  farther  until  he  can 
whip  around  with  the  left  of  his  wing.  And  now  comes  the  tug ! 
Hindman  and  Law  (in  Hood's  place,  Hood  wounded)  and  Johnson 
and  Kershaw  put  on  the  war  paint  in  earnest  and  conjure  up  the  most 
masterly  fight  of  the  day.  The  reports  graphically  detail  it — charge 
after  charge  is  made  and  brigade  after  brigade  is  sent  them,  until 
through  Dyer  and  Kelly  fields  the  famous  "Snodgrass  Hill"  looms 
up  a  frowning  fortress  almost  impregnable  to  attack.  Every  pass  is 
guarded,  and  the  hill,  the  grand  Federal  rally  for  the  final  struggle. 
Manigault  and  Deas,  Gregg  and  Fulton  drive  the  enemy  beyond  and 
rush  into  the  Vittetoe  house.  Ere  the  fleeing  foe  leave  it,  the  planks 
of  the  floor,  as  if  moved  by  some  unaccountable  cause,  begin  to  fly  up. 
It  was  the  Vittetoe  young  ladies  emerging  from  their  cellar,  where 
they  had  been  for  two  days,  while  the  battle  was  raging  around  and- 
about  them.  On  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  when  our  boys  appeared, 
they  shouted,  "Glory  halleluiah !"  and  asked  for  guns  to  help  us. 

Hindman,  Law,  Kershaw  and  Johnson  are  now  whacking  awav 
at  Snodgrass  Hill.  Nature  has  fortunately  intervened  to  protect  our 
foe  from  the  severe  castigation.  Forrest  on  the  right,  had  for  hours 
been  holding  Gordon  Granger's  reserve  at  bay,  and  had  been  fight 
ing  his  cavalry  as  infantry,  but  now  Granger's  corps  of  Federals 
wacl-e  through  Rebel  bullets  to  save  his  army"  Like  Dessaix,  at  Ma- 
rengo,  he  hoped  to  hurl  in  ten  thousand  fresh  troops  and  turn  the  tide 
of  the  battle  but  disappointment  overcame  him.  Longstreet  has  in 
reserve  a  division  (Preston's)  that  had  never  seen  a  general  battle  up 
to  this  time.  They  are  crazy  to  go  in.  The  order  comes,  and  in  con- 


226  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

junction  with  Johnson  and  Hindman's  other  forces,  the  struggle  is 
the  most  unprecedented  in  the  annals  of  war.  Colonel  Bollin  Hall's 
color  bearer,  Second  Alabama  battalion,  Robert  A.  W.  Hiett,  got 
eighty-three  balls  through  his  battle  flag.  He  planted  his  colors  on 
the  hill,  was  three  times  wounded,  his  flagstaff  shot  away,  yet  he  car 
ried  his  charge  to  the  end.  They  gave  us  the  bayonet  but  every  thrust 
is  parried  and  every  inch  of  ground  disputed  in  the  desperate  struggle 
The  climbing  of  King's  Mountain,  the  storming  of  Chepultepec,  even 
of  Sebastopol  were  pigmies  now  to  the  stubborn  charges  up  Snod- 
grass  Hill.  In  the  meantime  the  fearful  mortality  is  overcome  with 
a  flush  of  victory.  The  object  now  is  to  dislodge  the  enemy  from  that 
hill.  Thomas  has  his  lines  in  a  horseshoe,  and  O !  what  desperation 
to  hold  us  back  till  he  can  escape  under  cover  of  night.  Polk,  on  the 
right,  has  made  five  successive  charges  to-day,  the  enemy  massed  in 
his  front  behind  breastworks,  and-  Longstreet  can  get  no  help  there. 
Two  of  Longstreet's  staff,  Colonels  Sorel  and  Manning,  make  to  him 
a  suggestion  that  is  at  once  set  in  motion:  "Let  the  whole  left  wing 
attack,  and  Stewart  will  flank  them  out  of  Snodgrass'  Hill."  The  idea 
is  communicated  to  Bragg,  who  enlarges  it  to  the  whole  army,  and 
the  hour  set  for  5  o'clock.  It  was  whispered  that  we  would  rout  them 
this  time,  and  victory  for  Southern  arms  seemed  intuitively  to  per 
meate  every  mind.  The  order  "Forward!"  finally  came,  and,  like  the 
restless  racer  chafing  for  the  "Go!"  the  Army  of  Tennessee  leaped 
the  breastworks,  climbed  the  hill,  and-  frantically  sealed  the  fatal  name 
of  Chickamauga  to  Northern  arms.  Longstreet  says:  "Preston 
dashed  gallantly  at  the  hill;  Stewart  flanked  a  re-enforcing  column 
and  captured  a  large  portion  of  it.  At  the  same  time  the  fire  from 
twelve  cannon,  established  by  General  Buckner,  struck  terror  to  the 
force  under  it,  Johnson,  Hindman,  Kershaw,  and  Law  acting  in  con 
junction.  Preston's  assault,  although  not  a  complete  success  at  the 
onset,  yet  taken  in  connection  with  the  other  operations,  crippled  the 
enemy  so  that  his  ranks  were  badly  broken,  and  by  a  flank  movement 
and  another  advance  the  heights  were  gained.  About  the  same  time 
of  my  advance  the  right  wing  made  a  gallant  dash  and  gained  the 
line  that  had  been  held  so  long  and  obstinately  against  it.  A  simul 
taneous  and  continuous  shout  from  the  two  wings  announced  our 
complete  success." 

Every  command  did  its  duty,  and  can  point  to  its  episodes  in  the 
great  battle.  The  laboring  oar  was  on  all  to  win  the  victory.  Seven 
teen  charges  were  made  up  Snodgrass  Hill  before  we  got  it.  The 
Confederate  loss  in  the  battle  was  about  sixteen  thousand;  Federal 
loss,  about  seventeen  thousand.  Reports  conflict.  As  a  member  of 
Stewart's  division  I  find  a  notable  fact  recorded.  General  Bragg 
reports  that  Stewart  penetrated  the  center  and  broke  the  first  general 
lines  at  Chickamauga.  Longstreet  witnesses  that  the  movement  of 
Stewart's  division  on  the  last  charge  resulted  in  the  beginning  of  the 
general  break  through  the  enemy's  lines.  Bate  attests  that  the  Eu- 


THE  SOUTHERN  SIDE  AT  CHICKAMAUGA.  227 

faula  battery  of  Stewart  fired  the  opening  and  closing  shots  of  the 
general  battle. 

And  now,  since  the  United  States  Government  has  made  a  park 
of  the  battlefield  and  marked  the  spot  of  Northern  prowess  for  coming 
ages  to  look  upon,  we  employ  General  Bate's  tribute  in  dropping  a 
silent  tear  over  Southern  valor :  " While  I  recount  the  services  of  the 
living  I  cannot  pass  unremembered  the  heroic  dead;  the  cypress  must 
be  interwoven  with  the  laurel.  The  bloody  field  attested  the  sacrifice 
of  many  a  noble  spirit  in  the  final  struggle,  the  private  soldier  vying 
with  the  officer  in  deeds  of  high  daring  and  distinguished  courage. 
While  the  'river  of  death'  shall  float  its  sluggish  current  to  the  beau 
tiful  Tennessee,  and  the  night  wind  chant  its  solemn  dirges  over  their 
soldiers'  graves,  their  names,  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  their  country 
men,  will  be  held  in  grateful  remembrance  as  the  champions  and  de 
fenders  of  their  country,  who  had  sealed  their  devotion  with  their 
blood  on  one  of  the  most  glorious  -battlefields  of  our  revolution." 

On  the  2  ist  of  September  Generals  Forrest  and  Wheeler  having 
gone  in  pursuit  of  the  fleeing  Federal  army  to  Chattanooga,  our  jaded 
troops  made  a  forward  movement  and  were  halted  at  and  along  the 
line  of  Rossville.  From  thence  our  forces  crossed  Chattanooga  creek, 
the  main  body  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee  occupying  the  foot  of  Mission 
Ridge  and  around  and  on  top  of  Lookout  Mountain  until  from  the 
latter  part  of  September  to  the  25th  of  November,  when  General  Grant, 
who  had  been  placed  in  command  of  the  Federal  forces  and  re-en 
forced  heavily  with  three  armies,  marched  upon  and  routed  our  army. 
Whilst  General  Grant  strengthened  his  forces,  General  Bragg  had 
to  weaken  his,  by  detaching  General  Longstreet's  corps  and  General 
Forrest's  command. 

At  Mission  Ridge  our  ranks  became  so  thinned  that  a  reorgan 
ization  was  made.  The  battle  of  Chickamauga  created  a  shuffle 
amongst  the  officers.  Generals  Polk,  Hill  and  Hindman  on  the  Con 
federate  side  were  relieved  from  duty,  (the  latter)  under  charges 
touching  McLemore's  Cove,  which  was  afterwards  settle.d.  And 
Generals  Rosecrans,  Crittenden  and  others  were  superseded  on  the 
Federal  side.  The  Confederates  established  on  Lookout  Point  a  case- 
mated  fort  and  every  day  for  two  months  entertained  the  Federal  army, 
a  notable  target  in  this  time  being  the  famous  Federal  star  fort  just 
in  the  outskirts  of  Chattanooga.  The  grandest  spectacle  ever  witnessed 
from  Lookout  Point  in  this  time  was  General  Grant's  three  armies — 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  and  the 
Army  of  the  Ohio,  and  the  Confederate  Army  of  Tennessee.  After 
Grant  commenced  his  forward  movement  the  following  reports  will 
give  an  idea  of  future  movements. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LOOKOUT  MOUNTAIN,  NOV.  24,  1863. 


Report  of  Brigadier-General  John  K.  Jackson,  C.  S.  Army,  Command 
ing  Cheatham's  Division,  Hardee's  Corpes. 

Headquarters  Cheatham's  Division, 
Near  Dalton,  Ga.,  December  21,  1863. 

Major: — My  report  of  the  unfortunate  disaster  on  Lookout 
Mountain  on  the  24th  ultimo  has  been  somewhat  delayed  in  conse 
quence  of  the  delay  of  the  brigade  commanders  in  sending  their  re 
ports  to  me,  the  last  of  which  (that  of  Brigadier-General  Moore)  was 
received  this  day.  The  result  of  that  day's  operations  and  the  char 
acter  of  the  reports  of  brigade  commanders  which  are  herewith  in 
closed,  require  of  me  a  report  more  in  detail  than  I  would  otherwise 
make  it  and  will  excuse  the  personal  cast  which  it  assumes. 

On  November  Qth,  in  conformity  with  orders  from  army  head 
quarters,  being  temporarily  in  command  of  Cheatham's  division,  I 
reported  to  Major-General  W.  H.  T.  Walker.  A  reorganization  of 
the  army  having  just  taken  place,  I  had  with  me  to  report  to  General 
Walker  but  one  brigade  of  the  division,  Wright's  brigade  having 
been  left  at  Charleston,  Tennessee,  under  orders,  and  Moore's  and 
WalthalFs  brigades  having  not  then  reported  to  me  under  the  new 
organization.  My  headquarters  were  located  on  the  west  side  of 
Chattanooga  creek,  at  a  point  advised  by  General  Walker,  and  my 
brigade  was  placed  where  he  directed.  On  the  same  day  I  was  in 
vited  by  General  Walker  to  accompany  him  and  Lieutenant-General 
Hardee  to  the  Cravens  house,  Which  I  did.  The  ground  in  that 
neighborhood  was  passed  over,  viewed,  and  discussed  but  no  line  to 
fight  on  was  recommended  by  any  one  present.  Indeed,  it  was  agreed 
on  all  hands  that  the  position  was  one  extremely  difficult  of  defense 
against  a  strong  force  of  the  enemy  advancing  under  cover  of  a  heavy 
artillery  fire.  General  Walker's  opinion  was  expressed  to  the  effect 
that  at  a  certain  point  to  which  we  had  walked,  which  was  a  narrow 
pass,  artillery  should  be  placed  in  position  extending  to  the  left  for  a 
short  distance  toward  the  top  of  the  mountain ;  that  this  would  pre 
vent  any  surprise  by  forces  approaching  in  that  direction  and  at  the 
same  time  they  would  answer  the  guns  from  the  hills  on  the  opposite 
side  of  Lookout  creek;  also  to  have  artillery  near  the  Cravens  house 
to  answer  the  Moccasin  battery  guns.  By  the  first  arrangement 
he  said  the  artillery  could  have  retreated  by  the  road  and  the  infantry, 
which  was  put  there  to  defend  the  artillery  and  pass,  would  have  felt 


BATTLE  OF  LOOKOUT  MOUNTAIN. 


strong  and  been  better  satisfied  and  better  able  to  hold  their  position. 
He  said  his  experience  was  that  infantry  care  but  little  for  artillery 
if  they  have  artillery  to  respond-  with,  and  that  they  are  soon  demoral 
ized  when  they  have  quietly  to  sit  and  receive  artillery  fire  without 
having  some  of  their  own  to  reply  with.  I  ventured  to  express  my 
own  opinion  to  Lieutenant-General  Hardee  subsequently,  and  in  it  I 


LOOKOUT  MOUNTAIN. 

differed  somewhat  (not  without  great  presumption,  but  with  equal 
diffidence)  from  that  of  so  experienced  a  soldier  as  General  Walker. 
If  we  were  defeated  on  the  slope,  the  guns,  as  I  thought,  must  inev 
itably  be  lost  from  the  impossibility  of  removing  them  under  fire  from 
their  positions.  My  plan  of  defense  was  to  place  a  gun  in  every  avail 
able  position  on  Lookout  Point  and  to  sink  the  wheels  or  elevate  the 
trails  so  as  to  command  the  slope  of  the  mountain.  In  addition  to 
which  I  respectfully  suggested  that  on  the  point  a  sharpshooter  should 
be  placed  wherever  a  man  could  stand,  so  as  to  annoy  the  flank  of  the 
enemy.  In  my  judgment  there  was  no  point  northwest  of  the  Cravens 
house  at  which  our  infantry  force  could  be  held  on  the  slope  of  the 
mountain,  and  in  consequence  of  this  firm  conviction  I  gave  orders 
to  Brigadier-General  Walthall  which  are  hereinafter  mentioned. 

Upon  my  return  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain  on  November  9,  I 
found  Brigadier-General  Walthall  and  his  brigade  in  camp  there 
Brigadier-General  Moore's  brigade  was  then  at  the  Cravens  house, 
where  it  had  been  for  a  time — how  long  I  am  not  informed.  General 
Walker  directed  that  Brigadier-General  Gist,  commanding  his  di 
vision,  and  I,  with  my  own  and  Walthall's  brigades  of  Cheatham's 
division,  should  defend  the  line  from  Chattanooga  creek  to  the  foot  of 
the  mountain  and  permitted  us  to  divide  the  line  according  to  our 
respective  strengths  as  we  wished. 

^After  riding  along  the  line  with  General  Gist  we  made  the  ap 
portionment  of  it  and  gave  orders  to  our  respective  commands.  At 
that  time  I  had  no  command  over  the  mountain  slope  although  one 
of  the  brigades  (Moore's)  of  the  division  was  then  on  duty  at  or  neai 


230  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

the  Cravens  house.  General  Moore  was  in  command  of  that  portion 
of  the  line  under  General  Walker's  orders,  from  November  10 
to  14.  The  command  I  found  General  Walker  evercising,  extended 
over  all  the  troops  west  of  Chattanooga  creek  under  the  general  su 
pervision  of  Lieutenant-General  Hardee,  and  upon  General  Walker's 
going  away  on  a  short  leave  on  November  12.  which  he  informed  me 


GENERAL  E.   C.    WALTHALL,   OF  MISSISSIPPI. 

he  had  some  weeks  before  applied  for,  and  upon  the  assurance  of 
General  Bragg,  that  he  would  telegraph  him  when  Sherman  came  up, 
before  which  time  he  anticipated  no  trouble,  this  command  devolved 
on  me.  I  at  once  asked  for  written  instructions  from  the  corps  com 
mander  as  to  the  mode  of  defense  of  the  line  but  received  none.  The 
command  was  a  unit  and  was  doubtless  intended  to  be  handled  as 
such.  I  continued  to  exercise  it  and  gave  orders  subject  to  the  ap 
proval  of  Lieutenant-General  Hardee,  until  his  headquarters  were 


BATTLE  OF  LOOKOUT  MOUNTAIN.  231 

removed  from  the  extreme  right  of  the  army  to  a  point  a  little  east  of 
Chattanooga  creek.  This  was  about  November  14. 

About  this  time  I  went  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  with  Lieuten 
ant-General  Hardee.  We  there  met  General  Brags  and  after  a  view 
from  Lookout  Point  General  Bragg  indicated  a  line  on  the  slope  of 
the  mountain,  which  from  that  standpoint  he  thought  ought  to  be 
the  righting  line.  As  we  descended  the  mountain  I  again  rode  out 
with  Lieutenant-General  Hardee  to  the  Cravens  house,  and  again 
looked  over  the  ground.  The  line  indicated  by  General  Bragg  was 
found  to  present  quite  a  different  appearance  upon  a  close  view  from 
the  same  as  seen  from  the  mountain  top.  This  line  as  I  understood 
it,  passed  from  Lookout  Point  a  little  in  rear  of  the  Cravens  house 
and  down  to  a  point  not  far  from  the  junction  of  the  Kelley's  ferry 
and  Cravens  house  roads,  and  thence  to  the  precipitous  rocks  near  the 
mouth  of  Chattanooga  creek.  The  engineers  were  put  to  work  under 
some  one's  orders — whose  I  do  not  know — and  fatigue  parties  fur 
nished  to  them  from  my  command  at  their  request. 

On  November  14,  a  new  disposition  of  the  command  was  made. 
M?ior-General  Stevenson  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  troupb 
and  defenses  on  the  top  of  Lookout  Mountain.  The  ranking  officer 
of  Cheatham's  division  was  directed  to  assume  command  of  all  troops 
and  defenses  at  and  near  the  Cravens  house.  The  ranking  officer  of 
Walker's  division  was  charged  with  the  line  from  the  base  of  Look 
out  Mountain  east  to  Chattanoga  creek  and  with  all  the  troops  not 
at  the  points  above  named.  This  order  emanated  from  Headquarters 
Hardee's  corps,  and  in  conformity  with  it,  as  the  ranking  officer  of 
Cheatham's  division,  I  assumed  command  of  the  troops  and  defenses 
at  and  near  the  Cravens  house,  and  on  the  following  day  (November 
15)  established  my  headquarters  at  the  junction  of  the  Summertown 
road  with  the  mountain-side  road  leading  to  the  Cravens  house,  with 
the  approval  of  Lieutenant-General  Hardee.  On  the  same  day  Briga 
dier-General  Walthall's  brigade  relieved  that  of  Brigadier-General 
Pettus  near  the  Cravens  house. 

On  the  night  of  the  i6th  and  i/th,  a  fatigue  party  was  ordered 
to  report  to  Lieutenant  Steels  of  the  engineers  to  commence  work 
on  the  new  line  below  the  Cravens  house.  By  direction  of  Lieutenant- 
General  Hardee,  I  went  out  in  person  to  see  that  the  work  was  prog 
ressing;  found  that  there  was  a  misunderstanding  as  to  the  place  of 
reporting;  walked  down  the  road  a  considerable  distance  along  the 
contemplated  line,  then  went  to  the  Cravens  house  and  ordered  the 
detail  to  be  reassembled  and  to  report  to  Lieutenant  Steele  im 
mediately. 

This  was  at  night.  The  work  was  directed  to  be  done  at  night 
as  the  working  party  would  be  under  fire  of  the  Moccasin  Point  bat 
teries.  General  Walthall's  troops  were  some  distance  in  advance  of 
the  proposed  line,  and  exposed  to  the  enemy's  artillery  fire.  I  ordered 
him  on  the  i8th,  with  the  approval  of  Lieutenant-General  Hardee, 
to  shorten  his  picket  line  as  he  proposed,  and  notice  of  which  I 


232  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

promptly  gave  to  General  Stevenson,  and  to  bring  back  his  troops  in 
the  rear  (south)  of  the  Cravens  house,  leaving  his  pickets  where  they 
were,  supported  by  one  regiment.  Upon  inspection  of  the  ground, 
General  Walthall  reported-  to  me,  as  General  Moore's  troops  were  also 
in  the  rear  of  the  Cravens  house,  there  would  not  be  room  enough 
for  his  brigade  between  General  Moore's  and  my  headquarters,  and 
said  that  as  he  supposed  the  order  I  had  given  him  was  permissive 
rather  than  directory,  if  I  had  no  objections,  he  would  keep  his  troops 
where  they  were.  To  this  I  assented,  giving  him  at  the  same  time  in 
structions,  if  attacked  by  the  enemy  in  heavy  force  to  fall  back  fighting 
over  the  rocks.  I  expected  by  the  time  his  troops  reached  the  Cravens 
house  to  be  with  them  and  form  line  of  battle  with  Walthall's  left 
against  the  cliff  and  his  right  at  or  near  the  Cravens  house,  and 
Moore  prolonging  this  line  to  the  right.  This  was  the  general  line 
pointed  out  by  General  Bragg  although  it  had  not  been  defined  by 
the  engineers,  nor  had  any  work  been  done  on  it  between  the  cliff 
and  the  Cravens  house.  Beyond  the  Cravens  house  there  was  no 
practicable  line  which  was  not  enfiladed  by  the  enemy's  batteries  ex 
cept  the  covered  way  prepared  by  General  Jenkins  and  the  flank  of 
that  was  exposed  to  the  infantry  attack. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  2Oth  (I  believe)  I  visited  the  works 
below  the  Cravens  house  in  company  with  Captain  Henry  of  the  di 
vision  staff  and  spent  some  time  in  their  inspection.  These  works, 
being  a  mere  rifle-pit,  would  be  of  no  service  when  the  enemy  were 
once  in  possession  of  the  Cravens  house,  as  they  would  thence  be 
taken  in  flank — almost  in  reverse. 

On  November  22nd,  my  brigade  was  ordered  to  report  to  me 
and  was  moved  from  the  top  of  the  mountain  to  the  slope  and  placed 
in  the  position  which  I  had  desired  General  Walthall  to  take. 

On  the  23rd,  it  was  ordered  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  out  of 
my  command,  to  take  with  Cumming's  brigade  the  place  on  the  line 
which  had  been  occupied  by  Walker's  division.  My  position  and  that 
of  General  Stevenson  were  thus  each  weakened  by  a  brigade. 

On  the  same  day  a  brisk  fire  of  artillery  and  small-arms  was 
heard  coming  from  the  extreme  right.  It  was  supposed  to  be*  a  strug 
gle  for  wood. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  23rd,  General  Stevenson  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  forces  west  of  Chattanooga  creek,  Lieutenant- 
General^  Hardee  having  been  removed  to  the  extreme  right,  and  on  the 
same  night  orders  were  received  and  distributed  to  prepare  three 
days'  cooked  rations  and  to  hold  the  troops  in  readiness  to  move  at 
a  moment's  notice.  In  order  to  avoid  anything  like  a  surprise  along 
the  line,  at  about  7:30  p.  m.  I  ordered  Captain  Henry  of  the  division 
staff,  to  visit  the  chiefs  of  pickets  and-  direct  them  to  be  unusually 
vigilant  in  watching  the  movements  of  the  enemy  and  to  guard 
against  surprise. 

About  9  a.  m.  on  the  24th, 1 1  received  a  note  from  General  Wal 
thall  to  the  effect  that  the  enemy  were  moving  in  heavy  force  toward 


BATTLE  OF  LOOKOUT  MOUNTAIN.  233 

our  left;  that  their  tents  had  nearly  all  disappeared  and  their  pon 
toon  bridges  been  cut  away.  Shortly  afterwards  I  received  another 
note  from  him  to  the  effect  that  he  was  mistaken  as  to  the  number  of 
tents  that  had  disappeared,  but  that  many  of  those  which  could  be 
seen  on  previous  days  were  not  then  visible.  The  originals  of  both 
these  notes  were  immediately  dispatched  to  General  Bragg  and  copies 
to  General  Stevenson.  I  also  sent  a  staff  officer  to  order  Generals 
Moore  and  Walthall  to  hold  their  commands  under  arms  ready  for 
action.  I  walked  out  on  the  road  toward  the  Cravens  house  to  a 
favorable  point  and  could  distinguish  the  enemy's  troops  on  the  plain 
in  front  of  Chattanooga — all  quiet,  no  massing,  no  movement  of  any 
kind.  From  this  point  I  sent  another  staff  officer  to  the  Cravens 
house  to  report  to  me  immediately  anything  of  interest,  and  returned 
myself  to  my  position  at  the  fork  of  the  road.  The  demonstrations 
of  the  enemy  did  not,  down  to  this  time,  indicate  the  point  of  attack — 
whether  upon  my  portion  of  the  line  or  farther  to  the  left.  General 
Stevenson  inquired  of  me  about  this  time  if  I  needed  re-enforcements, 
to  which  I  replied  that  I  could  not  tell  until  there  were  further  de 
velopments.  I  sent  orders  by  a  staff  officer  to  Generals  Moore  and 
Walthall  to  place  their  troops  in  line  as  soon  as  the  skirmishing  com 
menced,  but  not  unnecessarily  to  expose  them  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy's 
artillery.  I  expected,  from  the  rugged  nature  of  the  ground  and  the 
fact  that  the  enemy  had  to  ascend  the  mountain,  that  the  picket 
fighting  would  continue  for  some  time  before  the  main  body 
would  be  engaged. 

About  this  time  I  received  a  message  from  General  Moore  that 
he  did  not  know  where  the  line  was.  I  sent  back  immediately  an 
order  that  General  Walthall  would  occupy  the  left,  and  that  he 
(General  Moore)  would  form  on  General  Walthall's  right,  prolonging 
the  line  in  the  earth-works  below  the  Cravens  house  as  far  as  his 
troops  would  extend. 

About  12  M.  I  received  a  note  from  General  Moore  that  the  enemy 
had  formed  line  and  commenced  skirmishing  with  our  pickets  near 
the  railroad  bridge  crossing  Lookout  creek;  that  he  could  not  then 
tell  their  object,  and  inquiring  where  he  should  place  his  brigade.  I 
sent  to  General  Stevenson  to  ask  for  the  offered  re-enforcements. 
Information  came  to  me  from  General  Walthall  about  the  same  time 
that  the  pickets  had  commenced  firing,  and  a  message  from  General 
Stevenson  by  Major  Pickett  that  the  enemy  was  making  an  attack 
on  my  line.  I  now  asked  in  writing  for  a  brigade  from  General  Stev 
enson  to  be  sent  down  at  once  and  ordered  Major  John  Ingram,  as 
sistant  adjutant-general,  to  direct  General  Walthall  to  fight  back  the 
enemy  with  his  pickets  and  reserve  as  long  as  possible,  and  finally  to 
take  position  with  his  left  against  the  cliff  and  his  right  at  or  in 
direction  of  the  Cravens  house,  and  to  direct  General  Moore  to  ad 
vance  and  form  on  the  right  of  General  Walthall  and  prolong  the  line 
in  the  earth-works  below  the  Cravens  house.  Major  Ingram  reported 
to  me  that  he  rode  rapidly  forward  to  a  point  some  two  hundred  yards 


234  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

from  the  Cravens  house,  passing  General  Moore's  brigade  moving 
up  to  their  position  and  to  support  General  Walthall's  brigade  which 
was  being  rapidly  driven  back  by  overwhelming  numbers.  The  sub 
stance  of  my  order  was  delivered  by  Major  Ingram  to  Generals  Moore 
and  Walthall.  The  latter  stated  that,  although  the  order  did  not  reach 
him  in  time,  he  had  carried  it  out  in  his  efforts  to  defend  the  posi 
tion.  General  Moore  expressing  a  desire  to  have  a  full  supply  of 
ammunition,  was  informed  by  Major  Ingram  that  Captain  Clark 
division  ordinance  officer,  had-  been  ordered  to  furnish  him  from  the 
division  train.  Within  a  few  minutes  after  Major  Ingram  left  as 
bearer  of  the  above  order  to  Generals  Moore  and  Walthall,  I  pro 
ceeded  in  person,  accompanied  by  Major  Vaulx  of  the  division  staff, 
to  superintend  the  execution. 

Passing  a  great  many  stragglers  (officers  and  men)  along  the 
road,  I  was  met  at  some  short  distance  from  the  Cravens  house  by 
an  officer  from  General  Walthall,  who  brought  the  information  that 
his  brigade  had  been  driven  back  in  considerable  confusion,  and  that 
the  Cravens  house  was  in  possession  of  the  enemy.  I  immediately 
dispatched  a  staff  officer  to  speed  the  re-enforcement  and  endeavored 
to  rally  the  men  who  were  coming  to  the  rear  in  large  numbers,  and 
to  form  a  line  where  I  was,  selecting  what  I  considered  the  most 
favorable  position  for  a  line  among  rocks,  where  no  regular  line  was 
practicable  and  where  the  battle  could  be  but  a  general  skirmish. 
Failing  in  this  I  rode  back  to  the  junction  of  the  roads  and  there  met 
Brigadier-General  Pettus  with  three  regiments  of  his  brigade.  He 
informed  me  that  he  had  been  ordered  by  General  Stevenson  to  report 
to  me.  I  directed  him  to  proceed  on  trie  road  and  form  line  to  re- 
enforce  Generals  Moore  and  Walthall.  I  at  the  same  time  sent  for  a 
piece  of  artillery  from  the  battalion  of  the  division  and  upon  its 
arrival,  directed  the  officer  in  command  to  select  the  most  favorable 
position  on  the  Cravens  house  road  and  check  the  enemy.  He  soon 
after  reported  that  he  could  find  no  position  in  which  he  could  use 
his  guns  to  advantage,  and  for  not  more  than  one  or  two  shots  at  all. 

I  remained  generally  at  the  junction  of  the  two  roads,  because  I 
considered  it  most  accessible  from  all  points.  General  Stevenson 
was  communicating  with  me  by  the  road  down  the  mountains,  General 
Moore  by  the  same  road  up  the  mountain,  and  Generals  Pettus  and 
Walthall  by  the  cross-road.  General  Pettus  informed  me  by  an 
officer  of  the  disposition  made  of  the  troops,  and  asked  for  orders. 
Having  placed  his  regiments  on  the  left  of  the  cross-road  with  their 
left  against  the  cliff,  and  with  extended  intervals,  so  as  to  connect 
with  General  Moore  on  the  right  of  the  road,  I  had  no  orders  to  give 
him  except  to  hold  that  position  against  the  enemy.  His  dispositions 
were  satisfactory  and  I  did  not  wish  to  change  them.  I  subsequently 
received  a  message  from  him  that  the  enemy  was  pressing  his  left 
and  asking  for  re-enforcements.  About  the  same  time  I  was  informed 
by  one  of  the  division  staff  that  General  Walthall  had  sent  the  frag 
ment  of  two  regiments  to  that  point  and  that  there  was  no  danger 


BATTLE  OF  LOOKOUT  MOUNTAIN. 


235 


to  be  apprehended  there.  I  replied  to  General  Pettus  that  I  had  no 
re-enforcements  to  send  him ;  that  no  more  codd  be  obtained  from 
General  Stevenson,  and  that  he  must  hold  his  position. 

The  enemy  being  held  in  check,  matters  so  continued  not  mate 
rially  changed  until  quite  late  in  the  afternoon  when  I  received  a 
report  by  an  officer  of  General  Moore's  brigade  that  unless  he  was 
re-enforced  his  right  would  be  turned.  Receiving  intelligence  also 
from  officers  of  pickets  who  had  escaped  that  way  that  the  Kelley  s 
ferry  road  was  entirely  open,  I  knew  that  the  enemy  had  only  to 
press  forward  on  it  to  obtain  control  of  our  road  from  the  moun 
tain,  and  expecting  that  they  certainly  would  do  so,  I  rode  to  the  top 
of  the  mountain  to  confer  with  General  Stevenson,  my  immediate 
superior  upon  the  subject.  We  agreed  that  if  the  enemy  did  get 
possession  of  the  road-  ?t  or  near  the  base  of  the  mountain,  I  should 
withdraw  the  troops  of  my  command  at  dark  and  join  him  on  the 
top  of  the  mountain,  and  he  so  directed.  Availing  myself  of  General 
Stevenson's  writing  material,  I  addressed  written  orders  to  the  di 
vision  quartermaster,  commissary  of  subsistance,  ordinance  officer, 
and  chief  of  artillery  who  were  in  the  plain  below,  to  retire  beyond 
Chattanooga  creek  and  then  look  for  orders  from  corps  headquarters 
as  I  expected  to  be  cut  off  from  them. 

After  this  short  absence  I  returned  to  my  position  on  the  moun 
tain  side  and  there  remained  until  near  dark,  having  sent  orders  to 
the  brigade  commanders  that  if  we  were  cut  off  or  overpowered  we 
would  retire  by  the  top  of  the  mountain,  but  to  hold  their  positions 
if  possible  until  dark,  and  to  await  further  orders.  When  it  was 
near  dark  and  when  the  firing  had  become  rather  desultory,  I  again 
went  to  General  Stevenson's  headquarters  for  final  orders  as  to 
withdrawing  the  troops.  I  was  there  informed  that  General  Bragg 
ordered  us  to  retire  down  the  mountain,  the  road  being  still  open,  and 
that  we  must  assemble  at  the  Gillespie  house  to  make  final  arrange 
ments.  A  guard  having  been  detailed  from  my  command  for  some 
subsistence  stores  on  the  top  of  the  mountain,  I  went  to  relieve  them, 
but  found  that  it  had  already  been  done.  Proceeding  to  the  Gillespie 
house,  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  I  received  orders  from  General 
Bragg,  through  General  Cheatham,  as  to  the  time  and  mode  of  with 
drawing  the  troops,  and  immediately  dispatched  them  to  the  brigade 
commanders  by  the  assistant  and  adjutant-general  and  the  acting  in 
spector-general  of  the  division.  In  conformity  with  these  orders, 
the  troops  retired  south  of  Chattanooga  creek,  and  the  bridge  was 
destroyed. 

On  November  2Oth,  the  date  of  the  report  nearest  to  the  day  of 
the  battle,  Moore's  brigade  had  a  total  effective  of  1,205,  and  Wal- 
thall's  brigade  a  total  effective  of  1,489  men.  The  casualties  in  the 
first  were  four  killed,  forty-eight  wounded,  and  199  missing.  In  the 
second  the  casualties  were  eight  killed,  ninety-one  wounded,  and  845 
captured.  In  Pettus'  brigade  there  were  nine  killed,  thirty-eight 
wounded,  and  nine  missing. 


236  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

General  Moore  ventures  the  opinion  that  if  I  had  given  proper 
orders  a  different  result  would  have  been  accomplished.  I  beg  leave 
to  differ.  The  whole  effective  force  at  my  command  at  the  beginning 
was  2,694  men.  Of  these  1,044  nad  been  captured,  some  had  been 
wounded  and  a  few  killed.  The  enemy's  force  was  (as  reported)  a 
division  and  two  brigades.  They  were  in  possession  of  the  high 
grounds  around  the  Cravens  house,  from  which,  by  General  Moore's 
own  statement,  his  left  was  completely  enfiladed.  Under  these  cir 
cumstances  I  was  unwilling  to  hazard  an  advance  movement  with  my 
shattered  command,  even  aided  by  the  three  regiments  under  General 
Pettus,  who  was  himself  pressed  by  the  enemy. 

General  Moore  adds  a  report  of  the  battle  the  next  day  on  Mis 
sionary  Ridge,  when  he  was  not  under  my  command,  and  goes  out 
of  his  wav  to  sav  that  he  did  not  see  me  during  the  engagement.  I 
did  not  think  it  necessary  for  me  to  show  myself  to  him.  If  he 
had-  desired  to  see  me  he  could  have  found  me  at  all  times  during  the 
engagement  near  the  right  of  my  line,  which  was  on  the  top  of  the 
ridge,  while  the  left  was  down  the  hill.  If  General  Moore  means  to 
reflect  upon  the  conduct  of  my  brigade,  I  am  glad  to  say  that  there 
are  other  witnesses  who  bear  different  testimony. 

General  Walthall  must  have  misapprehended  the  remark  made 
to  him  as  I  descended  the  mountain.  I  expected  to  receive  orders 
from  General  Bragg,  but  not  to  see  him  in  person.  These  orders  were 
to  come  through  General  Cheatham. 

It  may  be  remarked  that  there  were  two  6-pounder  guns  at  the 
Cravens  house  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Gibson,  but  they 
were  without  horses  and  could  not  be  moved.  In  their  position  they 
could  not  be  fired  without  endangering  the  troops  of  General  Wal 
thall.  Lieutenant  Gibson's  report  accompanies  this.  He  never  re 
ported  to  me,  although  subject  to  my  orders,  and  his  two  guns  were 
all  the  artillery  that  I  could  command  for  purposes  of  defense,  al 
though  I  took  the  responsibility  of  ordering  up  a  piece  from  the  bat 
talion  of  Cheatham's  division.  General  Walthall's  communication 
in  relation  to  a  piece  of  artillery  to  be  placed  in  position  was  sent  by 
me  immediately  on  its  receipt  to  General  Stevenson.  Captain  Henry  of 
the  division  staff,  was  the  bearer  of  it. 

The  movements  of  the  enemy  were  very  rapid  An  impenetrable 
fog  hung  around  the  mountain  all  day. 

I  am,  major,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  K.  JACKSON, 

Brigadier-General. 


BATTLE  OF  MISSIONARY  RIDGE,  NOVEMBER  24-25,  ises. 

REPORT    OF    MAJOR-GENERAL    PATRICK    R.   CLEBURNE,  C.   S.    ARMY,    COM 
MANDING  DIVISION,   ETC.,   WITH  THANKS  TO  THE  CON 
FEDERATE  CONGRESS. 


Headquarters  Cleburne's  Division. 

Colonel: — On  the  morning  of  the  23rd  of  November,  1863,  I 
was  with  my  division  at  Chickamauga  Station  on  the  Western  & 
Atlantic  railroad,  attending  to  the  transportation  of  Buckner's  and 
my  own  division  by  rail  to  Loudon,  East  Tennessee,  where  with  both 
divisions,  I  was  ordered  to  report  to  Lieutenant-General  Longstreet, 
then  besieging  Knoxville. 

I  had;  sent  off  all  of  Buckner's  division  except  Reynolds'  bri 
gade  when  I  received  the  following  order  from  my  headquarters,  viz. : 

The  general  commanding  desires  that  you  will  halt  such  portions 
of  your  command1  as  have  not  yet  left  Chickamauga ;  such  as  may  have 
left,  halt  at  Charleston.  Do  not,  however,  separte  brigades;  if  parts 
of  brigades  have  gone,  let  the  remaining  portion  of  brigade  go,  but 
halt  at  Charleston. 

In  compliance  with  the  above,  I  sent  forward  the  remainder  of 
Johnson's  brigade  but  took  a  portion  of  Reynolds'  brigade  off  the  cars 
as  it  was  about  to  start.  I  also  telegraphed  to  Brigadier-General 
Bushrod  Johnson,  commanding  Buckner's  division,  directing  him  to 
halt  the  division  at  Charleston. 

I  immediately  after  received  the  following  dispatch  from  army 
headquarters,  viz. : 

Order  Johnson's  troops  at  Charleston  back  here.  Move  up  rap 
idly  with  your  whole  force. 

I  dispatched  General  Johnson  accordingly. 

In  a  few  minutes  after  I  received  the  following,  viz. : 

"We  are  heavily  engaged.  Move  up  rapidly  to  these  head 
quarters. 

BRAXTON1  rB«AGG. " 

Instructing  Brigadier-General  Polk  to  bHfi^'up  the  division,  I 
galloped  forward  to  headquarters  for  further  instructions.  I  was  or 
dered  to  rest  for  the  night  immediately  behirid  Missionary  Ridge 
and  placed  my  division  accordingly.  Returning  to  General  Bragg's 
headquarters,  he  informed  me  that  my  division  would  act  as  a  re 
serve  for  the  army  and  would  report  directly  to  him.  I  ordered 
Reynolds'  brigade,  which  I  brought  back  with  me  from  Chickamauga, 


238  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

to  be  reported  directly  to  General  Bragg,  and  had  no  further  con 
trol  of  it. 

During  the  night  our  line  along  the  western  front  of  Missionary 
Ridge  was  abandoned,  and  at  early  dawn  I  commenced  to  construct 
a  new  line  of  defense  along  the  top  of  the  ridge  from  the  Shallow 
Ford  road  to  General  Bragg's  headquarters.  Before  this  was  com 
pleted  General  Bragg  informed  me  that  the  enemy  had  crossed  the 
Tennessee  river,  both  above  and  below  the  mouth  of  the  Chicka- 
mauga,  and  directed  me  to  send  a  brigade  and  battery  to  the  East  Ten 
nessee  &  Georgia  railroad  bridge  over  the  Chickamauga  to  guard  that 
point  I  sent  Brigadier-General  Folk's  command  and  Semple's 
battery. 

About  2.  p.  m.  on  the  24th  of  November,  I  received  orders  to 
proceed  with  the  remaining  three  brigades  and  the  batteries  of  my 
division  to  the  right  of  Missionary  Ridge,  near  the  point  where  the 
tunnel  of  the  East  Tennessee  &  Georgia  railroad  passes  through 
Missionary  Ridge,  where  I  would  find  an  officer  of  General  Hardee's 
staff  who  would  show  me  my  position.  At  the  same  time  General 
Bragg  informed  me  that  the  enemy  had  already  a  division  in  line 
opposite  the  position  I  was  intended  to  occupy ;  that  he  was  rapidly 
crossing  another  and  had  nearly  completed  a  pontoon  bridge  over 
the  Tennessee  opposite  my  position.  He  also  told  me  I  must  preserve 
the  railroad  bridge  in  my  rear,  where  Brigadier-General  Polk  was  sta 
tioned,  at  all  hazards.  Galloping  forward  ahead  of  my  command,  I 
found  Major  Poole  of  General  Hardee's  staff,  at  the  tunnel,  who  in 
formed  me  that  he  had  been  left  by  General  Hardee  to  show  me  im 
position. 

I  will  attempt  here  a  description  of  the  ground.  The  right  of 
Missionary  Ridge,  to  which  I  was  ordered,  runs  nearly  north  and 
south  and  parallel  to  the  Tennessee  river  that  is  about  one  and  one-half 
miles  west  of  it.  From  the  tunnel  north  along  the  ridge  it  is  about  a 
mile  to  the  Chickamauga  river  which  bounds  the  ridge  on  the  north, 
flowing-  thence  westwardly  into  the  Tennessee  river.  To  simplifv 
the  description,  the  two  rivers  and  the  ridge  may  be  said  to  form 
three  sides  to  a  square.  The  Tennessee  valley,  between  the  rivers  and 
the  ridge  is  mostly  level  with  a  continuation  of  cleared  fields  bordering 
the  ridge,  but  immediately  in  front  of  the  center  of  my  position,  about 
1,200  yards  north  and  600  yards  west  of  the  railroad  tunnel,  was  a 
high  detached  ridge  which  in  a  military  point  of  view  dominated  over 
every  point  within  cannon  range. 

After  passing  through  the  tunnel  the  railroad  runs  in  a  north 
easterly  direction  to  the  Chickamauga,  which  it  crossed  on  the  bridge 
Brigadier-General  Polk  was  guarding.  From  the  east  side  of  the 
main  ridge  there  projected  two  spurs,  one  on  the  north  boundary 
with  its  precipitous  north  side  washed  by  the  Chickamauga;  the  other 
jutting  out  just  north  of  the  tunnel,  did  not  run  directly  back,  but 
northeasterly  for  1,000  yards,  forming  an  acute  angle  with  the  parent 
ridge.  Opposite  the  right  of  this  spur  the  main  ridge  was  intersected 


BATTLE  OF  MISSIONARY  RIDGE. 


239 


by  a  little  valley  through  which  came  a  road  from  the  Tennessee 
valley  where  the  enemy  now  was.  The  highest  point  on  my  line  and 
the  point  of  chief  interest  in  the  battle  on  the  right  and  which  I  shall 
designate  in  the  report  as  Tunnel  Hill,  was  situated  on  the  mam  ridge 
250  yards  north  of  the  tunnel.  The  position  pointed  out  for  my  com 
mand  of  Major  Poole,  was  to  occupy  with  one  brigade,  the  detached 
ridge  in  the  Tennessee  valley  and  with  the  Remainder  of  my  com 
mand  to  stretch  from  the  top  of  Tunnel  Hill  to  the  right  of  Walker's 
division,  three-quarters  of  a  mile  south  of  the  tunnel. 

I  sent  Major  Poole  to  inform  General  Hardee  that  I  had  but 
three  brigades  and  could  not  cover  so  long  a  line.  The  head  of  my 
division  (Smith's  Texas)  brigade,  was  now  at  hand,  and  at  the  same 
moment  reported  to  me  from  the  detached  ridge.  Private  Henry 
Smith  of  the  signal  corps  of  my  division  informed  me  he  was  just 
from  that  point;  that  the  enemy  was  advancing  on  it  in  line  of  bat 
tle.  I  ordered  Smith  to  move  his  brigade  rapidly  and  try  to  get 
possession  of  it  before  the  enemy  had  gained  a  foothold  but  if  he  found 
the  enemy  in  possession  to  fall  back  on  the  main  ridge.  General  Smith 
moved  into  the  valley  but  was  fired  on  from  the  top  of  the  detached 
ridge  as  he  approached  its  foot.  Smith  was  too  late.  The  enemy 
had  crowned  the  ridge.  He  therefore  marched  by  his  right  flank  on 
to  the  main  of  Missionary  Ridge  and  formed  on  its  top— -his  two  left 
regiments  facing  the  detached  ridge,  and  his  right  regiment  thrown 
back  in  an  easterly  direction  to  protect  his  flanks.  Smith  had  scarcely 
thrown  out  skirmishers  before  he  was  briskly  attacked  by  the  skirm 
ishers  of  the  enemy. 

In  the  meantime  I  had  placed  Lowry's  brigade  in  position  south 
of  the  tunnel  and  was  about  placing  Govan's  brigade  on  his  left  so 
as  to  complete  my  connection  with  Walker's  division  when  my  atten 
tion  was  attracted  to  the  fighting  on  my  right.  It  was  evident  the 
enemy  was  endeavoring  to  turn  my  right  flank  and  get  possession  of 
the  main  ridge  between  my  right  and  the  Chickamauga.  If  he  suc 
ceeded,  my  connection  with  Brigadier-General  Polk  and  my  line  of 
retreat  by  the  bridge  he  was  guarding  was  cut  and  the  safety  of  the 
whole  army  was  endangered.  Instead  of  placing  Govan's  brigade  on 
the  main  ridge,  I  placed  him  on  the  spur  in  rear  of  it,  which  jutted 
out  just  north  of  the  tunnel  and  covered  the  valley  and  road  before 
described,  that  led  over  the  main  ridge  from  the  direction  of  the 
enemy.  Govan  rapidly  threw  skirmishers  across  this  road  and  be 
tween  it  and  the  Chickamauga. 

Lieutenant-General  Hardee  was  soon  on  the  ground  in  person 
He  approved  my  dispositions,  directed  the  destruction  of  a  bridge 
which  crossed  the  Chickamauga  close  in  rear  of  my  right  flank  and 
ordered  two  regiments  of  Lowry's  brigade  and  some  artillery  into 
position  in  rear  of  my  right  flank.  Between  the  left  of  Smith's  bri 
gade  and  Walker's  division,  a  distance  of  near  a  mile,  there  was  now 
but  two  regiments  of  Lowry's  brigade  and-  it  so  remained  all  night 
and  until  7  a.  m.  next  day. 


BATTLE  OF  MISSIONARY  RlDGK.  241 

It  was  now  dark;  the  fighting  had  ceased  in  front  of  Smith;  he 
had  maintained  his  position.  Hearing  of  the  disaster  at  Lookout,  I 
supposed  our  army  would  fall  back  beyond  the  Chickamauga  and  ac 
cordingly  had  sent  my  ordinance  and  artillery  across  that  river,  with 
the  exception  of  two  pieces  of  cannon  planted  beyond  my  right 
flank.  I  sent  Captain  Buck,  my  assistant  adjutant-general,  to  head 
quarters  of  the  army  so  as  to  receive  anv  orders  that  might  be  given 
as  quickly  as  possible.  About  midnight  he  returned  with  the  infor 
mation  that  it  was  determined  to  await  the  enemy's  attack  on  Mission 
ary  Ridge.  I  now  ordered  my  artillery  and  ordnance  to  join  me  at 
daylight,  sent  to  my  train  for  the  axes  belonging  to  the  division  in 
order  to  throw  up  some  defenses  and  rode  out  myself  to  make  a 
moonlight  survey  of  the  ground  and  line  of  retreat.  I  found  a  hill 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  Chickamauga  between  my  right  and  the 
railroad  bridge,  guarded  by  General  Polk,  which  completely  com 
manded  my  line  of  retreat. 

I  ordered  Brigadier-General  Polk  to  occupy  this  hill  at  once  with 
two  regiments  of  infantry  and  a  section  of  artillery.  Discovering 
the  facility  which  it  afforded-  for  turning  me  on  the  extreme  right,  1 
determined  to  immediately  throw  a  line  across  the  other  east  spur  of 
Missionary  Ridge  which  jutted  out  from  the  north  point  of  the  ridge, 
and  was  washed  by  the  Chickamauga.  I  placed  the  two  regiments 
of  Lowry's  brigade  left  near  the  tunnel  on  this  line.  In  the  meantime 
Smith  had  thrown  up  some  defenses  in  his  front  but  at  my  suggestion 
he  now  abandoned  them  and  took  up  position  as  follows :  his  left  rest 
ing  on  the  crest  of  the  main  ridge  about  150  yards  north  of  the  main 
tunnel  and  running  north  along  the  crest  for  the  length  of  one  regi 
ment,  the  Sixth,  Tenth  and  Fifteenth  Texas  (consolidated),  Colonel 
R.  Q.  Mills  commanding.  The  right  of  this  regiment  rested  close 
under  the  crest  of  Tunnel  Hill.  On  the  top  of  Tunnel  Hill  a  space 
was  left  clear  of  infantry,  and  Swett's  battery  of  four  Napoleon 
guns  commanded  by  Lieutenant  H.  Shannon,  was  placed  on  it  so  as 
to  sweep  north  in  the  direction  of  Shannon's  old  position.  Northwest 
of  the  detached  ridge  or  west  into  the  Tennessee  valley  as  occasion 
might  require,  at  a  point  about  sixty  yards  northeast  of  the  right  of 
Mills'  regiment,  Smith's  line  recommenced  but  instead  of  continuing 
north  it  now  ran  but  slightly  north  of  east  down  the  side  of  the  hill 
for  the  length  of  two  regiments,  the  Seventh  Texas,  Colonel  H.  B. 
Cranbery  commanding,  and  the  Seventeenth,  Eighteenth,  Twenty- 
fourth  and  Twenty-fifth  Dismounted  cavalry  (consolidated),  Major 
W.  A.  Taylor  commanding.  This  formation  made  the  angle  on  the 
apex  of  Tunnel  Hill  where  Swett's  battery  was  planted,  the  weak  point 
in  Smith's  line  but  it  secured  Smith's  flank  by  throwing  his  extreme 
right  back  within  200  yards  of  Govan's  left,  bringing  the  latter  offi 
cer's  line  nearly  at  right  angles  to  his  north  front,  thus  enabling  each 
line  to  assist  the  other  if  attacked.  At  a  favorable  point  on  Govan's 
line,  selected  by  General  Hardee,  I  placed  Douglas'  battery  com 
manded'  by  Lieutenant  John  H.  Bingham,  so  as  to  enfilade  any  line 


BATTLES  ANb  FETCHES  ARMY  6F  TENNESSEE. 


attempting  to  charge  Smith's  north  front.  Lowry's  position  across  the 
spur  before  mentioned,  was  en  eschelon  about  200  paces  in  front  of 
Govan.  I  ordered  the  whole  of  the  brigade  to  occupy  this  position 
and  completed  my  line  from  Tunnel  Hill  to  Chickamauga.  Lowry 
had  no  artillery,  the  spur  being  too  steep  to  admit  of  its  being  brought 
up.  Calvert's  battery,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Thomas  J.  Key,  I 
placed  directly  over  the  tunnel,  and  between  the  tunnel  and  left  of 
Smith's  brigade  were  placed  three  regiments  of  Brown's  brigade  of 
Stevenson's  division.  I  was  determined  to  construct  a  slight  work 
in  front  of  my  line  but  I  was  prevented  for  some  time  by  an  eclipse 
of  the  moon  which  rendered  the  morning  very  dark.  At  length, 
distributing  our  few  axes  we  went  to  work. 

The  day  broke  hazy,  so  that  it  was  some  time  before  the  enemy 
could  discover  our  operations.  As  soon  as  he  did,  he  commenced  a 
heavy  fire  on  General  Smith's  working  party  and  prevented  us  from 
erecting  any  work  whatever  in  front  of  the  battery  on  the  top  of  Tun 
nel  Hill.  Up  to  10:30  a.  m.  the  enemy  contented  himself  with  severe 
skirmishing  and  a  heavy  artillery  fire  from  batteries  erected  by  him 
during  the  night  on  the  detached  hill.  About  this  hour  he  drove  in 
Smith's  skirmishers  and  possessed  himself  of  the  breastworks  which 
Smith  had  abandoned  that  morning.  A  heavy  attack  on  the  tunnel 
and  on  Smith's  line  was  now  imminent.  General  Hardee  sent  me  di 
rections  to  take  my  position  at  the  tunnel  and  to  take  charge  of  every 
thing  in  that  quarter  and  to  the  right  of  it.  The  enemy  was  now  in 
sight,  advancing  in  two  long  lines  of  battle,  the  right  stretching  far 
beyond  my  left,  the  left  stretching  beyond  Smith's  right  where  farther 
view  of  it  was  prevented  by  the  woods  that  covered  and  bordered  the 
detached  hill.  For  the  full  understanding  of  the  fierce  conflict  that 
followed-,  it  would  be  proper  for  me  in  this  place  to  give  a  statement 
of  the  force  of  the  enemy  opposite  my  position  as  ascertained  at  a 
later  hour  from  prisoners  and  other  sources.  It  consisted  of  the 
divisions  of  Major-General  Jeff.  C.  Davis,  three  divisions  of  the  army 
brought  by  Sherman  from  Vicksburg,  and  Howard's  (Eleventh) 
corps,  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  all  under  the  command  of  Major- 
General  Sherman. 

At  ii  a.  m.  the  first  serious  fight  of  the  day  commenced.  It  was 
heavy  along  Smith's  whole  line  and  extended  some  distance  south  of 
the  tunnel.  The  right  of  the  enemy's  line,  exposed  to  the  fire  of  several 
pieces  of  artillery  planted  over  the  tunnel,  and  met  by  a  brigade  sent 
by  General  Hardee  to  the  foot  of  the  ridge,  swayed  backward  and  for 
ward  for  some  time,  but  did  not  dare  to  advance  further  than  400 
yards,  and  finally  lay  down,  contenting  itself  with  sending  forward 
a  large  body  of  skirmishers  and  sending  to  the  rear  a  much  larger 
number  of  stragglers.  The  enemy's  left  however,  under  shelter  of 
Smith's  abandoned  work  of  the  night  before  and  protected  by  the 
woods  on  that  flank  and  by  the  precipitous,  heavily  wooded  sides  of 
Tunnel  Hill,  advanced  rapidly  on  Smith's  line  and  finally  made  a  heavy 
charge  on  Swett's  battery  on  the  apex  of  the  hill.  The  artillerymen 


BATTLE  OF  MISSIONARY  KIDGE.  243 

stood  bravely  to  their  guns  under  a  terrible  cross-fire  and  replied 
with  canister  at  short  range  but  still  the  enemy  advanced.  When  he 
had  reached  within  fifty  steps  of  the  battery,  Brigadier-General  Smith 
charged  him  with  the  right  of  Mills'  regiment  and  the  left  of  the 
Seventh  Texas,  Smith's  north  front  pouring  into  him  from  the  breast 
works  a  close  volley  at  the  same  time.  The  enemy  was  routed  and 
driven  back  to  his  cover  behind  the  hillside  and  abandoned  work. 

In  this  charge  Brigadier-General  Smith  and1  Colonel  Mills  were 
both  severely  wounded  at  the  head  of  their  men.  Colonel  H.  B.  Gran- 
bury,  Seventh  Texas,  now  assumed  command  of  Smith'se  brigade. 
In  less  than  half  an  hour  the  enemy  made  another  desperate  charge. 
He  was  met  by  the  Texas  men  and  artillery  in  front.  Douglas'  battery 
enfiladed  him  from  Govan's  hill,  and  Lowry's  extreme  left  regiment 
got  a  long  range  volley  on  his  flank.  He  was  driven  back  in  confu 
sion  as  before. 

In  these  attacks  Lieutenant  H.  Shannon  commanding  Swett's 
battery,  was  wounded.  The  command  devolved  upon  Lieutenant 
Joseph  Ashton ;  in  a  few  minutes  he  was  mortally  wounded.  The  com 
mand  then  fell  on  Corporal  F.  M.  Williams.  So  many  non-commis 
sioned  officers  and  men  had  been  killed  and  disabled  in  the  battery, 
Colonel  Granbury  was  forced  to  make  a  detail  from  the  infantry  to 
work  the  guns.  There  was  now  a  short  lull  in  the  battle  during  which, 
at  the  request  of  Colonel  Granbury,  I  detailed  the  Second',  Fifteenth, 
and  Twenty-fourth  Arkansas  (consolidated)  under  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Warfield,  from  Govan's  left,  and  posted  them  immediately 
in  rear  of  the  battery  on  top  of  the  Tunnel  Hill.  I  sent  two  of  Swett's 
12-pounders  to  report  to  Colonel  Govan  as  Douglas'  guns  were  too 
light  to  be  effective  in  their  present  position.  I  ordered  Key's  bat 
tery  of  four  light  field  pieces  to  move  up  and  replace  the  guns  sent 
off  and  put  Lieutenant  Key  in  command  of  all  the  artillery  on  Tun 
nel  Hill. 

About  I  p.  m.  it  was  evident  that  another  grand  attack  was  soon 
to  be  made  on  my  division.  In  a  few  minutes  after  it  commenced. 
The  enemy  again  lined  Smith's  abandoned  works  and  from  them  kept 
up  a  close  incessant  fire  on  Smith's  north  front  and  particularly  on  the 
artillery  on  top  of  the  hill.  Simultaneously  a  charge  was  made  on  the 
west  face  of  Tunnel  Hill.  Warfield's  regiment  was  thrown  forward 
outside  of  the  work  to  the  crest  of  the  hill  looking  into  the  Ten 
nessee  valley  to  meet  this  charge.  Key  fired  rapidly  into  the  charg 
ing  line  as  it  crossed  the  open  ground  at  the  west  foot  of  the  ridge 
but  it  was  soon  under  shelter.  At  the  steep  of  the  hill  the  enemy's 
line  now  seemed  to  form  into  a  heavy  column  on  the  march  and  rush 
up  the  hill  in  the  direction  of  the  batteries.  Warfield's  fire  stopped 
the  head  of  the  charging  column  just  under  the  crest.  Here  the 
enemy  lay  down  behind  trees,  logs  and  projecting  rocks,  their  first  line 
not  twenty-five  yards  from  the  guns  and  opened  fire.  Tier  after  tier 
of  the  enemy,  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  and  in  the  valley  beyond,  supplied 
this  fire  and  concentrated  the  whole  on  a  space  not  more  than  forty 


244  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OP  TENNESSEE. 

yards  until  it  seemed  like  one  continued  sheet  of  hissing,  flying  lead. 
This  terrific  fire  prevented  Warfield's  men  from  moving  suffi 
ciently  forward  to  fire  with  effect  down  the  hill,  but  otherwise  it 
only  swept  over  our  heads.  The  cross-fire  from  Smith's  abandoned 
works  was  however,  more  fatal.  It  took  Warfield  in  flank  and  was 
constantly  disabling  men  near  the  top  of  the  hill. 

This  desperate  attack  had  now  lasted  more  than  half  an  hour.  Key 
was  depressing  his  gnus  to  the  utmost  and  firing  shell  and  canister 
down  the  hill  in  the  face  of  the  enemy's  fire.  Discovering  the  impos 
sibility  of  reaching  the  enemy  by  a  direct  fire,  the  officers  of  Warfield's 
regiment  were  pitching  down  heavy  stones,  apparently  with  effect. 

General  Hardee,  from  a  hill  south  of  the  tunnel,  seeing  the  stub 
bornness  of  the  fight,  had  placed  some  pieces  of  artillery  in  position 
and  \vas  endeavoring  to  dislodge  the  enemy  with  a  flank  fire,  but  his 
right  flank  was  protected  by  an  intervening  projection  of  the  hill  he 
was  on,  and  his  fire  was  not  effective.  General  Hardee  also  sent  a 
brigade  to  move  north  along  the  west  face  of  the  ridge  to  strike  the 
enemy  in  flank  but  this  brigade  returned  without  accomplishing  any 
thing.  At  this  point  of  the  fight  Colonel  McConnell,  commanding 
a  Georgia  regiment  of  Cumming's  brigade,  came  up  to  the  threatened 
point  and  moved  his  regiment  forward  to  where  Warfield's  men  were 
fighting.  McConnell  was  shot  through  the  head,  and  his  regiment  fell 
back  and  was  withdrawn.  Brigadier-General  dimming  of  Stevenson's 
division,  now  reported  to  me  with  his  brigade  and  was  placed  in  rear 
of  the  threatened  post.  Brigadier-General  Maney  of  Walker's  di 
vision  also  reported  to  me  with  his  brigade  and  was  posted  in  rear  of 
Smith's  line  and  parallel  to  it,  with  instructions  to  support  the  Texas 
brigade  behind  the  works  and  the  artillery  at  the  angle. 

The  fight  had  lasted  unceasingly  for  an  hour  and  a  half  and  the 
enemy  seemed  to  be  constantly  re-enforcing.  The  First  and  Twenty- 
seventh  Tennessee,  of  Maney's  brigade,  Colonel  Field  commanding, 
was  moved  in  front  of  the  work  and  placed  on  Warfield's  right,  the 
latter  officer  and  his  gallant  regiment,  still  nobly  holding  their  ex 
posed  position,  although  the  regiment  was  diminished  in  numbers 
and  almost  out  of  ammunition.  It  was  at  this  critical  period  of  the  day 
that  Lieutenant-Colonel  Warfield  suggested  to  me  that  our  men  were 
wasting  ammunition  and  were  becoming  disheartened  at  the  persist 
ency  of  the  enemy,  and  proposed  a  charge  down  upon  them  with  the 
bayonet.  Brigadier-General  Gumming  gallantly  proposed  to  lead  the 
charge  with  two  of  his  regiments.  I  immediately  consented-  and 
directed  General  Gumming  to  prepare  for  the  charge  and  went  to 
the  left  to  see  that  a  simultaneous  charge  was  made  on  the  enemy's 
right  flank.  I  now  ordered  the  left  of  Mills  (Texas)  regiment,  being 
the  extreme  left  of  my  division,  to  make  the  charge  on  the  enemy's 
flank  the  moment  that  Gumming  charged  them  in  front  and  I  remained 
at  the  breastwork  myself  to  see  the  execution  of  the  order. 

In  the  meantime,  General  Gumming  having  placed  the  Fifty- 
sixth  Georgia  in  line  for  the  charge  and  supported  it  by  placing  the 


BATTLE  OF  MISSIONARY  RIDGE.  245 

Thirty-sixth  Georgia  ten  paces  in  rear,  moved  forward  to  the  charge ; 
twice  he  was  checked  and  had  to  reform.  Warfield's  (Arkansas) 
regiment  with  empty  guns,  and  the  gallant  First  and  Twenty-seventh 
Tennessee  prepared  to  share  his  next  effort.  At  the  command  the 
whole  rushed  forward  with  a  cheer.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Sanders 
simultaneously  leading  the  left  of  Mills'  (Texas)  regiment  on  the 
enemy's  flank.  The  enemy  completely  surprised,  fled  down  the  foot 
of  the  hill,  the  Texas  troops  on  the  left  pursuing  him  be 
yond  the  foot  of  the  hill  and  nearly  across  the  open  ground 
in  front.  Our  charging  column  returned  with  many  pris 
oners  and  stands  of  colors;  a  fresh  force  of  the  enemy^  at 
tempted  to  follow  as  we  returned  from  this  charge  but  was  quickly 
met  and  routed  by  the  Fiftieth  Tennessee  and  with  troops  of  my 
division.  Immediately  on  his  last  repulse  the  enemy  opened  a  rapid 
and  revengeful  artillery  fire  on  Tunnel  Hill  from  his  batteries  on  the 
detached  hill  and-  under  cover  of  this  fire  he  went  to  work  felling  trees 
and  fortifying  his  position. 

It  is  but  just  for  me  to  state  that  the  brunt  of  this  long  day's  fight 
was  borne  by  Smith's  (Texas)  brigade  and  the  Second,  Fifteenth  and 
Twenty-fourth  Arkansas  (consolidated)  of  Govan's  brigade,  together 
with  Swett's  and  Key's  batteries.  The  remainder  of  my  division  was 
only  engaged  in  heavy  skirmishing.  The  final  charge  was  partici 
pated  in  and  successful  through  the  timely  appearance  and  gallant 
assistance  of  the  regiments  of  Cumming's  and  Maney's  brigades  be 
fore  mentioned. 

Out  of  the  eight  stand  of  colors  shown  by  me  to  have  been  cap 
tured,  four  were  presented  to  me  by  Mills'  (Texas)  regiment,  two 
were  presented  by  the  Fifty-sixth  and  Thirty-sixth  Georgia  regiments 
of  Cumming's  brigade ;  one  flag  was  presented  by  the  First  Tennessee 
of  Maney's  brigade,  and  one  by  the  Second,  Fifteenth,  and  Twenty- 
fourth  Arkansas  (consolidated)  of  Govan's  brigade;  in  all  eight 
colors,  six  of  which  I  herewith  transmit.  Among  them  are  the  flags 
of  the  Twenty-seventh  Pennsylvania  and  Ninety-third  Illinois.  About 
500  prisoners  were  captured.  At  a  critical  moment  of  the  battle  I 
lost  two  of  the  bravest  officers  of  my  division — Brigadier-General 
J.  A.  Smith,  commanding  the  Texas  brigade,  and  Colonel  R.  Q. 
Mills,  the  same  officer  who  commanded  it  in  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga  after  General  Deshler  fell.  Besides  these  gallant  officers 
were  other  noble  officers  and  men,  some  of  whose  names  are  handed 
down  to  history  in  the  reports  of  brigade  and  regimental  commanders. 

I  suffered  the  following  losses  in  the  three  brigades  of  my  divi 
sion  engaged,  viz:  forty-two  killed,  178  wounded  and  two  missing. 

Colonel  Sugg  of  the  Fiftieth  Tennessee  regiment,  Maney's  bri 
gade,  was  dangerously  wounded  in  the  last  charge.  Colonel  Mc- 
Connell  of  Cumming's  brigade,  and  other  gallant  soldiers  who  fell 
in  front  of  my  works,  I  can  but  lament.  I  did  not  personally  know 
them  but  I  saw  and  can  bear  witness  to  their  gallant  bearing  and 
noble  deaths. 


246  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

The  enemy  must  have  suffered  severely,  for  the  hill-side  and  the 
valley  were  thickly  strewn  with  the  dead.  I  we  may  credit  his  pub 
lished  reports  of  casualties  in  this  fight,  he  lost  one  major-general, 
John  E.  Smith,  wounded;  three  brigadier-generals,  Corse,  Matthies, 
and  Giles  Smith,  the  latter  mortally,  and  one  colonel  commanding 
brigade,  Colonel  Raum,  mortally  wounded. 

Soon  after  the  final  defeat  of  the  enemy  in  front  of  Smith's 
position,  I  received  a  dispatch  from  General  Hardee  to  send  to  the 
center  all  the  troops  I  could  spare  as  the  enemy  were  pressing  us  in 
that  quarter.  I  immediately  ordered  Generals  Cumming  and  Maney 
with  their  respective  brigades,  to  report  accordingly,  and  went  my 
self  to  push  them  forward.  Before  I  had  gone  far  a  dispatch  from 
General  Hardee  reached  me  with  the  appalling  news  that  the  enemy 
had  pierced  our  center  and  were  on  Missionary  Ridge  and  directing 
me  to  take  command  of  my  own,  Walker's  and  Stevenson's  divisions 
and  form  a  line  across  the  ridge  so  as  to  meet  an  attack  upon  my 
flank,  and  take  all  other  necessary  measures  for  the  safety  of  the  right 
wing.  I  ordered  Brigadier-General  Gist  commanding  Walker's  di 
vision,  to  form  it  across  the  ridge;  ordered  all  vehicles  which  could 
be  spared,  to  cross  the  Chickamauga.  Sent  Brigadier-General  Polk 
orders  to  dispatch  a  force  to  the  Shallow  Ford  bridge  and  hold  it  at  all 
hazards  and  sent  Govan's  brigade  to  dispute  the  enemy's  advance  on 
the  Shallow  Ford  road. 

Soon  after,  night  was  upon  us  and  General  .Hardee  ordered  an 
immediate  retreat  across  the  Chickamauga  and  that  Smith's  (Texas) 
brigade  should  remain  in  position  and  bring  up  the  rear.  General 
Lowry  attacked  and  drove  back  the  enemy's  skirmishers  in  his  front 
and  then  retreated.  By  9  p.  m.  everything  was  across  except  the 
dead  and  a  few  stragglers  lingering  here  and  there  under  the  shadow 
of  the  trees  for  the  purpose  of  being  captured:  faint-hearted  patriots 
succumbing  to  the  hardships  of  the  war  and  the  imagined  hopeless 
ness  of  the  hour.  I  now  ordered  Smith's  brigade  to  move  in  retreat 
Sadly,  but  not  fearfully  this  band  of  heroes  left  the  hill  they  had  held 
so  well  and  followed  the  army  across  the  Chickamauga. 

To  Brigadier-Generals  Smith,  Cumming  and  Maney,  and  to 
Colonel  Granbury,  I  return  my  thanks  for  the  able  manner  in  which 
they  managed  their  commands.  My  thanks  are  also  due  to  Brigadier- 
Generals  Polk  and  Lowry,  and  to  Colonel  Govan,  commanding  brigade ; 
although  not  actively  engaged,  they  were  rendering  good  service  in 
holding  important  positions. 

Swett's  battery  under  command  of  Lieutenant  H.  Shannon,  and 
Ca^vert's  battery  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Thomas  J.  Key,  wrre 
bravely  fought  and  did  great  execution.  Swett's  battery  under  com 
mand  of  Lieutenant  Isaiah  Lightner,  in  position  where  the  road 
crosses  the  hill,  did  much  toward  driving  back  the  right  of  the 
enemy's  line  in  its  attempted  advance  across  the  open  fields. 

Brigadier-General  John  C.  Brown's  brigade  on  my  left  flank, 
was  engaged  in  heavy  skirmishing  most  of  the  day. 


BATTLE  OF  MISSIONARY  RIDGE.  247 

The  following  officers  of  my  staff — Major  Calhoun  Benham, 
assistant  adjutant-general;  Major  J.  K.  Dixon,  assistant  inspector - 
general;  Captain  Irving  A.  Buck,  assistant  adjutant-general;  Captain 
Charles  S.  Hill,  ordnance  officer  (whose  horse  was  shot  under  him)  ; 
Surgeon  D.  A.  Linthicum,  Lieutenants  L.  H.  Mangum,  and  S.  P. 
Hanley,  aides-de-camp,  and  Captain  C.  H.  Byrne,  volunteer  aide- 
de-camp  (whose  horse  was  shot  under  him),  acted  with  their  usual 
gallantry  and  discharged  their  duties  with  zeal  and  4htelligence. 
Messrs.  Henry  Smith  and  William  Rucker  of  the  signal  corps,  volun 
teered  on  my  staff  for  the  battle  and  were  very  efficient. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

P.  R.  CLEBURNE, 
Brigadier-General,  Provisional  Army,  C.  S. 

COLONEL  KINLOCH  FALCONER, 

Assistant    Adjutant-Gqneral. 


ON    RETREAT  FROM   MISSIONARY   RIDGE— BATTLE    OF 
RINGGOLD,  NOVEMBER  26,  1863. 


Headquarters  Cleburne's  Division, 

Tunnel  Hill,  Ga.,  December  9,   1863. 

Colonel: — On  the  retreat  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee  from  Mis 
sionary  Ridge,  Tennessee,  to  Riggold,  Georgia,  my  division  covered 
the  retreat  of  Hardee's  corps,  arriving  safely  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
East  Chickamauga  river  at  10  p.  m.  on  November  26th.  At  this  point 
the  river  had  to  be  forded.  It  was  nearly  waist  deep  and  the  night 
was  freezing  cold.  I  therefore  determined  to  postpone  crossing  until 
the  morning  and  bivouacked  on  the  hills  near  by. 

At  3  a.  m.  on  the  I2th  I  received  the  following  order,  viz: 

"General : — The  General  desires  that  you  will  take  strong  posi 
tion  in  the  gorge  of  the  mountain  and  attempt  to  check  pursuit  of  the 
enemy.  He  must  be  punished  until  the  trains  and  the  rear  of  our 
troops  get  well  advanced.  The  reports  from  the  rear  are  meagre 
and  the  General  is  not  thoroughly  advised  of  the  state  of  things  there. 
Will  you  be  good  enough  to  report  fully? 

Respectfully, 

GEORGE  M.  BRENT, 
Assistant  Adjutant-General." 

Leaving  staff  officer  to  conduct  the  troops  across  the  river  to  the 
position  designated,  I  went  forward  myself  to  examine  the  ground  and 
form  a  plan  for  its  defense. 

The  town  of  Ringgold,  a  place  of  2,000  or  3,000  inhabitants, 
stands  on  a  plain  between  the  East  Chickamauga  and  the  range  of 
hills  known  as  Taylor's  Ridge.  It  is  on  the  Western  &  Atlantic 
Railroad,  about  twenty  miles  southeast  of  Chattanooga.  Taylor's 
Ridge  which  rises  up  immediately  back  of  the  town  runs  in  a  north 
erly  and  southerly  direction.  Opposite  the  town  the  ridge  is  inter 
sected  by  a  narrow  gap  which  admits  the  railroad,  a  wagon  road  and 
a  good  sized  creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Chickamauga.  The  creek  hugs 
the  southernmost  or  left-hand  hill  as  you  face  Ringgold.  The  wagon 
and  railroad  run  close  to  the  creek.  At  its  western  mouth  next  to 
Ringgold,  the  gap  widens  out  to  a  breadth  of  over  100  yards,  leaving 
room  for  a  patch  of  level  wooded  land  on  each  side  of  the  roads.  The 
gap  is  about  half  a  mile  through  but  the  plain  immediately  in  front 
of  its  east,  or  rear  mouth  is  so  cut  up  by  the  windings  of  the  creek 
that  three  bridges  or  three  fords  have  to  be  crossed  in  the  first  half 
mile  of  road,  leading  from  the  gap  to  Dalton.  It  will  be  perceived 


ON  RETREAT  FROM  MISSIONARY  RIDGE.  249 


at  once  that  this  was  a  most  dangerous  position  to  be  caught  in  if 
the  enemy  should  succeed  in  turning  either  flank. 

The  gap  and  hills  on  either  side  are  thinly  wooded,  except  the 
base  of  the  right  hand  hill,  along  which,  next  to  the  town,  a  heavy 
fringe  of  young  timber  extends  from  the  gap  northward  for  300  or 
400  yards.  Behind  this  fringe  of  trees  I  placed  two  regiments  of 
Smith's  (Texas)  brigade,  Colonel  H.  B.  Granbury  Seventh  Texas, 
commanding;  the  Sixth,  Tenth,  and  Fifteenth  Texas  (consolidated), 
Captain  John  R.  Kennard  commanding,  on  the  left;  the  Seven 
teenth,  Eighteenth,  Twenty- fourth,  and  Twenty-fifth  Texas  dis 
mounted  cavalry  (consolidated),  Major  W.  A.  Taylor  commanding, 
on  the  right;  the  remaining  regiment  of  the  brigade,  the  Seventh 
Texas,  Captain  C.  E.  Talley  commanding,  I  sent  to  the  top  of  the 
right  hand  hill,  with  instructions  to  keep  out  of  view,  but  watch  well 
the  right  flank  of  its  brigade  at  the  foot.  On  the  precipitous  hill 
to  the  left  of  the  gap  and  creek  I  placed  the  Sixteenth  Alabama, 
Major  F.  A.  Ashford  commanding,  of  Lowery's  (Alabama  and  Mis 
sissippi)  brigade,  with  instructions  to  conceal  itself  and  guard  well 
the  left  flank.  I  also  sent  on  the  face  of  this  hill  fronting  Ringgold 
three  companies  of  the  Sixth  and  Seventh  Arkansas  (consolidated)  of 
Liddell's  (Arkansas)  brigade,  under  charge  of  Lieutenant  Dulin,  of 
General  Liddell's  staff.  For  the  defenses  of  the  gap  itself,  I  disposed 
the  rest  of  the  Arkansas  brigade  under  command  of  Colonel  D.  C. 
Govan.  The  Fifth  and  Thirteenth  Arkansas  (consolidated),  Colonel 
[ohn  E.  Murray  commanding,  I  placed  in  a  small  ravine  running 
across  the  mouth  of  the  gap  from  the  right  hand  hill  to  the  railroad 
embankment;  the  Eighth  and  Nineteenth  Arkansas  (consolidated), 
under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  A.  S.  Hutchison,  fifty  paces 
in  rear  and  parallel  to  the  former  regiment;  the  Sixth  and  Seventh 
Arkansas  (consolidated),  under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pe 
ter  Snyder,  and  the  Second,  Fifteenth  and  Twenty-fourth  Arkansas 
regiments  (consolidated),  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  E.  Warfield, 
at  suitable  distances  in  rear  and  covered  as  well  as  the  nature  of 
the  ground  would-  permit,  thus  giving  me  four  short  lines  across  the 
gap.  From  these  regiments  I  had  sent  a  body  of  skirmishers,  to 
occupy  the  patch  of  woods  at  the  mouth  of  the  gap  and  left  of  the 
railroad  and  that  portion  of  the  bank  of  the  creek  close  to  the  mouth 
of  the  gap.  In  front  of  the  mouth  of  the  gap,  supported  by  Govan's 
foremost  regiment  in  the  ravine,  I  placed  a  section  of  Semple's  bat 
tery,  two  Napoleon  guns,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Goldthwaite.  I 
had  screens  of  withered  branches  built  up  in  front  of  these,  so  as  to 
effectually  conceal  them  from  view,  and  made  the  artillerymen 
shelter  themselves  in  the  ravine  close  by.  The  remaining  three  regi 
ments  of  Lowery's  brigade — consisting  of  the  Thirty-second  and 
Forty-fifth  Mississippi  regiments  (consolidated),  under  command  of 
Colonel  A.  B.  Hardcastle ;  the  Thirty-third  Alabama,  under  com 
mand  of  Colonel  Samuel  Adams,  and-  the  Forty-fifth  Alabama,  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  H.  D.  Lampley  commanding,  I  placed  in  reserve  in 


250  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

the  center  of  the  gap.  The  portion  of  Folk's  (Tennessee  and  Ar 
kansas)  brigade  with  me — consisting  of  the  First  Arkansas,  Colonel 
J.  W.  Colquitt  commanding;  the  Second  Tennessee,  Colonel  W.  D. 
Robinson  commanding,  and  the  Third  and  Fifth  Confede:  ate  regi 
ments  (consolidated),  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  C.  Cole,  I  ordered 
to  take  position  temporarily  near  the  mouth  of  the  gap  with  directions 
to  observe  my  right  flank  and  prevent  the  enemy  from  turning  me  in 
that  quarter. 

I  had  scarcely  half  an  hour  to  make  these  dispositions  when  I 
was  informed  that  the  enemy's  skirmishers  were  crossing  the  Chicka- 
mauga  and  driving  our  cavalry  before  them.  Immediately  after  the 
cavalry  retreated  through  the  gap  at  a  trot  and  the  valley  in  front 
was  clear  of  our  troops,  but  close  in  rear  of  the  ridge  our  immense  train 
was  still  in  full  view,  struggling  through  the  fords  of  the  creek  and 
the  deeply  cut  up  roads  leading  to  Dalton,  and  my  division  silent  but 
cool  and  ready  was  the  only  barrier  between  it  and  the  flushed  and 
eager  advance  of  the  pursuing  Federal  army. 

Shortly  after  8  a.  m.  the  enemy's  skirmishers  were  in  view,  ad 
vancing.  He  opened  fire  and,  under  cover,  his  lines  of  battle  were 
placed  and  moved  with  the  utmost  decision  and  celerity  against  the 
ridge  on  the  right  of  the  gap.  So  quick  and  confident  was  this  attack, 
the  enemy  must  have  been  acting  on  a  concerted  plan,  and  must  have 
had  guides  who  knew  well  the  nature  of  the  country.  As  the  first 
line  moved  toward  the  ridge  its  right  flank  became  exposed  at  can 
ister  range  to  my  artillery  in  the  mouth  of  the  gap.  Five  or  six 
rapid  discharges  broke  the  right  of  the  line  to  pieces,  and  caused 
them  to  run  for  shelter  under  the  railroad  embankment.  Farther 
to  his  left  however  he  continued  to  advance  and  made  a  heavy  attack 
on  the  right  hand  ridge.  He  continued  to  advance  in  the  face  of  a 
deadly  fire  from  Major  Taylor's  regiment,  with  the  determination  to 
turn  the  right  flank  of  the  Texas  brigade.  Major  Taylor  deployed 
skirmishers  up  the  hill  at  right  angles  to  his  line  of  battle  and  held 
hirn  in  check  while  he  informed  Colonel  Granbury  of  the  state  of 
affairs.  Colonel  Granbury  sent  two  companies  of  his  left  regiment 
to  re-enforce  his  right.  With  three  companies  of  his  own  regiment 
Major  Taylor  charged  down  the  hill  upon  the  force  attempting  to 
turn  him  and  routed  it,  capturing  between  sixty  and  100  prisoners 
and  the  colors  of  the  Twenty-ninth  Missouri  regiment. 

In  the  meantime  I  had  ascertained  that  the  enemy  was  moving 
another  line  of  battle  some  distance  beyond  my  present  right  with 
the  view  of  ascending  the  ridge  in  that  quarter.  I  instantly  notified 
Brigadier-General  Polk,  stationed  in  the  rear  of  the  gap,  to  ascend 
the  ridge  and  meet  this  attempt  of  the  enemy.  Luckily  General  Polk 
had  already  heard  of  this  movement  from  a  breathless  straggler  of 
our  army  who  was  fleeing  before  the  enemy,  and  anticipating  my 
order,  sent  the  First  Arkansas  up  the  hill  and  met  the  enemy's  skirm 
ishers  within  a  few  yards  of  the  top.  With  the  assistance  of  the 
Seventh  Texas,  after  an  obstinate  fight,  the  enemy  was  driven  down 


252  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

the  hill.  By  this  time  large  bodies  of  the  enemy  had  crossed  the 
Chickamauga  and  it  was  evident  that  the  main  attack  was  about  to 
be  made  on  the  right.  I  ordered  General  Lowery  to  move  his  com 
mand  up  the  hill  and  assist  General  Polk  in  defending  that  position. 
Moving  rapidly  ahead  of  his  command,  General  Lowery  found  the 
First  Arkansas  again  heavily  engaged  but  heroically  holding  its 
ground  against  great  odds.  Assuring  the  regiment  that  support  was 
at  hand  he  brought  up  the  Thirty-second  and  Forty-fifth  Mississippi 
in  double  time  and  threw  them  into  the  fight  at  the  critical  moment. 
The  enemy  gave  way  and  went  d«own  the  ridge  in  great  confusion. 
Lowrey  now  brought  up  the  two  remaining  regiments  of  his  bri 
gade,  and  Polk,  and  the  other  two  regiments  of  his  command.  The 
enemy  constantly  re-enforcing,  made  another  powerful  effort  to  crown 
the  ridge  still  farther  to  the  right. 

A  peculiarity  of  Taylor's  Ridge  is  the  wavy  conformation  of  its 
north  side.  The  enemy  moving  up  in  a  long  line  of  battle,  suddenly 
concentrated  opposite  one  of  the  depressions  in  the  wavy  surface  and 
rushed  up  in  a  heavy  column.  General  Polk  with  the  assistance  of 
General  Lowrey,  as  quickly  concentrated  a  double  line  opposite  this 
point,  at  the  same  time  placing  the  Second  Tennessee  in  such  a  posi 
tion  as  to  command1  the  flank  of  any  force  emerging  from  it.  The 
attack  was  again  defeated  and  the  enemy  hurled  down  the  hill  with 
the  loss  of  many  killed4  on  the  spot,  several  prisoners  and  the  colors 
of  the  Seventy-sixth  Ohio  regiment.  The  colors  and  most  of  the 
prisoners  were  captured  by  the  First  Arkansas. 

In  a  fight  where  all  fought  nobly  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  particularly 
compliment  this  regiment  for  its  courage  and  constancy.  In  the  bat 
tle  the  officers  fought  with  pistols  and  with  rocks,  and  so  close  was 
the  fight  that  some  of  the  enemy  were  knocked  down  with  the  latter 
missiles  and  captured.  Apprehending  another  attack,  General  Polk 
rapid'lv  threw  up  some  slight  defenses  in  his  front. 

But  I  must  now  return  to  the  extreme  left,  which  the  enemy 
attempted  to  turn.  He  sent  what  appeared  to  be  a  brigade  of  three 
regiments  to  the  creek  upon  my  left  and  crossed  over  some  com 
panies  of  skirmishers.  These  were  promptly  met  and  stopped  by 
a  detachment  from  the  Sixteenth  Alabama  posted  on  the  left  hand 
hill,  and  the  main  body  was  for  some  time  held  in  check  by  Dulin's 
skirmishers,  on  the  face  of  the  left  hand  hill,  and  the  other  skirmish 
er's  of  Govan's  brigade,  on  the  creek  bank  and  in  the  patch  of  woods  to 
the  left  of  the  railroad.  He  got  possession,  however,  of  some  houses 
and  barns  opposite  this  point  from  which  he  annoved  me  with  a  con 
stant  and  well-directed  fire  of  sharpshooters.  At  length  collecting 
in^large  numbers  behind  these  houses,  he  made  a  charge  on  Govan's 
skirmishers  on  the  left  of  the  railroad.  Lieutenant  Goldthwaite 
quickly  trained  round  his  guns  and  swept  them  at  quarter  range  with 
a  load  of  canister  and  a  solid  shot.  They  ran  back  leaving  several 
dead  and-  a  stand  of  colors  on  the  ground.  Lieutenant  Goldthwai+e 
then  shelled  the  houses,  and  greatly  relieved  us  from  the  finng  from 


ON  RETREAT  FROM  MISSIONARY  RIDGE.  253 


that  quarter  The  stand  of  colors  lay  temptingly  within  sixty  yards 
of  my  line  and  some  the  officers  wanted  to  charge  and  get  it  but 
as  it  promised  no  solid  advantage  to  compensate  for  the  loss  of  brave 
soldiers,  I  would  not  permit  it. 

About  12  m.  I  received  a  dispatch  from  Lieutenant-General 
Hardee  to  the  effect  that  the  train  was  now  well  advanced  and  I  might 
safely  withdraw.  On  consultation  with  Generals  Breckinridge  and 
Wheeler,  both  of  whom  were  present  lending  me  their  personal  as 
sistance,  I  determined  to  withdraw  from  Taylor's  Ridge  and  take  up 
a  new  position  on  some  wooded  hills  one  mile  in  rear. 

About  i  p.  m.  I  rebuilt  the  screen  in  front  of  the  artillery 
which  had  been  partially  blown  away,  and  then  withdrew  both 
pieces  by  hand  without  loss.  By  this  time  the  enemy  had  concen 
trated  a  large  portion  of  his  army  at  Ringgold  and  was  doubtless  pre 
paring  to  throw  an  overwhelming  force  on  my  flanks.  He  opened  a 
rapid  artillery  fire  down  the  gap  and  on  the  crest  of  the  ridge  but 
showed  no  disposition  to  advance  in  front.  I  now  simultaneously 
withdrew  the  brigades  leaving  a  few  skirmishers  to  hold  the  front, 
which  they  did  without  difficulty. 

Soon  after  2  p.  m.  I  withdrew  my  skirmishers,  fired  the  bridges 
in  my  rear  and  proceeded  to  form  line  of  battle  in  my  new  position. 
The  enemy  was  visible  on  the  ridge  in  about  half  an  hour  after  I  had 
withdrawn  my  skirmishers.  He  saw  my  new  dispositions  for  de 
fense,  but  showed  no  further  inclination  to  attack  and  ceased  from  all 
farther  pursuit  of  our  army. 

I  took  into  the  fight:  in  Folk's  brigade,  545;  Lowery's  brigade, 
1,330;  Smith's  (Texas)  brigade,  1,266;  Liddell's  brigade,  1,016  effec 
tive  men,  making  a  total  of  4,157  bayonets. 

My  loss  was  twenty  killed,  190  wounded,  and  eleven  missing.  I 
am  confident  the  enemy's  loss  was  out  of  all  proportion  greater 
than  mine. 

The  conduct  of  officers  and  men  in  this  fight  needs  no  comment; 
every  man,  as  far  as  I  know,  did  his  whole  duty. 

To  Brigadier-Generals  Polk  and  Lowery  and  to  Colonels  Govan 
and  Granbury,  I  must  return  my  thanks.  Four  better  officers  arji 
not  in  the  service  of  the  Confederacy. 

Lieutenant  Goldthwaite  of  the  artillery,  proved  himself  a  brave 
and  skillful  officer. 

The  following  officers  of  my  staff  have  my  thanks  for  the  effi 
cient  manner  in  which  they  discharged  their  responsible  and  dan 
gerous  duties;  Major  Calhoun  Benham,  assistant  adjutant-general; 
Major  J.  K.  Dixon,  assistant  inspector-general;  Captain  living  A. 
Buck,  assistant  adjutant-general;  Captain  C.  S.  Hill,  ord 
nance  officer;  Surgeon  D.  A.  Linthicum;  Lieutenants  L.  H.  Mangum 
and  S.  P.  Hanly,  aides-de-camp;  Captain  C.  H.  Byrne,  volunteer  aide- 
de-camp;  also  Messrs.  Henry  Smith  and  William  Rucker  of  the  sig 
nal  corps,  who  volunteered  their  services  and  whom  I  found  very 
efficient  and  useful. 


254  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


I  forward  herewith  the  reports  of  the  brigade,  regimental  and 
battery  commanders.  General  Liddell  was  absent  on  leave  but  hear 
ing  of  the  fight  returned  and  rendered  me  all  the  assistance  in  his 
power.  He  selected  and  reformed  the  new  line  after  we  withdrew 
from  our  first  position. 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

P.  R.  CLEBURNE, 

Major-General. 
COLONEL  GEORGE  WILLIAM  BRENT, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General,   Army  of  Tennessee. 

Joint  resolution  of  thanks  to  Major-General  Patrick  R.  Clc- 
burne  and  the  officers  and  men  under  his  command,  for  distinguished 
services  at  Ringgold  Gap,  in  the  State  of  Georgia ,  November 
27,  1863: 

RESOLVED,  That  the  thanks  of  Congress  are  due  and  are  hereby 
tendered  to  Major-General  Patrick  R.  Cleburne  and  to  the  officers 
and  men  under  his  command,  for  the  victory  obtained  by  them  over 
superior  forces  of  the  enemy  at  Ringgold  Gap,  in  the  State  of  Geor 
gia,  on  the  27th  day  of  November,  1863,  by  which  the  advance  of  the 
enemy  was  impeded,  our  wagon  train  and  most  of  our  artillery 
saved,  and  a  large  number  of  the  enemy  killed  and  wounded. 

RESOLVED,  That  the  President  be  requested  to  communicate  the 
foregoing  resolution  to  Major-General  Cleburne  and  his  command. 

Approved  February  Qth,  1864. 

Some  of  the  camp  fire  incidents  touching  Ringgold  battle  went 
the  rounds  of  the  army.  General  Lucius  Polk's  brigade  was  at 
tracted  in  the  fight  by  the  movement  of  a  large  Newfoundland  dog 
in  the  fore  front,  with  his  master.  He  moved  forward  with  the 
Federal  line  and  then  went  back  as  they  were  repulsed.  The  dog 
seemed  as  active  in  the  fight  as  the  line  he  followed.  He  at  last 
in  another  forward  movement,  furiously  pushed  ahead  apparently 
bent  on  our  line.  Some  one  hallooed,  "Shoot  the  dog."  Only  a 
moment  and  he  was  a  victim  to  "Confederate  Springfields." 

Another  scene,  so  says  Colonel  Hale:  The  Second  Tennessee 
regiment  was  ordered  to  burn  the  bridge  after  the  retiring  division  was 
over  Chickamauga  creek,  to  impede  pursuit  until  our  fleeing  wagon 
train  could  get  away.  A  fine  looking  officer  crossed  the  bridge, 
dressed  in  Confederate  uniform.  Nothing  was  thought  of  this  until 
after  awhile  when  about  seventy-five  wagons  were  turning  back. 
This  officer,  evidently  a  spy,  had  caused  these  wagons  to  turn  back 
in  the  direction  of  the  gap,  hoping  that  the  pursuing  Federal  army 
would  effect  their  capture. 

The  spy  disappeared  as  mysteriously  as  he  maneuvered.  A 
check  of  further  pursuit  was  all  that  saved  them. 


DETAILED  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  RIDGE 
CAMPAIGN. 

Report  of  General  Braxton  Bragg,  C.  S.  Army,  Commanding  Army 
of  Tennessee,  With  Field  Dispatches,  Etc. 

Headquarters  Army  of  Tennessee, 

Dalton,  Ga.,  November  30,  1863. 

Sir: — On  Monday,  the  23rd,  the  enemy  advanced  in  heavy  force 
and  drove  in  our  picket  line  in  front  of  Missionary  Ridge  but  made  no 
further  effort. 

On  Tuesday  morning  early  they  threw  over  the  river  a  heavy 
force  opposite  the  north  end  of  the  ridge  and  just  below  the  mouth  of 
the  Chickamauga,  at  the  same  time  displaying  a  heavy  force  in  our 
immediate  front.  After  visiting  the  right  and  making  dispositions 
there  for  the  new  development  in  that  direction,  I  returned  toward  the 
left  to  find  a  heavy  cannonading  going  on  from  the  enemy's  batteries 
on  our  force  occupying  the  slope  of  Lookout  Mountain  between  the 
crest  and  the  river.  A  very  heavy  force  soon  advanced  to  the  assault 
and  was  met  by  one  brigade  only  (Walthall's)  which  made  a  des 
perate  resistance  but  was  finally  compelled  to  yield  ground.  Why 
this  command  was  not  sustained  is  yet  unexplained.  The  com 
mander  on  that  part  of  the  field  (Major-General  Stevenson)  had  six 
brigades  at  his  disposal.  Upon  his  urgent  appeal  another  brigade  was 
dispatched  in  the  afternoon  to  his  support,  though  it  appeared  that 
his  own  forces  had  not  been  brought  into  action.  I  proceeded  to  the 
scene.  Arriving  just  before  sunset  I  found  we  had  lost  all 
advantage  of  the  position.  Orders  were  immediately  given  for  the 
ground  to  be  disputed  until  we  could  withdraw  our  forces  across 
Chattanooga  creek,  and  the  movement  was  commenced.  This  having 
been  successfully  accomplished,  our  whole  forces  were  concen 
trated  on  the  ridge  and  extended  to  the  right  to  meet  the  move 
ment  in  that  direction. 

On  Wednesday  the  25th  I  again  visited  the  extreme  right  now 
under  Lieutenant-General  Hardee,  and  threatened  by  a  heavy  force, 
while  strong  columns  could  be  seen  marching  in  that  direction.  A 
very  heavy  force  in  line  of  battle  confronted  our  left  and  center. 

On  my  return  to  this  point  about  II  a.  m.  the  enemy's  forces 
were  being  moved  in  heavy  masses,  from  Lookout  and  beyond,  to  our 
front,  while  those  in  front  extended  to  our  right.  They  formed 
their  lines  with  great  deliberation  just  beyond  the  range  of  our  guns 
and  in  plain  view  of  our  position.  Though  greatly  outnumbered, 


256  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


such  was  the  strength  of  our  position  that  no  doubt  was  entertained 
of  our  ability  to  hold  it  and  every  disposition  was  made  for  that  pur 
pose.  During  this  time  they  had  made  several  attempts  on  our  ex 
treme  right,  and  had  been  handsomely  repulsed  with  very  heavy  ^  loss 
by  Major-General  Cleburne's  command,  under  the  immediate  direc 
tion  of  Lieutenant-General  Hardee.  By  the  road  across  the  ridge  at 
Rossville,  far  to  our  left,  a  route  was  open  to  our  rear.  Major- 
General  Breckinridge  commanding  on  the  left,  had  occupied  this  with 
two  regiments  and  a  battery.  It  being  reported  to  me  that  a  force  of 
the  enemy  had  moved  in  that  direction,  the  general  was  ordered  to 
have  it  reconnoitered  and  to  make  every  disposition  necessary  to 
secure  his  flank,  which  he  proceeded  to  do. 

About  3 :3<D  p.  m.  the  immense  force  in  the  front  of  our  left  and 
center  advanced  in  three  lines  preceded  by  heavy  skirmishers.  Our 
batteries  opened  with  fine  effect  and  much  confusion  was  produced 
before  they  reached  musket  range. 

In  a  short  time  the  roar  of  musketry  became  very  heavy  and  it 
was  soon  apparent  that  the  enemy  had  been  repulsed  in  my  imme 
diate  front.  While  riding  along  the  crest  congratulating  the  troops, 
intelligence  reached  me  that  our  line  was  broken  on  my  right  and  the 
enemy  had  crossed  the  bridge.  Assistance  was  promptly  dispatched 
to  that  point  under  Brigadier-General  Bate  who  had  so  successfully 
maintained  the  ground  in  my  front,  while  I  proceeded  to  the  rear  of 
our  broken  line  to  rally  our  retiring  troops  and  return  them  to  the 
crest  to  drive  the  enemy  back.  General  Bate  found  the  disaster  so 
great  that  his  small  force  could  not  repair  it. 

About  this  time  I  learned  that  our  extreme  left  had  also  given 
way,  and  that  my  position  was  almost  surrounded.  Bate  was  im 
mediately  directed  to  form  a  second  line  in  the  rear,  where,  by  the 
efforts  of  my  staff,  a  nucleus  of  stragglers  had  been  formed  upon 
which  to  rally.  Lieutenant-General  Hardee  leaving  Major-General 
Cleburne  in  command  on  the  extreme  right,  moved  toward  the  left 
when  he  heard  the  heavy  firing  in  that  direction.  He  reached  the 
right  of  Anderson's  division  just  in  time  to  find  it  had  nearly  ail 
fallen  back,  commencing  on  its  left  where  the  enemy  had  first  crowned 
the  ridge.  By  prompt  and  judicious  movement  he  threw  a  portion 
of  Cheatham's  division  directly  across  the  ridge  facing  the  enemy 
who  was  now  moving  a  strong  force  immediately  on  his  left  flank. 
By  a  decided  stand  here,  the  enemy  was  entirely  checked  and  that 
portion  of  our  force  to  the  right  remained  intact. 

All  to  the  left  however  except  a  portion  of  Bate's  division,  was 
entirely  routed  and  in  rapid  flight,  nearly  all  the  artillery  having  been 
shamefully  abandoned  by  its  infantry  support.  Every  effort  which 
could  be  made  by  myself  and  staff  and  by  many  other  mounted  offi 
cers  availed  but  little.  A  panic  which  I  had  never  before  witnessed 
seemed  to  have  seized  upon  officers  and  men,  and  each  appeared  to 
be  struggling  for  his  personal  safety  regardless  of  his  duty  or  his 
character.  In  this  distressing  and  alarming  state  of  affairs,  General 


THE  MISSIONARY  RIDGE  CAMPAIGN.  257 

Bate  was  ordered  to  hold  his  position  covering  the  road  for  the  re 
treat  of  Breckinridge's  command  and  orders  were  immediately  sent 
to  Generals  Hardee  and  Breckinridge  to  retire  their  forces  upon  the 
depot  at  Chickamauga. 

Fortunately  it  was  now  near  nightfall  and  the  country  and  roads 
in  our  rear  were  fully  known  to  us  but  equally  unknown  to  the  enemy. 
The  routed  left  made  its  way  back  in  great  disorder,  effectually  cov 
ered  however  by  Bate's  small  command  which  had  a  sharp  conflict 
with  the  enemy's  advance  and  drove  it  back.  After  night  all  being 
quiet.  Bate  retired  in  good  order,  the  enemy  attempting  no  pursuit. 

Lieutenant-General  Hardee's  command,  under  his  judicious  man 
agement,  retired  in  good  order  and  unmolested. 

As  soon  as  all  troops  had  crossed,  the  bridges  over  the  Chicka 
mauga  were  destroyed  to  impede  the  enemy,  though  the  stream  was 
fordable  at  several  places. 

No  satisfactory  excuse  can  possibly  be  given  for  the  shameful 
conduct  of  the  troops  on  the  left  in  allowing  their  line  to  be  pene 
trated.  The  position  was  one  which  ought  to  have  been  held  by  a  line 
of  skirmishers  against  any  assaulting  column,  and  wherever  resist 
ance  was  made  the  enemy  fled  in  disorder  after  suffering  heavy 
loss.  Those  who  reached  the  ridge  did  so  in  a  condition  of  exhaus 
tion  from  the  great  physical  exertion  in  climbing,  which  rendered 
them  powerless,  and  the  slightest  effort  would  have  destroyed  them. 
Having  secured1  much  of  our  artillery,  they  soon  availed  themselves 
of  our  panic,  and,  turning  our  guns  upon  us,  enfiladed  the  lines,  both 
right  and  left,  rendering  them  entirely  untenable. 

Had  all  parts  of  the  line  been  maintained  with  equal  gallantry 
and  persistence,  no  enemy  could,  ever  have  dislodged  us,  and  but  one 
possible  reason  presents  itself  to  my  mind  in  explanation  of  this  bad 
conduct  in  veteran  troops  who  had  never  before  failed  in  any  duty 
assigned  .them,  however  difficult  and  hazardous.  They  had  for  two 
days  confronted  the  enemy,  marshalling  his  immense  forces  in  plain 
view,  and  exhibiting  to  their  sight  such  a  superiority  of  numbers  as 
may  have  intimidated  weak-minded  and  untried  soldiers;  but  our 
veterans  had  so  often  encountered  similar  hosts  when  the  strength 
of  position  was  against  us,  and  with  perfect  success,  that  not  a  doubv 
crossed  my  mind.  As  yet  I  am  not  fully  informed  as  to  the  commands 
which  first  fled  and  brought  this  great  disaster  and  disgrace  upon 
our  arms.  Investigation  will  bring  out  the  truth,  however,  and  full 
justice  shall  be  done  to  the  good  and  the  bad. 

After  arriving  at  Chickamauga  and  informing  myself  of  the  full 
condition  of  affairs,  it  was  decided  to  put  the  army  in  motion  for  a 
point  farther  removed  from  a  powerful  and  victorious  army,  that  we 
might  have  some  little  time  to  replenish  and  recuperate  for  another 
struggle.  The  enemy  made  pursuit  as  far  as  Ringgold  but  was  so 
handsomely  checked!  by  Major-General  Cleburne  and  Brigadier- 
General  Gist  in  command  of  their  respective  divisions,  that  he  gave 
us  but  little  annoyance. 


£58  BATTLES  ANI>  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Lieutenant-General  Hardee  as  usual,  is  entitled  to  my  warmest 
thanks  and  highest  commendation  for  his  gallant  and  judicious  con 
duct  during  the  whole  of  the  trying  scenes  through  which  we  passed. 

Major-General  Cleburne,  whose  command  defeated  the  enemy 
in  every  assault  on  the  25th  and  who  eventually  charged  and  routed 
him  on  that  day,  capturing  several  stand  of  colors  and  several  hun 
dred  prisoners  and  who  afterwards  brought  up  our  rear  with  great 
success,  again  charging  and  routing  the  pursuing  column  at  Ring- 
gold  on  the  27th,  is  commended  to  the  special  notice  of  the  Gov- 
jrnment. 

Brigadier-Generals  Gist  and  Bate,  commanding  divisions;  Gum 
ming,  Walthall,  and  Polk,  commanding  brigades,  were  distinguished 
for  coolness,  gallantry  and  successful  conduct  throughout  the  en 
gagements  and  in  the  rear  guard  on  the  retreat. 

To  my  staff,  personal  and  general,  my  thanks  are  especially  due 
for  their  gallant  and  zealous  efforts  under  fire  to  rally  the  broken 
troops  and  restore  order  and  for  their  laborious  services  in  conducting 
successfully  the  many  and  arduous  duties  of  the  retreat. 

Our  losses  are  not  yet  ascertained,  but  in  killed  and  wounded  it 
is  known  to  have  been  very  small.  In  prisoners  and  stragglers  I  fear 
it  is  much  larger.  The  chief  of  artillery  reports  the  loss  of  forty 
pieces. 

I    am,    sir,    very    respectfully,    your   obedient   servant, 

BRAXTON  BRAGG, 

General  Commanding. 

GENERAL  S.  COOPER, 

Adjutant  and  Inspector-General,  C.   S.  Army,  Richmond. 
Dalton,  December  3,  1863. 

(Received  at  Meridian,  3rd.) 

General  Joseph  E.  Johnston : — The  enemy  pursued  us  to  Ring- 
gold  where  we  punished'  him  very  severely.  He  then  retreated,  de 
stroying  all  behind  him,  and  will  not  press  us  again  immediately.  We 
are  in  good  condition,  with  plenty  of  artillery.  I  am  supetseded  in 
command  at  my  own  request  by  Hardee.  The  future  is  pregnant  with 
great  events  but  I  believe  our  destiny  is  safe  with  prompt  and 
united  action. 

BRAXTON  BRAGG. 


HEROIC  DEATH  OF  SAMUEL  DAVIS. 

Joshua  Brown,  now  of  New  York  City,  who  belonged  to  the 
Second  Kentucky  cavalry  of  the  Confederate  Army,  and  was  a  fellow 
scout  with  Samuel  Davis,  tells  the  thrilling  and  awful  story  of 
his  fate: 

As  you  have  requested  it,  I  will  give  you  my  personal  recollec 
tions  of  the  capture,  imprisonment  and  execution  of  Samuel  Davis, 
one  of  the  greatest  and  noblest  patriots  who  ever  died  for  his  coun 
try.  Other  patriots  have  died — Nathan  Hale  of  the  Revolution,  and 
Captain  W.  Orton  Williams  and  Lieutenant  Peters  who  were  hanged 
at  Franklin  by  the  Federals.  They  knew  that  death  was  inevitable 
and  died-  like  brave  soldiers.  But  Davis  had  continuance  of  life  and 
liberty  offered  him,  a  full  pardon  and  a  pass  through  the  lines  if  he 
would  only  reveal  where  he  got  the  information  and  the  papers  that 
were  found  upon  his  person  and  in  his  saddle  seat,  but  he  knew  that 
the  man  who  gave  them  to  him  was  at  that  moment  in  jail  with  him. 
That  man  was  Colonel  Shaw,  chief  of  General  Bragg's  scouts,  who 
had  charge  of  the  secret  service  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee. 

General  Bragg  had  sent  us  a  few  men  who  knew  the  country,  into 
Middle  Tennessee  to  get  all  the  information  possible  concerning  the 
movements  of  the  Federal  army;  to  find  out  if  it  was  moving  from 
Nashville  and  Corinth  to  re-enforce  Chattanooga.  We  were  to  re 
port  to  Colonel  Shaw  or  Captain  Coleman,  who  commanded  Cole- 
man's  scouts.  We  were  to  go  south  to  Decatur  and  send  our  reports 
by  a  courier  line  to  General  Bragg  at  Missionary  Ridge.  When  we 
received  our  'orders  we  were  told  that  the  duty  was  very  dangerous 
and  that  they  did  not  expect  but  few  of  us  to  return;  that  we  would 
probably  be  captured  or  killed  and  we  were  cautioned  against  expos 
ing  ourselves  unnecessarily. 

After  we  had  been  in  Tennessee  about  ten  days  we  watched  the 
Sixteenth  Army  Corps  commanded  by  General  Dodge,  move  up  from 
Corinth  to  Pulaski.  We  agreed  that  we  would  leave  for  the  South 
on  Friday,  the  iQth  of  November,  1863.  A  number  had  been  cap 
tured  and  several  kiled.  We  were  to  start  that  night  each  man  for 
himself;  each  of  us  had  his  own  information  but  I  did  not  write  it 
down  or  make  any  memorandum  of  it  for  fear  of  being  captured.  I 
had  counted  almost  every  regiment  and  all  the  artillery  in  the  Six 
teenth  corps  and  had  found  out  that  they  were  moving  on  Chatta 
nooga.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we  started  out  and  ran  into  the  Sev 
enth  Kansas  cavalry,  known  as  the  "Kansas  Jay  Hawkers,"  and  when 


260  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

we  were  told  what  regiment  had  captured  us,  we  thought  our  time 
had  come.  We  were  taken  to  Pulaski  about  fifteen  miles  away,  and 
put  into  jail  where  several  other  prisoners  had  been  sent,  among 
whom  was  Sam  Davis.  I  talked  with  him  over  our  prospects  of  im 
prisonment  and  escape  which  were  very  gloomy..  Davis  said  they 
had  searched  him  that  day  and  found  some  papers  upon  him  and  that 


SAMUEL  DAVIS. 

he  had  been  taken  to  General  Dodge's  headquarters.  They  had  also 
found  in  his  saddle  seat  maps  and  descriptions  of  the  fortifications 
at  Nashville  and  other  points  and  an  exact  report  of  the  Federal 
army  in  Tennessee.  They  found  in  his  boot  this  letter  with  other 
papers,  which  were  intended  for  General  Bragg: 

"Giles  County,  Tenn.,  Thursday  Morning,  Nov.  18,  1863. 
Colonel    A.    McKinstry,    Provost     Marshal-General,     the     Army     of 
Tennessee,  Chattanooga. 

Dear  Sir: — I  send  you  seven  Nashville  and  three  Louisville 
papers  and  one  Cincinnati,  with  dates  to  the  I7th — in  all  eleven.  I 
also  send  for  General  Bragg,  three  wash-balls  of  soap,  three  tooth 
brushes  and  two  blank  books.  I  could  not  get  a  larger  size  diary 
for  him.  I  will  send  a  pair  of  shoes  and  slippers,  some  more  soap, 
gloves  and  socks  soon. 

"The  Yankees  are  still  camped  on  the  line  of  the  Tennessee  & 
Alabama  Railroad.  (He  evidently  meant  Nashville  &  Decatur) 
General  Dodge's  head-quarters  are  at  Pulaski;  his  main  force  is 
camped  from  that  place  to  Lynnville ;  some  at  Elk  river,  and  two 
regiments  at  Athens.  General  Dodge  has  issued  an  order  to  the  peo 
ple  in  those  countries  on  the  road  to  report  all  stock,  grain  and  for 
age  to  him  and  he  says  he  will  pay  or  give  vouchers  for  it.  Upon 
refusal  to  report  he  will  take  it  without  pay.  They  are  now  taking 
all  they  can  find.  Dodge  says  he  knows  the  people  are  all  Southern 
and  does  not  ask  them  to  swear  to  a  lie.  All  the  spare  forces  around 
Nashville  and  vicinity  are  being  sent  to  McMinnville.  Six  batteries 
and  twelve  parrott  guns  were  sent  forward  on  the  I4th,  I5th,  and 
1 6th.  It  is  understood  that  there  is  hot  work  in  front  somewhere. 
Telegrams  suppressed. 

"Davis  has  returned;  Gregg  has  gone  below.  Everything  is 
beginning  to  work  better.  I  send  Roberts  with  things  for  you  and 


HEROIC  DEATH  OF  SAMUEL  DAVIS. 


261 


General  Bragg  with  dispatches.  I  do  not  think  the  Federals  mean 
to  stay;  they  are  not  repairing  the  main  points  on  the  road.  I  un 
derstand  part  of  Sherman's  forces  have  reached  Shelbyville.  I  think 
a  part  of  some  other  than  Dodge's  division  came  to  Lynnville  from 
the  direction  of  Fayetteville.  I  hope  to  be  able  to  post  you  soon.  I 
sent  Billy  Moore  over  in  that  country  and  am  sorry  to  say  he  was 


THE  SHOE  SAM  DAViS  WOKE  WHEN  HE  WAS 
ARRAIGNED  AS  A  SPY. 

captured.  One  of  my  men  has  just  returned  from  there.  The  general 
impression  of  the  citizens  is  that  they  will  move  forward  some  way. 
Their  wagon  trains  have  leturned  from  Nashville.  Davis  tells  me  that 
the  line  is  in  order  to  Summerville.  I  send  this  by  one  of  my  men  to 
that  place.  The  dispatches  sent  you  on  the  Qth  with  papers  of  the 
7th,  reached  Decatur  on  the  loth  at  9  p.  m.  Citizens  were  reading 
the  papers  the  next  morning  after  breakfast.  I  do  not  think  the  Mayor 
will  do  to  forward  them  with  reports.  I  am  with  high  regard, 

E.  COLEMAN, 
Captain  Commanding  Scouts." 

Here  is  his  pass: 

"Headquarters  General  Bragg's  Scouts,  Middle  Tennessee,  Sept. 
25th,  1863.  Samuel  Davis  has  permission  to  pass  on  scouting  duty 
anywhere  in  Middle  Tennessee  or  south  of  the  Tennessee  river  as  he 
may  think  proper.  By  order  of  General  Bragg;  E.  Coleman,  Cap 
tain  Commanding  Company  of  Scouts." 

The  next  morning  Davis  was  again  taken  to  General  Dodge's 
headquarters,  and  this  is  what  took  place  between  them  which  Gen 
eral  Dodge  told  me  recently. 

"I  took  him  into  my  private  office,"  said  General  Dodge,  "and  I 
told  him  that  it  was  a  very  serious  charge  brought  against  him;  that 
he  was  a  spy  and  from  what  I  found-  upon  his  person  he  had  accurate 


262  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

information  in  regard  to  my  army  and  I  must  know  where  he  obtained 
it.  I  told  him  that  he  was  a  young  man  and  did  not  seem  to  realize 
the  danger  he  was  in.  Up  to  that  time  he  had  said  nothing  but  then 
he  replied  in  the  most  respectful  and  dignified  manner: 

"  'General  Dodge,  I  know  the  danger  of  my  situation,  and  I  am 
willing  to  take  the  consequences.' 


MRS.  LEWIS  DAVIS,   THE  MOTHER 
OF  SAM  DAVIS. 

"I  asked  him  then  to  give  me  the  name  of  the  person  from  whom 
he  got  the  information;  that  I  knew  it  must  be  some  one  near  head 
quarters  or  who  had  the  confidence  of  the  officers  of  my  staff,  and  I 
repeated  that  I  must  know  the  source  from  which  it  came.  I  in 
sisted  that  he  should  tell  me  but  he  firmly  declined  to  do  so.  I  told 
him  that  I  would  have  to  call  a  court-martial  and  have  him  tried  for 
his  life  and  from  the  proofs  we  had  they  would  be  compelled  to  con 
demn  him;  that  there  was  no  chance  for  him  unless  he  gave  the 
source  of  his  information.  He  replied: 

"  'I  know  that  I  will  have  to  die  but  I  will  not  tell  where  I  got 
the  information  and  there  is  no  power  on  earth  that  can  make  me 
tell.  You  are  doing  your  duty  as  a  soldier  and  I  am  doing  mine.  If 
I  have  to  die  I  will  do  so  feeling  that  I  am  doing  my  duty  to  God 
and  my  country/ 

"  I  plead  with  and  urged  him  with  all  the  power  I  possessed 
to  give  me  some  chance  to  save  his  life,  for  I  discovered  that 
he  was  a  most  admirable  young  fellow  with  the  highest  character 
and  strictest  integrity.  He  then  said :  'It  is  useless  to  talk  to  me.  I 
do  not  intend  to  do  it.  You  can  court-martial  me  or  do  anything  else 
you  like  but  I  will  not  betray  the  trust  imposed  in  me.' 

"He  thanked  me  for  the  interest  I  had  taken  in  him  and  I  sent 
him  back  to  prison.  I  immediately  called  a  court-martial  to  try  him.' 


The  folowing  is  the  action  of  the  commission,  which  has  been 
furnished  me  by  General  Dodge: 


HEROIC  DEATH  OF  SAMUEL  DAVIS.  263 

Proceedings  of  a  Military  Commission  which  convened  at  Pu- 
laski,  Tennessee,  by  virtue  of  the  following  general  order: 

Headquarters  Left  Wing  i6th  A.  C,  Pulaski,  Tennessee,  Novem 
ber  20,  1863.  General  Orders  No.  72. — A  Military  Commission  is 
hereby  appointed  to  meet  at  Pulaski,  Tennessee,  on  the  23rd  inst,  or 
as  soon  thereafter  as  practicable  for  the  trial  of  Samuel  Davis  and 


LEWIS  DAVIS,   FATHER  OF  SAM  DAVIS. 

such  other  persons  as  may  be  brought  before  it. 

Details  for  the  Commission:  i,  Colonel  Madison  Milkr,  Eigh 
teenth  Missouri  infantry  volunteers ;  2,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Thomas  W. 
Gains,  Fiftieth  Missouri  infantry  volunteers;  3,  Major  Lathrop, 
Thirty-ninth  Iowa  infantry  volunteers,  judge  advocate.  The  com 
mission  will  sit  without  regard  to  hours.  By  order  of  Brigadier- 
General  G.  M.  Dodge;  J.  W.  Barnes,  Lieutenant  and  Acting  Adju 
tant-General. 
Report  of  Commission. 

"The  Commission  do  therefore  sentence  him,  the  said  Samuel 
Davis  of  Coleman's  scouts  in  the  service  of  the  so-called  Confederate 
States,  to  be  hanged  by  the  neck  until  dead  at  such  time  and  place  as 
the  commanding  general  shall  direct,  two-thirds  of  the  Commission 
concurring  in  the  sentence. 

"Finding  the  sentence  of  the  Commission  approved.  The  sen 
tence  will  be  carried  into  effect  on  Friday,  November  27th,  1863,  be 
tween  the  hours  of  10  a.  m.  and  2  p.  m. 

"Brigadier-General  T.  W.  Sweeney  commanding  the  Second  di 
vision,  will  cause  the  necessary  arrangements  to  be  made  to  carry  out 
this  order  in  the  proper  manner." 


Captain   Armstrong   the    Provost   Marshall,   informed   Davis   of 


264  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

the  sentence  of  the  court-martial.  He  was  surprised  at  the  severe 
punishment — expecting  to  be  shot  not  thinking  they  would  hang 
him — but  he  showed  no  fear  and  resigned  himself  to  his  fate  as  only 
brave  men  can.  That  night  he  wrote  the  following  letter  to  his 
mother : 

"Pulaski,  Giles  County,  Tenn.,  Nov.  26,  1863. 

"Dear  Mother: — Oh,  how  painful  it  is  to  write  to  you!  I  have 
got  to  -die  tomorrow  morning — to  be  hanged  by  the  Federals 
Mother,  do  not  grieve  for  me.  I  must  bid  you  goodby  forevermore. 
Mother,  I  do  not  fear  to  die.  Give  my  love  to  all. 

Your  son, 

•SAMUEL  DAVIS. 

"Mother,  tell  the  children  all  to  be  good.  I  wish  I  could  see  you 
all  once  more  but  I  never  will  any  more. 

"Mother  and-  father,  do  not  forget  me.  Think  of  me  when  I  am 
dead  but  do  not  grieve  for  me.  It  will  not  do  any  good.  Father,  you 
can  send  after  my  remains  if  you  want  to  do  so.  They  will  be  at 
Pulaski,  Tenn.  I  will  leave  some  things  too,  with  the  hotel-keeper 
for  you.  Pulaski  is  in  Giles  county,  Tenn.,  south  of  Columbia.  S.  D." 

After  his  sentence  he  was  put  into  a  cell  in  the  jail  and  we  did 
not  see  anything  of  him  until  on  Thursday  morning,  the  day  before 
the  execution.  We  were  ordered  to  get  ready,  as  we  were  going  to 
be  removed  to  the  court  house  in  the  public  square,  about  one  hun 
dred  feet  from  the  jail.  Davis  was  handcuffed  and  was  brought  in 
just  as  we  were  eating  breakfast.  I  g'ave  hnn  a  piece  of  meat  that 
had  been  cooking  and  he,  being  handcuffed,  was  compelled  to  eat 
it  with  both  hands.  He  thanked  me  and  we  all  bade  him  goodbye  and 
were  sent  to  the  court  house  and  the  guard  was  doubled  around 
the  jail. 

The  next  morning,  Friday,  November  27th,  at  10  o'clock,  we 
heard  the  drums  and  a  regiment  of  infantry  marching  down  to  the 
jail.  A  wagon  with  a  coffin  in  it  was  driven  up,  and  the  Provost 
Marshal  went  into  the  jail  and  brought  Davis  out.  He  got  into  the 
wagon  and  stood  up  and  looked  around  at  the  court  house  and  seeing 
us  at  the  windows,  bowed  to  us  his  last  farewell.  He  was  dressed  in 
a  dark  brown  overcoat  with  a  cape  to  it  which  had  been  a  blue  Fed-, 
eral  coat,  such  as  many  of  us  had  captured  and  then  dyed  brown.  1 
note  this,  because  it  has  been  stated  that  he  was  dressed  in  citizens' 
clothes.  I  do  not  remember  exactly  but  I  think  he  had  on  a  gray 
jacket  underneath.  He  then  sat  down  upon  his  coffin  and  the  regi 
ment  moved  off  to  the  suburbs  of  the  town  where  the  gallows  was 
built. 

Upon  reaching  the  gallows,  he  got  out  of  the  wagon  and  took  his 
seat  on  a  bench  under  a  tree.  He  asked  Captain  Armstrong  how  long 
he  had  to  live.  He  replied,  "Fifteen  minutes."  He  then  asked  Cap 
tain  Armstrong  the  news.  He  told  him  of  the  battle  of  Missionary 
Ridge,  and  that  our  army  had  been  defeated.  He  expressed  much 
regret,  and  said: 


HEROIC  DEATH  OF  SAMUEL  DAVIS. 


265 


"The  boys  will  have  to  fight  the  battles  without  me."  Armstrong 
said :  "I  regret  very  much  having  to  do  this  ;  I  feel  that  I  would  almost 
rather  die  myself  than  to  do  what  I  have  to  do."  Davis  replied: 

"I  do  not  think  hard  of  you  ;  you  are  doing  your  duty."  Gen 
eral  Dodge  still  had  hopes  that  Davis  would  recant  when  he  saw  that 
death  was  staring  him  in  the  face  and  that  he  would  reveal  the  name 


JOSH  BROWN. 

of  the  traitor  in  his  camp.  He  sent  Captain  Chickasaw  of  his  staff  to 
Davis.  He  rapidly  approached  the  scaffold,  jumped  from  his  horse 
and  went  directly  to  Davis  and  asked  if  it  would  not  be  better  for 
him  to  speak  the  name  of  the  one  from  whom  he  received  the  contents 
of  the  document  found  upon  him,  adding:  "It  is  not  too  late  yet." 
And  then  in  his  last  extremity,  Davis  turned  upon  him  and  said: 

"If  I  had  a  thousand  lives  I  would  lose  them  all  here  before  1 
would  betray  my  friends  or  the  confidence  of  my  informer." 

He  then  requested  him  to  thank  General  Dodge  for  his  efforts 
to  save  him  but  to  repeat  that  he  could  not  accept  the  terms.  Turning 
to  the  chaplain,  he  gave  him  a  few  keep-sakes  to  send  to  his  mother. 


266  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

He  then  said  to  the  Provost  Marshal,  "I  am  ready,"  ascended  the  scaf 
fold  and  stepped  upon  the  trap. 

Thus  passed  away  one  of  the  sublimest  and  noblest  characters 
known  in  history,  and  in  future  ages  will  be  pointed  to  as  an  act  worthy 
jf  emulation. 

In  a  private  letter  with  the  sketch,  Comrade  Brown  writes:     I 


GENERAL  DODGE,  WHO  EXECUTED  SAM  DAVIS. 

wish  to  say  further  that  General  Dodge  has  been  very  kind  and  given 
me  every  assistance  in  getting  the  reports  from  the  War  Department 
and  he  hopes  they  will  build  a  monument  to  him  and  place  it  in  the 
Capitol  Square  at  Nashville.  I  think  it  ought  to  be  of  bronze,  repre 
senting  Davis  as  a  Confederate  solcrier. 

The  twenty  large  and  six  small  buttons  that  he  had  cut  from  his 
coat  for  his  mother  have  been  preserved. 

Mr.  Brown,  who  formerly  lived  in  Nashville,  is  widely  known. 
Thousands  will  ever  feel  grateful  to  him  for  putting  on  record  this 
vivid  tribute  to  as  noble  a  man  as  ever  gave  up  his  life  for  any  cause. 


AT  SAM  DAVIS'  GRAVE. 


Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  May  24th,  1896  (Special  to  the  Nashville  Ameri 
can  by  E.  D.  Hancock,  Attorney-at-Law ) . 

The  patriotic  outpouring  this  afternoon  of  Confederate  veterans 
and  their  families  to  spread  fragrant  flowers  over  the  grave  of  Samuel 
Davis  was  a  touching  tribute  to  one  of  the  highest  of  human  virtues 
and  emphasized  the  fact  that  there  lives  an  admiration  in  the  Southern 
hearts  for  that  exalted1  sentiment  that  "A  man's  word  should  be  his 
bond."  Long  before  the  train  from  Nashville  brought  the  members 
of  Cheatham  Bivouas  to  the  beautiful  old  ante-bellum  home  where 
young  Davis  imbibed  his  high  sense  of  honor,  citizens  from  the  neigh 
borhood — many  of  whom  knew  the  daring  young  scout  when  a  strip 
ling — and  hundreds  from  Murfreesboro  had  gathered  beneath  the 
thick  shade  of  the  tall  oaks  that  proudly  stand  sentinel  over  the  boy 
hood  playground  of  the  hero,  whose  deed  of  bravery  and  fidelity 
finds  few  counterparts  in  the  world's  voluminous  scroll  of  heroes. 
While  awaiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  Nashville  contingent,  the  Ameri 
can  correspondent  examined  the  spot  where  young  Davis  sleeps,  and 
reflected  upon  the  atmosphere  in  which  he  grew  to  young  manhood, 
to  discover  if  there  were  not  forces  at  work  upon  his  youthful  mind 
to  develope  the  character  so  vividly  and  with  such  melancholy  heroism, 
exhibited  to  the  world-  on  that  fateful  day  at  Pulaski. 

His  paternal  home  is  like  many  an  old  Southern  house,  a  large 
two-storied  frame  building  with  broad  verandas  on  the  sides  and  a  typ 
ical  front  porch  with  masive  columns.  To  the  west  flows  the  blue 
waters  of  Stewart's  creek, which  a  mile  or  so  further  down  empties  into 
Stone's  river.  The  history  of  the  village  of  old  Jefferson  is  pregnant 
with  events  associated  with  the  lives  of  men  who  afterwards  at 
tained  national  prominence  in  war  and  affairs  of  state.  No  doubt 
young  Davis,  when  a  boy,  heard  the  deeds  and  actions  of  those  re 
counted  at  the  village  stores  and  then  determined  that  life  to  him 
should  not  move  in  the  narrow  circle  of  rural  quietude  and  inaction. 
When  a  mere  boy  he  was  sent  to  Nashville  to  be  educated,  but  before 
he  had  turned  his  nineteenth  year,  he  enlisted  in  Captain  Dock  Led- 
better's  company,  First  Tennessee  regiment,  and  from  that  time  to 
his  cruel  death  his  history  is  too  well  known  to  need;  repetition  here. 
Davis  was  not  an  uninformed,  careless  country  boy,  he  was  a  youth 
of  ambition,  intelligence,  honor  and  unflinching  integrity,  kind  and 
gentle  as  a  woman,  but  brave  as  a  lion  when  aroused.  The  formative 
period  of  his  life,  like  that  of  the  immortal  bard  who  chased  the 
nimble  deer  in  the  forbidden  forest  of  Warwickshire  was  nitched  in 


I 


269 

a  veritable  wall  of  historical  associations  and  was  shaped  and  im 
pressed  by  a  long  line  of  events  closely  connected  with  extraor 
dinary  personages.  No  wonder  then,  he  faced  death  without  a  tremor, 
when  his  honor  must  be  sacrificed  to  let  the  current  of  life  flow  on. 
The  spot  where  he  is  buried  is  some  fifty  yards  to  the  rear  of  the 
house  and  the  grave  is  marked  by  a  shaft  of  white  marble  about  twelve 
feet  high  resting  on  a  granite  pedestal.  It  is  inclosed  with  an  iron 
fence,  and  a  lovely  plat  of  blue  grass  brings  the  bright  gleam  of  the 
marble  and  brown  tinge  of  the  iron  inclosure  into  bold  relief.  The 
shaft  is  plain  and  unostentatious  in  design  and  a  casual  observer  in 
passing  by  would  never  dream  that  underneath  its  base  was  sleeping 
the  immortal  dust  of  the  hero  whose  name  future  generations  will 
use  as  a  symbol  for  the  grandest  and  noblest  of  human  virtues. 

A  modest  inscription  briefly  tells  his  name,  age  and  reads  as 
follows : 

In  Memory  of  Samuel  Davis, 
A  Member  of  the  First  Tennessee  Regiment  of  Volunteers, 

Born  October  6th,  184.2, 

Died  November  27th,  1863. 

Age  21  Years  I  Month  and  21  Days." 

"He  laid  down  his  life  for  his  country.  A  truer  soldier,  a  purer 
patriot,  a  braver  man  never  lived,  who  suffered  death  on  the  gibbet 
rather  than  betray  his  friends  and  his-  country. " 

It  seems  a  pretty  place  for  his  remains  resting  safe  beyond  the 
reach  of  Federal  cruelty  under  the  smile  of  a  Southern  sun,  almost 
at  the  doorstep  of  his  boyhood  home,  where  friends  after  a  lapse  of 
over  thirty  years,  with  hundreds  of  comrades,  seem  to  gather  spon 
taneously  today  and  make  amends  for  their  long  neglect. 

Soon  after  the  train  halted  at  Smyrna  the  crowd  alighted  and  the 
members  of  the  Cheatham  Bivouac  fell  into  line  and-  to  the  rattling 
clatter  of  kettle  drum  marched  to  the  Davis  homestead. 

The  ladies  and  citizens  followed  in  carriages  and  as  the  soldiers 
leading  the  way  with  tremulous  steps  trudged  up  the  blue  grass  hill — 
the  lawn  in  front  of  the  residence.  The  youths  of  today  saw  a  remnant 
of  the  pride,  pomp  and  circumstance  of  glorious  war,  and  no  doubt 
felt  the  peculiar  tremor  that  rises  with  the  "ear-piercing  fife  and 
spirit-stirring  drum."  All  assembled  around  the  speaker's  stand- 
chairs  and  benches  having  been  plentifully  supplied — but  proving 
totally  inadequate  for  the  immense  crowd  that  numbered  at  least  a 
thousand  and-  trirobbed  with  Southern  beauty  and  gallantry. 

The  exercises  opened  with  prayer  by  'the  Rev.  R.  Lin  Cave  of 
Nashvilk.  Miss  Omaugh  Armstrong  sang  a  beautful  song  with  the 
tenderest  pathos  of  her  enviable  voice,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Barbee  was  then 
introduced  by  Sumner  A.  Cunningham,  who  suggested  that  memorial 
service,  and  whose  untiring  and  intelligent  efforts  through  his  ex 
cellent  magazine,  the  Confederate  Veteran,  have  done  much  to  bring 
to  Davis'  deed  its  proper  recognition. 

Dr.    Barbee    spoke    in   glowing   terms    of   the   heroism   of   Sam 


270  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Davis.     He  was  thoroughly  imbued  with  his  theme  and  held  his  lis 
teners  in  rapt  attention  for  nearly  an  hour. 

Then  followed  the  Rev.  R.  Lin  Cave  of  Nashville,  who  said  in 
part :  Friends  and  Comrades : — It  is  not  my  purpose  to  speak  at 
length,  I  come  to  show  our  high  regard  for  our  heroic  brother  and 
unite  with  you  all  in  this  generous  and  worthy  memorial.  If  Sam 


CAPTAIN  LEDBETTER,  WHO  COMMANDED 
COMPANY  OF  FIRST  TENNESSEE  IN 
WHICH  SAM  DAVIS  WAS  A  MEMBER. 

Davis  were  my  son  I  would  indeed  be  proud  of  him  and  his  record. 
I  am  glad  to  learn  that  he  believed  in  the  Christ  and  was  sustained 
by  noble  principles.  Flowers  too  rich  and  rare  cannot  be  placed  on 
his  grave,  and  no  monument  can  be  erected  to  his  memory  with  shaft 
too  polished  or  lifting  its  apex  too  high  towards  yonder  sun.  His 
example  will  live  and  tell  for  good,  not  only  in  Tennessee  and  our 
entire  country,  but  throughout  the  world  wherever  manly  virtue  is 
regarded.  History  furnishes  us  some  fine  examples  of  heroism,  but 
none  so  striking  as  that  of  the  hero  whose  deed  we  commemoiate  here 
today,  and  who  stood  alone,  friendless  and  in  the  midst  of  enemies. 
His  was  indeed  the  highest  type  of  virtuous  action  and  moral  cour 
age.  Let  me  read  you  his  last  words  to  his  mother.  He  loved  her 


AT  SAM  DAVIS'  GRANE.  271 

and  longed  to  see  her,  and  this  desire  may  seem  to  some  a  strong  temp 
tation  to  recant,  but  is  was  a  mother's  training  and  love  that  made  him 
brave  to  die. 

"Pulaski,  Giles  County,  Term.,  Nov.  26th,  1863. 

"Dear  Mother: — Oh.  how  painful  it  is  to  write  you!  I've  got 
to  die  tomorrow  morning — to  be  hanged  by  the  Federals  Mother, 
do  not  grieve  for  me.  I  must  bid  you  good-bye  forevermore.  Mother, 
I  do  not  fear  to  die.  Give  my  love  to  all. 

:  'Your  son, 
"  'SAMUEL  DAVIS. 

"  'Mother,  tell  the  children  all  to  be  good.  I  wish  I  could-  see  you 
all  once  more,  but  I  never  will  any  more.  Mother,  and  father,  do  not 
forget  me.  Think  of  me  when  I  am  dead,  but  do  not  grieve  for  me ; 
it  will  not  do  any  good.  Father,  you  can  send  after  my  remains,  if 
you  want  to  do  so.  They  will  be  at  Pulaski,  Tenn.  I  will  leave  some 
things,  too,  with  the  hotel-keeper  for  you.  Pulaski  is  Giles  county, 
Tenn.,  south  of  Columbia.  S.  D/  ' 

"I  suspect  when  he  wrote  dear  mother  the  tear  drops  soiled  the 
paper,  for  he  must  have  heard  again  a  mother's  prayer  for  her  pre 
cious  boy,  and  it  may  be  ministering  angels  came  that  night,  that  last 
and  trying  night,  and  gave  him  strength.  The  fatal  morning  came 
and  I  see  him  with  calm  eye  and  open  brow,  lip  firm  and  look  steady, 
ready  to  be  offered  up.  True  virtue  waits  not  for  another's  help ; 
alone  and  single-handed,  deserted  and  derided  by  the  multitude,  the 
virtuous  man  has  an  eye  as  clear,  a  brow  just  as  calm,  a  look  just  as 
steady,  and  a  step  just  as  firm  in  the  path  of  duty  as  when  the  way 
is  trodden  by  thousands  by  his  side. 

"What  others  may  say  or  think  or  do  is  nothing  to  him.  Sus 
tained  by  his  own  conscious  worthiness  and  the  clear  conviction  of 
what  that  demands,  he  disdains  that  another  should  lead  or  drive  him 
without  his  own  firm  conviction  of  the  righteousness  of  his  course. 

''General  Dodge  hoped  to  the  last  to  get  him  to  recant  and  reveal 
the  name  of  his  treacherous  informant  and  so  when  about  to  ascend 
the  scaffold  he  sent  Captain  Chickasaw  of  his  staff  to  him.  He 
came  hurriedly  and  went  directly  to  Davis  and  said :  'Not  too  late  yet 
Speak  the  name  and  go  free.'  It  was  then  he  said:  Tf  I  had  a  thou 
sand  lives  I  would  lose  them  all  before  I  would  betray  my  friend  or 
the  confidence  of  my  informer.' 

The  following  words  are  most  fitting  and  with  them  I  close, 
praying  the  blessings  of  God  upon  us  all: 

'The  hills  smiled  back  a  farewell  smile, 
The  breeze  sobbed  o'er  his  bier  awhile, 
The  birds  broke  out  in  glad  refrain, 
The  sunbeams  kissed  his  cheeks  again ; 
Then,  gathering  up  their  blazing  bars, 
They  shook  his  name  among  the  start>. 


272  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

'O  stars,  that  now  his  brothers  are, 

O  sun,  his  sire,  in  truth  and  light, 

Go  tell  the  listening  worlds  afar 

Of  him  who  died  for  truth  and  right; 

For  martyrs  of  all  martyrs  he 

Who  died  to  save  an  enemy.' 

JOHN  TROT  WOOD  MOORE/'' 

Captain  B.  L.  Ridley  of  Murfreesboro  followed  in  a  feeling 
strain.  He  was  a  playmate  of  Davis,  and  a  schoolmate  also.  He  said : 
"We  are  with  you,  our  friends  of  Nashville  as  neighbors  and  boy 
hood  companions  of  Sam  Davis,  not  to  partake  of  a  common  grief, 
but  to  join  you  in  showing  reverence  over  his  course  and  to  point  to 
him  with  pride  as  -a  Southern  soldier  who  died  the  death  of  honor 
in  the  arms  of  glory.  There  may  have  been  soldiers  who  would  have 
done  as  he  did,  yet  we  know  that  under  the  most  trying  circumstances 
he  sealed  his  faith  with  his  blood  and  offered  up  his  life  on  the  altar 
of  diuty  rather  than  betray  his  friends  and  country.  The  respect  that 
we  show  his  memory  today  is  the  outpouring  of  a  sentiment  that  ac 
tuates  every  Southern  heart.  The  coming  ages  will  place  his  char 
acter  forward  as  a  typical  Confederate  soldier  and  as  an  American — 
it  will  enlist  the  admiration  of  the  world.  I  knew  him  as  a  schoolmate, 
as  a  friend  and  neighbor,  as  a  soldier,  and  as  is  written  on  his  tomb 
stone,  I  emphasize  the  epitaph  in  which  I  performed  a  humble  part 
under  the  guidance  of  his  father  and  brother,  'A  truer  soldier,  a  purer 
patriot,  a  braver  man  never  lived.  He  suffered  death  on  the  gibbet 
rather  than  betray  his  friends  and  country.' 

The  Cheatham  Bivouac  of  Nashville,  through  Mr.  Cunningham, 
in  inaugurating  this  step  and  in  having  the  Palmer  Bivouac  of  Mur 
freesboro  and  Captain  Ledbetter's  company  of  the  First  Tennessee 
(of  which  Davis  was  originally  a  member),  and  also  in  inviting  the 
old  neighborhood  to  join  in  with  them,  deserve  the  thanks  of  the  South 
for  this  beautiful  tribute  to  his  memory.  All  of  us  in  recollection  of 
what  he  did,  cover  his  grave  with  sweet  flowers  and  cherish  in  our 
hearts  his  noble  death.  He  is  sleeping  on  the  old  homestead  grounds 
with  mother  and  father  and  relatives,  near  the  lovely  Stewart's  creek 
waters,  into  which  he  often  plunged,  and  on  which,  with  his  neigh 
bors,  he  shot  the  wild  duck  and  took  from  the  waters  trout  and  sun 
perch.  Its  rolling  current  seems  to  slowly  murmur  a  lullaby  over  his 
grave  and  the  ripples  chime  in  with  a  chanting  requiem  over  his 
blessed  memory.  The  old  woodlands,  the  scene  of  his  happy  hunting 
days,  are  near,  and  around  us  I  see  gray  hairs  on  those  who  were  his 
companions  and  friends. 

"Our  pride  is  dashed  with  sorrow  over  his  tragic  end,  yet  we  lift 
our  hats  and  sing  our  songs  in  praises  to  Heaven  over  the  grandeur, 
the  glory,  the  sublimity  attending  it.  In  this  old  neighborhood  he 
was  baptized  in  the  spirit  of  patriotism  which  made  him  bare  his  breast 
and  nerve  his  arm  against  the  invaders  of  his  home.  When  Old  Jef 
ferson  was  once  the  county  site  of  Rutherford,  this  was  the  stamping 


AT  SAM  DAVIS'  GRAVE. 


ground  of  Andrew  Jackson,  Thomas  Benton,  Felix  Grundy,  General 
Coffee  and  the  Buchanans.  The  mother  of  the  last-named  moulded 
the  bullets  for  the  protection  of  the  old  fort.  Their  instillations  de 
scended  from  sire  to  son.  In  this  day  the  country  teachers,  under 
whose  tutorage  he  was  brought  up,  proved  the  faith  that  was  taught 
him.  Captain  Samuel  Freeman,  commanding  a  battery  in  Forrest'? 
cavalry,  killed  in  battle;  Major  Rufus  McClain,  a  tried  soldier,  now  a 
lawyer  in  Lebanon;  Mr.  George  Bell,  Mr.  Alfred  Sharpe,  and  Mr. 
John  Lintner,  who  as  a  private  soldier  in  the  Twentieth  Tennessee, 
and  amongst  us  today,  were  as  true  to  their  colors  as  the  needle  to 
the  pole — all  in  the  struggle  for  which  Sam  Davis  died.  To  add  to 
his  literary  pursuit,  he  became  a  student  of  the  University  of  Nash 
ville,  from  which  Generals  E.  Kirby  Smith  and  Bushrod  Johnson  after 
wards  became  famous. 

"The  incident  touching  Sam  Davis'  death  is  so  thrilling,  that 
while  on  a  visit  to  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  last  May,  I  told  it  to  my  poet  friend, 
A.  S.  Morton,  auditor  of  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad.  It  affected 
him  so  that  he  gave  me  a  poem  touching  it.  It  was  published  in  the 
Veteran  of  last  June  and  will  tell  of  his  martyrdom  better  than  I  t.M  ... 


DAVIS  WAS  TOO  BRAVE  TO  DIE. 


"A  fitful  gleam  of  dying  light, 
The  herald  of  a  gloomy  night 
Illumed  the  thrilling  scene — 
A  silent  group  of  men-at-arms, 
A  guard  inured  to  war's  alarms, 
A  captive  scout  between. 

"Your  life  I  give,"  the  leader  said, 
"For  traitor's  name,  to  honor  dead, 
Who  gave  you  this  design?" 
A  flush  o'erspread  the  captive's  cheek; 
"My  life  is  yours,  your  vengeance  wreak, 
But  honor  still  is  mine. 

"A  soldier  I,  this  dress  of  gray 
Proclaims  the  truth  of  that  I  say: 
This  life  I  hate  to  yield, 
But  you  have  asked  too  great  a  price; 
Dishonor  ne'er  was  the  device 
Emblazoned  on  my  shield." 

"He  chooses  death,  your  orders,  men," 
The  captor  grimly  said,  and  then 
The  fateful  noose  was  brought. 
"Again  I  offer,  soldier,  free, 
Your  life  if  but  you  name  to  me 
The  traitor  you  have  bought." 


274  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

"The  loop  of  death  was  'round  his  throat; 

The  captive  smiled,  nor  seemed  to  note 

The  moments'  fleeting  speed. 

"I  scorn  to  buy  the  life  you  take 

At  price  of  faith,"  'twas  thus  he  spake; 

"It  were  a  coward's  deed." 

"With  curling  lips  and  flashing  eye, 

His  knightly  head  uplifted  high, 

As  tho'  'twould  death  defy, 

He  spoke  the  noblest  words  e'er  penned — 

"Before  these  lips  betray  a  friend, 

I  tell  you  I  will  die." 

"From  flashing  eye  the  tears  now  start — 
Those  tears  for  mother's  broken  heart. 
He  tears  his  buttons  loose: 
"I  pray  you  these  my  mother  bear." 
A  moment  spared  for  silent  prayer, 
He  dangles  at  the  noose. 

"That  fatal  noose  is  glorified, 

For  thro'  its  port  the  deified, 

Heroic  soul  did  fly. 

His  proudest  epitaph,  the  vain 

Remorse  of  him  who  judged  the  slain: 

"Too  brave,  too  brave  to  die." 


General  George  Maney  was  then  called  for  and  responded  in  an 
eloquent  manner.  Miss  Omagh  Armstrong  then  sang  "In  the  Chris 
tian's  Home  in  Glory"  and  "In  the  Sweet  Bye-and-Bye."  Dr.  Win 
chester  of  Nashville  delivered  the  benediction  and  the  crowd  went  to 
the  grave,  where  great  masses  of  flowers  literally  hid  it  from  view. 
The  floral  designs  were  elaborate  and  beautiful  and  the  reverent 
spreading  of  them  over  the  sacred  spot  was  a  fitting  climax  to  the  day's 
event. 


ANOTHER  HERO  WHOSE  HONORnWAS  WITHOUT  PRICE. 


Mrs.  J.  K.  Brantly,  formerly  Miss  Mary  Swindle,  of  Little  Rock, 
Ark.,  was  intimately  acquainted  with  the  young  hero  martyr,  David 
O.  Dodd,  and  was  escorted  by  him  to  an  informal  dancing  party  on 
the  evening  preceding  his  capture.  She  also  saw  him  being  carried  to 
his  execution,  the  cortege  passing  her  father's  house.  At  the  request 
of  Dr.  S.  S.  Stewart,  of  Little  Rock,  she  dictated  the  following  sketch : 

"David  O.  Dodd,  son  of  Andrew  and  Lydia  Owen  Dodd,  was 
born  in  Texas,  but  reared  in  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  and  educated  in  St. 
John's  Masonic  College  in  Little  Rock.  At  the  time  of  his  execution 
he  was  not  yet  eighteen  years  old  and  rather  small  for  his  age,  but 
was  an  unusually  handsome  and  manly,  though  extremely  modest, 
little  fellow.  In  September,  1863,  the  Federal  troops,  about  thirty 
thousand  strong,  under  General  Steel,  occupied  Little  Rock,  all  the 
male  citizens  capable  of  serving  in  the  army  withdrawing  under  Gen 
eral  Fagan  to  the  vicinity  of  Camden  and  leaving  the  city  occupied 
only  by  the  old  men,  women  and  children.  Among  the  refugees  were 
all  the  members  of  David  O.  Dodd's  family,  he  and  his  father  joining 
General  Fagan,  his  mother  and  sisters  going  farther  South.  David 
was  sent  back  into  Little  Rock  on  some  private  business  for  his  fam 
ily  and  with  instructions  to  find  out  what  he  could  about  the  Yan 
kees,  their  location,  etc.,  and  remained  here  several  weeks.  Having 
possessed  himself  with  information  concerning  the  enemy's  strength 
and  movements,  he  started  South  again,  and  safely  passed  all  the 
pickets,  but  was  overtaken  by  a  party  of  Federals,  scouts  perhaps, 
who  searched  him  and  found  secreted  on  his  person  documents  in 
telegraphic  code,  maps  of  the  fortifications,  etc.  He  was  imprisoned 
6ut  was  offered  his  liberty  if  he  would  disclose  the  name  of  the  parties 
from  whom  he  had  received  his  messages.  This  he  steadfastly  refused 
to  do,  declaring  that  he  had  assumed  a  man's  duties  and  would  abide 
the  consequences.  Every  possible  effort  in  his  behalf  was  made  by 
the  citizens  of  Little  Rock,  but  in  vain,  and  on  January  8,  1864,  ne  was 
executed.  He  asked  that  he  might  be  shot  to  death,  but  this  request 
was  refused,  and  he  was  hanged  on  one  of  the  trees  of  the  campus  of 
St.  John's  College,  where  he  had  gone  to  school.  The  execution  took 
place  in  the  presence  of  a  full  regiment  of  Federal  soldiers,  one  of  whom 
fainted  dead  away  at  the  sight,  and  another,  in  speaking  of  it  after 
wards  to  my  father,  wept  and  declared  that  he  would  have  refused 
to  be  present  had  he  known  that  a  mere  boy  and  not  a  man  was  to  be 
hanged.  The  remains  were  taken  with  the  rope  still  about  his  neck 


2Y6 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


to  the  residence  of  Mr.  Barney  Knighton  and  were  interred  in  the 
presence  of  only  the  members  of  Blank's  family  (David  Dodd's 
cousins)  and  of  Rev.  Colburn,  the  Methodist  minister.  No  prayers 
or  funeral  services  of  any  kind  were  permitted." 

During  the   "Reconstruction   Days"   the  people   of   Little   Rock, 
impoverished  as  they  were,  erected  in  Mt.  Holly  cemetery  a  modest 


DAVID  O.  DODD,  SEVENTEEN  YEAR 
OLD  BOY  HUNG  AT  LITTLE  ROCK,  ARK. , 
BECAUSE  HE  WOULD  NOT  CONFESS. 

stone  column  that  bears  the  following  inscription: 

'*Here   Lie    the   Remains    of 

David  O.  Dodd, 
Born  in  Lavaca  County,  Texas, 

November  10,  1846, 
Died  January  8,  1864." 

A  poem  has  been  recently  penned  at  the  instance  of  the  author, 
by  Will  T.  Hale  "one  of  Tennessee's  poets,"  which  reflects  great  credit 
upon  the  writer  and  beautifully  portrays  David  O.  Dodd's  character. 
I  commend  it  to  the  consideration  of  the  reader. 


DAVID  O.  DODD  —MARTYR.  277 


DAVID  O.  DODD — MARTYR. 


War  rules  declare  that  a  man  shall  die 
An  odious  death  if  taken  a  spy; 
But  when  for  duty  and  right  he  dies, 
He  even  the  gallows  glorifies. 

I  have  in  memory  an  humble  lad, 
Buoyant  with  hope,  in  sweet  dreams  glad, 
Who  heeded  his  country's  call  to  dare, 
Defying  the  worst,  awake  and  aware. 

A  few  months  passed,  and  he  stood  unswerved 
To  forfeit  his  life  for  the  cause  he  served : 
"Do  thus,"  was  offered,  "and  we  will  save; 
Refuse,  and  there  is  the  noisome  grave." 

Christ  knoweth  the  appeals  to  hopes  and  fears 
This  choice  must  make  to  seventeen  years : 
Yet  no  temptation  before  him  thrust 
Could  bring  betrayal  of  any  trust ! 

His  life  was  short,  but  his  fame  is  long, 

Worthy  of  story,  inspiring  of  song: 

For  when  for  duty  and  right  one  dies, 

He  even  the  gallows  glorifies. 

Dr.  S.  Smith  Stewart,  after  searching  a  good  many  hours  among 
the  old  files  of  the  Little  Rock  National  Democrat,  found  the  follow 
ing  article,  written  for  said  paper  by  V.  C.  Meadior,  editor,  and  pub 
lished  January  9,  1864,  under  the  caption: 

EXECUTION  OF  DAVID  O.   DODD,   A  REBEL  SPY. 

"In  another  column  will  be  seen  the  findings  of  the  military  com 
mission  convened  by  special  order  for  the  trial  of  David  O.  Dodd, 
charged  with  being  a  Rebel  spy.  The  sentence  was  executed  yes 
terday  at  three  and  a  half  o'clock  p.  m.  in  front  of  St.  John's  College, 
in  the  presence  of  six  thousand  persons.  We  were  there,  not  because 
it  is  pleasant  to  witness  a  scene  so  revolting  to  human  nature,  but  to 
sketch  the  event  and  to  get  pencillings  of  the  prospect  presented.  The 
painful  though  imperative  duty  was  assigned  to  the  Provost  Marshal 
General,  under  whose  personal  directions  the  whole  thing  was  con- 
dudted: 

"The  college  building  in  the  rear,  covered  with  gazing  spectators, 
and  the  surrounding  yard  trees  into  which  men  had  climbed  to  look  on, 
presented  an  imposing  view  from  the  front.  The  young  man  had 
received  his  education  in  those  college  walls  and!  rambled  with  merry 
playmates  in  the  grove.  It  seemed  indeed  a  strange  destiny  that 
brought  him  there  to  expiate  the  highest  crime  known  to  military  law. 


278  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Colonel  Ritter's  cavalry  brigade,  five  lines  deep,  formed  the  front  of 
the  square,  while  infantry  of  the  second  and  third  division  formed  to 
the  right  and  left  and4  in  the  rear,  while  a  vast  throng  of  citizens 
and  soldiers,  not  in  arms,  crowded  the  open  space  outside.  The  scaf 
fold  in  the  center  of  the  square  was  under  the  supervision  of  Lieuten 
ant  Dekay,  assistant  provost  marshal  and  chief  of  army  police,  who  in 
discharge  of  a  military  duty  happily  combined  a  cool,  determined  pur 
pose  with  charity  and  human  kindness. 

"The  Rev.  Dr.  Colburn  had  been  summoned  by  the  young  man 
to  attend  as  a  spiritual  adviser,  but  (owing  to  ill  health)  had  aban 
doned  him  a  short  time  before  the  execution,  without  giving  notice 
to  the  authorities.  Hence  the  Rev.  Dr.  Peck  was  requested  to  attend 
with  the  promises  and  consolations  of  divine  mercy,  and  the  young 
man  met  his  doom  with  seeming  calmness  and  composure.  The  death 
struggle  lasted  but  a  few  moments  and  all  was  over. 

"David  O.  Dodd,  according  to  a  certificate  of  his  father's  found  on 
his  person,  was  in  his  eighteenth  year,  was  born  of  the  most  respect 
able  parentage  and  good  family.  Since  the  occupancy  of  Little  Rock 
by  the  Union  army,  until  within  six  weeks  past,  he.  had  been  clerk 
ing  in  a  suttler's  store  on  Markham  street.  His  father,  ;about  that 
time  having  obtained  permission  from  General  Steel,  went  South  with 
his  family.  Dodd  returned  the  day  before  Christmas,  pretendingly 
upon  a  business  transaction. 

"He  obtained  a  pass  from  the  Provost  Marshal  to  go  a  few  miles 
in  the  country  two  days  before  he  left  the  city.  Passed  the  inside 
chain  guard  on  the  Benton  road  on  the  3ist  of  December  and  was 
arrested  by  an  officer  of  General  Davidson's  cavalry  on  a  road  lead 
ing  to  Hot  Springs.  On  his  person  were  found  contraband  letters 
and  a  blank  book  containing  telegraphic  characters,  indicating  in 
part  the  strength  and  position  of  the  garrison  of  Little  Rock.  Also 
a  pass  from  a  Rebel  officer  to  go  in  and  out  of  their  lines  at  pleasure. 
His  trial  before  the  commission,  of  which  General  Thayer  was  presi 
dent,  lasted  four  days  and  every  opportunity  was  afforded  to  give 
him  a  chance  to  prove  his  innocence. 

"Pending  the  trial  and  until  sentence  was  passed  he  plead  not 
guilty.  But  yesterday  morning  he  confessed  that  he  was  sent  by 
General  Fagan  to  obtain  information;  that  he  desired  to  visit  Little 
Rock  and  that  Fagan  would  not  allow  him  a  pass  except  upon  thaf 
condition.  He  was  a  promising  young  man,  misguided  and  sacri 
ficed  to  Southern  devotion.  It  is  a  pity  and  should  be  a  warning  to 
others.  The  people  of  Arkansas  must  recognize  the  fact  that  there 
is  a  conquering  army  permanent  amongst  them,  with  a  commander 
whose  generous  nature  is  only  equaled  by  a  firm  adherence  to  mili 
tary  duty.  Those  who  would  trespass  upon  the  kindness  of  such  an 
officer  the  more  deserve  to  suffer. 

"There  may  be  those  who  think  Dodd's  youth  should  have  excused 
him.  It  is  true  that  it  makes  it  the  more  to  be  regretted,  but  the  re 
sponsibility  rests  with  those  who  engaged  him  for  such  sennce,  The 


MAJOR  E.  C.  LEWIS,  CHAIRMAN 


HON.  JOHN.  W.  CHILDRESS. 


HON.   G.   II.   BASKETTE. 


MEMBERS  OF  COMMITTEE  UNDER  RESOLUTION  ON  TENNESSEE 
LEGISLATURE  FOR  LOCATING  SAM  DAVIS'  MONUMENT. 


280  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

executor  of  the  law,  as  well  as  a  vast  circle  of  friends,  have  the  warm 
est  sympathy  for  the  family  who  will  learn  his  sad  fate. 

"The  following  letter  was  written  by  the  young  man  to  his  pa 
rents.  It  shows  the  resignation  with  which  he  met  his  fate,  and  will 
be  forwarded  through  the  lines  by  the  Provost  Marshal  General. 

"  'Military  Prison,  Little  Rock, 

"  'January  8,  10  o'clock  a.  m.,  1864. 

"  'My  Dear  Parents  and  Sisters : — I  was  arrested!  as  a  spy  and 
tried  and  was  sentenced  to  be  hung  today  at  3  o'clock.  The  time  is 
fast  approaching,  but,  thank  God!  I  am  prepared  to  die.  I  expect  to 
meet  you  all  in  Heaven.  Do  not  weep  for  me,  for  I  will  be  better  off 
in  Heaven.  I  will  soon  be  out  of  this  world  of  sorrow  and  trouble. 
I  would  like  to  see  you  all  before  I  die,  but  let  God's  will  be  done,  not 
ours.  I  pray  to  God  to  give  you  strength  to  bear  your  troubles  while 
in  this  world.  I  hope  God  will  receive  you  in  Heaven;  there  I  will 
meet  you. 

"Mother,  I  know  it  will  be  hard  for  you  to  give  up  your  only 
son,  but  you  must  remember  it  is  God's  will.  Goodbye !  God  will  give 
you  strength  to  bear  your  troubles.  I  pray  that  we  may  meet  in 
Heaven.  Goodby!  God  will  bless  you  all. 

"  'Your  son  and  brother, 

'"DAVID  O.  DODD.' " 

Tennessee  proposes  to  honor  her  dead  hero,  as  shown  from  the 
following  joint  resolution  of  the  Fifty-first  General  Assembly : 

WHEREAS,  Mr.  S.  A.  Cunningham,  editor  of  the  Confederate 
Veteran,  undertook  some  time  ago  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  Sam 
Davis,  the  Confederate  hero  and  scout,  by  opening  a  popular  sub 
scription  through  the  columns  of  his  magazine  for  a  fund  to  erect 
a  shaft  or  monument  to  stand  as  a  continual  example  to  future  genera 
tion  of  the  people's  appreciation  of  self  sacrifice  and  loyalty  to  coun 
try  and  dluty.  About  $2,100  has  already  been  subscribed  and  now  in 
his  hands,  and  Mr.  Cunningham  is  desirous  that  the  fund  be  turned 
over  to  a  committee  appointed  by  the  General  Assembly,  who  shall 
be  empowered  to  receive  said  sums  and  any  other  amount  that  may 
be  hereafter  contributed  and  proceed  at  their  discretion  to  select  a 
site  on  Capitol  Hill  and  to  erect  such  shaft  or  monument  as  contem 
plated  by  the  contributors  of  this  fund,  and  place  thereon  a  suitable 
inscription  commemorative  of  the  valor  ancJ  deeds  of  this  Tennesseean : 

BE  IT  THEREFORE  RESOLVED,  That  S.  A.  Cunningham,  John  M. 
Lea,  Joseph  W.  Allen,  John  W.  Thomas,  R.  H.  Dudley,  G.  H.  Baskette, 
John  W.  Childress,  E.  C.  Lewis,  and  John  C.  Kennedy  be,  and  they 
are,  hereby  authorized  and  empowered  to  receive  such  funds  now  on 
hand,  or  that  may  be  hereafter  contributed,  and  carry  into  effect,  in 
such  manner  as  their  judgment  may  dictate,  the  object  and  purpose 


DAVID  O.   DODD — MARTYR.  281 

of  this  resolution. 

"Adopted  April  22,  1899. 

"SEID  WADDELL, 

"Speaker  of  the  Senate. 
"JOSEPH  W.  BYRNS, 

"Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
"Approved  April  22,   1899. 

BENTON  McMiLLAN,  Governor." 

This  committee  met  in  the  Veteran  office  in  Nashville  and  or 
ganized  by  making  E.  C.  Lewis  chairman,  and  in  a  body  selected  a 
site  on  Capitol  Hill  on  which  to  erect  a  handsome  monument  to  the 
memory  of  Sam  Davis,  whenever  $5,000  was  contributed.. 

Since  Davidi  O.  Dodd  died  in  the  same  way,  and  for  the  same 
cause,  will  not  the  great  State  of  Arkansas  in  a  similar  way  commem 
orate  his  memory? 


CAMP  SCENES  AROUND  DALTON. 

I  verily  believe  that  almost  every  soldkr  who  followed  our  for 
tunes  and  misfortunes  from  1861  to  1865  could  write  a  book  of  inci 
dents  and  accidents  out  of  the  usual  routine,  original  in  their  concep 
tion  and  unique  in  their  development.  Everything  seemed  new  to 
Jiose  of  us  who  had  never  known  of  hardship  nor  experienced  the 
trials  and  vicissitudes  of  life,  and  there  was  never  monotony  in  camp. 

One  day  at  Dalton  I  spied  several  men  in  a  regiment  with  their 
heads  and  arms  in  "stocks,"  a  form  of  punishment  said4  to  have  been 
used  in  England  away  back  in  1350,  and  inflicted  as  a  punishment  for 
offenses  of  less  heinous  crimes  in  the  days  of  Charles  I.  and  II.  It 
seems  that  Georgia  had  kept  up  the  old  plan,  and  in  this  Georgia  regi 
ment,  instead  of  the  guard  houses  or  other  punishments  more  modern, 
this  was  adopted.  Our  Tennessee  boys  could  not  understand  it,  and 
pronounced  it  cruel  and  made  a  raid  on  that  regiment  and  took  the 
soldiers  out  of  the  stocks.  Inquiry  led  me  to  find  out  that  this  gen 
erally  obsolete  mode  of  punishment  was  yet  common  in  some  parts  of 
the  South.  Shortly  after  this  I  chanced  to  visit  a  large  slaveholder's 
home.  One  of  his  negroes  (they  called  him  "Chunkie")  had  run 
away.  The  negro  foreman  came  in  one  afternoon  and  said  that  they 
had  found  "Chunkie's"  hiding  place.  I  was  granted  permission  that 
night  to  accompany  the  foreman  in  the  hunt.  We  wandered  over 
fields,  gullies  and  thickets,  until  we  came  to  a  dense  piney  woods,  on 
either  side  of  which  the  indentation  gradually  descended  until  away 
down  in  the  bottom  a  little  fire  was  seen  and  some  one  lying  by  it. 
The  foreman  said :  "That's  'Chunkie.' '  Without  noise,  and  in  a 
creep,  without  the  break  of  a  stick  or  the  sound  of  a  footstep,  we 
stealthily  stole  in  and  got  up  with  "Chunkie,"  who  was  snoring  th? 
hours  peacefully  away.  We  took  him  to  his  master,  who  placed 
him  in  "stocks"  till  morning.  In  the  "stocks"  securing  "Chunkie," 
his  ankles  were  so  placed  as  to  prevent  his  feet  from  get 
ting  through.  In  those  in  Dalton  the  soldier's  head  was  inserted,  his 
arms  akimbo,  hands  secured,  and  he  stood  so  that  afterwards,  in 
reading  of  the  "Blue  Laws  of  Connecticut,"  the  idea  more  vividly 
came  upon  me  when  I  came  to  the  saying:  "Set  him  down  in  the 
stocks  or  stand  him  in  the  pillory."  Did  you  ever  see  a  soldier  bucked 
and  gagged  ?  They  would  take  a  piece  of  sackcloth,  wrap  it  around 
a  bayonet,  open  the  soldier's  mouth  and  put  it  in  there  to  stay  until 
the  cruelty  became  brutal.  The  man's  neck  would  turn  black  some 
times  before  he  would  give  up.  Did  you  ever  see  a  soldier  "swung  up 


CAMP   SCENES  AROUiND  DALTON. 


283 


by  the  thumbs?"    These  were  some  of  the  most  rigid  punishments  for 
insubordination. 

There  was  another  scene  at  Dalton — the  product,  they  say,  of 
the  South.  They  probably  got  it  from  Judge  Longstreet  in  his  "Geor 
gia  Scenes" — a  real  gander  pulling.  One  day  I  noticed  a  crowd  of 
cavalry  in  the  highest  glee.  After  the  hat  went  around  for  the  shin 


GANDER  PULLING. 

plasters  for  the  winner  they  would  start  from  a  given  point  under 
whip  and  spur,  run  between  two  trees,  along  which  was  stretched 
a  line,  and  from  which  hung  a  gander  with  a  greased  head,  and  try 
to  pull  it  off.  By  each  tree  stood  a  soldier  with  whip  to  strike  the 
horses  when  the  rider  was  in  the  act  of  grabbing  for  the  gander's 
head.  To  one  who  has  never  tried  it  the  difficulty  is  hard  to  realize. 
The  gander  is  tied  by  the  feet,  head  greased,  and  his  dodging  puts 
your  skill  to  the  test.  Should  you  catch  the  head  it  is  so  slick  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  hold  it. 

That  snow-balling  at  Dalton,  the  Army  of  Tennessee  I  will  never 
forget.  It  was  the  biggest  fight — for  fun — I  ever  saw  and  there 
was  so  much  rivalry  between  the  troops  that  a  number  of  soldiers 
had  their  eyes  put  out. 

The  review  of  the  army  there  on  the  occasion  of  President  Davis' 
visit  was  a  notable  event.  One  of  the  saddest  spectacles  at  Dalton 
was  the  falling  of  a  dead  tree  one  Saturday  night  in  a  congregation 
of  soldiers.  It  resulted  in  the  outright  killing  of  ten  and  the  death  of 
one  other  the  next  day.  Drs.  C.  D.  Elliott,  John  B.  McFerrin  and  De- 
Witt  conducted  services.  The  sermon  was  finished  and  comrades  as 
well  as  chaplains  were  praying  with  the  penitent  when  a  dead  tree,  hav 
ing  burned  at  the  roots,  fell  across  the  altar  place.  But  the  scene  above 
all  that  impressed  me  was  the  shooting  of  fifteen  deserters  from  the 
army — two  ,\om  Stewart's  division,  eight  from  Stevenson's  and  five 


CAMf  SCENES  AROUND   DAKf Otf.  285 

from  other  commands  of  infantry  and  cavalry.  Early  in  the  morn 
ing  a  detail  from  the  provost  guard  marched  to  General  Stewart's 
headquarters,  stacked  their  arms  and  left.  Staff  officers  were  or 
dered  to  load  the  guns  for  the  execution  in  their  divisions,  half  with 
blank  cartridges  and  the  other  half  with  buck  and  ball.  After  this 
was  done  the  guns  were  so  changed  that  those  who  had  loaded  them 


REV.   DR.   DEWITT. 

could-  not  tell  the  loaded  from  those  with  blank  cartridges.  The  detail 
then  returned-  and  took  them.  This  done,  Colonel  Robert  Henderson 
commanding  the  gallant  Georgians  sought  our  general  to  ask  him 
assistance  in  getting  a  young  soldier  of  his  regiment  reprieved.  The 
father  of  the  condemned  soldier  was  with  him,  and  the  pitiful,  anxi 
ous  look  of  the  old  gentleman  so  impressed  us  as  to  excite  heart-felt 
sympathy.  The  young  fellow  had  deserted  to  the  enemy,  and  was  con 
demned  together  with  another  of  his  command  to  die.  Colonel  Hen 
derson  impressed  General  Stewart  that  the  soldier  was  a  half-witted 
fellow,  partially  devoid  of  reason,  and  almost  bordering  on  idiocy. 
He  ordered  his  horse  and  together  with  Colonel  Henderson  and  the 
old  father,  left  for  General  Johnston's  headquarters.  The  suspense 
of  that  hour  and  the  breathless  anxiety  for  their  return  was  great 
to  us  all.  It  was  then  9  o'clock,  and  about  n  he  was  to  be  shot. 
Ten  o'clock  came.  Stewart's  division  was  forming  into  line  in  a  semi- 
square  to  witness  the  death  scene.  About  half  past  ten  o'clock  the 
officers  and  the  old  father  were  seen  on  their  return,  and  from  the 
smile  on  their  faces  and  the  apparent  delight  upon  the  countenances 
of  the  others,  we  knew  that  they  had  favorable  promise  of  saving  a 
human  life.  The  doome'd  men  were  brought  out,  and  to  the  tune  of 
the  "Dead  March"  were  conducted  around  the  square,  an  ambulance 
following  with  their  coffiins.  When  the  provost  guard  filed  to  their 


BATTLES  ANt>  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


places  and  the  men  were  being  blindfolded  a  courier  came  under 
whip  and  spur  from  General  Johnston's  headquarters  with  an  order 
staying  the  execution  of  the  old  father's  boy.  The  other  poor  fellows 
knelt  at  the  foot  of  the  graves  dug  for  them,  and  the  guards  fired. 
To  this  good  day  I  thank  my  stars  that  those  who  loaded  them  and 
those  who  fired  them  were  left  in  comforting  ignorance  as  to  which 
guns  were  loaded.  A  short  time  after  this  the  half-witted  soldier 
who  so  narrowly  escaped  is  said  to  have  again  deserted  to  the  enemy, 
showing  persistent  method  in  his  madness.  In  some  of  the  commands 
the  guard  made  a  "botch"  of  their  work,  and  had  to  shoot  the  doomed 
men  twice. 

The  executions  recall  to  me  several  pathetic  memories.  Just 
after  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  a  man  from  Colonel  Lillard's  East 
Tennessee  regiment,  Brown's  brigade,  was  tried  by  drum-head  court- 
martial  arid  shot,  in  the  face  of  the  enemy  fronting  Missionary  Ridge. 
He  had  deserted  before  the  battle,  joined  the  enemy  and  was  captured 
by  his  own  regiment  during  the  battle  in  a  uniform  of  blue,  and  paid 
the  penalty.  But  the  most  affecting  execution  was  just  before  the  bat 
tle  of  Murfreesboro  (Stone's  River).  A  Kentuckian  had  disappeared 
from  his  regiment  and  gone  home.  A  scout  captured  him  in  the  Fed 
eral  lines.  He  claimed  to  be  returning;  that  he  had  gone  hence  on 
a  plea  from  his  wife  and  children  of  being  in  want;  that  on  supply 
ing  them  he  was  en  route  to  join  his  command.  A  court-martial  was 
demanded.  General  Breckinridge,  it  is  said,  urged  the  prisoner  to 
wait  until  after  the  battle,  then  in  contemplation,  before  being  tried. 
The  soldier  declined,  saying  that  he  was  no  deserter  and  that  the  trial 
must  come.  The  court-martial  sat  and  the  prisoner  was  con 
demned  and  shot.  It  created  a  profound  sensation  in  the  Army  of 
Tennessee  and  incensed  Hanson's  Kentucky  brigade  beyond  measure. 
"Rash,  fruitless  war,  from  wanton  glory  waged ! 
'Tis  only  splendid'  murder!" 


MRS.  DAVIS'  INFLUENCE  WITH  THE  PRESIDENT. 

I  read  a  touching  incident  of  General  Lee  pardoning  a  soldier 
who  showed  that  the  cause  of  his  leaving  his  command  was  only 
temporary  absence  to  look  after  the  immediate  wants  of  his  family, 
which  revives  the  story  told  by  my  fellow  staff  officer,  Lieutenant 
Isnarde,  under  General  A.  P.  Stewart,  while  we  were  in  winter  quar 
ters  near  Dalton,  in  1863-1864.  Lieutenant  Isnarde  was  an  assistant 
ordnance  officer  under  Captain  J.  W.  Stewart,  of  Stewart's  staff. 
He  was  scrupulously  exact  in  all  his  doings  and  a  man  whose  veracity, 
with  those  who  knew  him,  was  never  brought  into  question.  They 
sent  him  to  Richmond  on  business  connected  with  his  department. 
He  noticed  while  en  route  a  well  dressed  woman  in  his  car,  with  sor 
row  depicted  on  her  brow;  occasionally  she  was  in  tears.  Traveling 
companions  became  sensationally  bewildered  about  her  trouble.  Is 
narde,  a  polite,  affable  Frenchman  of  the  most  delicate  sensibilities, 
had  his  sympathies  so  moved  that  involuntarily,  in  the  suave  manner 
so  characteristic  of  French  civility,  he  approached  the  woman  and 
asked  the  cause  of  her  heavy  sorrow.  She  said  that  she  was  en 
route  for  Richmond  to  see  the  last  of  her  husband,  who  was  con 
demned  to  be  shot  under  the  charge  of  desertion;  that  she  and  chil 
dren  were  on  the  verge  of  starvation.  She  informd  her  husband, 
and  he  went  home  for  one  week,  made  provision  for  them  and  was 
arrested  on  his  way  back.  Isnarde  asked  her  if  her  husband  belonged 
to  any  of  the  secret  fraternities.  She  replied :  "Yes ;  Odd  Fellows." 
Isnarde  claimed  to  be  a  Mason,  but  he  told  her  that  he  would,  al 
though  a  stranger  in  Richmond,  do  everything  he  could  for  her. 

Upon  arriving  in  Richmond  he  accompanied  the  woman  to  the 
President's  mansion.  President  Davis  was  too  busy  to  see  them. 
Isnarde  said  that  having  failed  in  this  it  occurred  to  him  that  the 
"winning  card  to  play"  was  to  call  on  Mrs.  Davis  and  get  her  inter 
ested.  So  he  sent  in  his  card  with  an  urgent  request.  Isnarde  and  the 
lady  were  ushered  into  the  reception  room.  They  unfolded  to  Mrs. 
Davis  the  mission  and  circumstances  under  which  they  had  met.  He 
very  earnestly  besought  her  interference  for  the  doomed  man  and  the 
woman  pleaded  pitifully  for  her  husband's  reprieve,  exciting  Mrs. 
Davis'  deepest  sympathies.  The  happy  result  of  that  visit  was  that 
Mrs.  Davis  remarked  on  parting:  "If  I  can  influence  Mr.  Davis,  I'll 
stop  that  execution."  The  next  morning  an  order  came  from  the 
President  pardoning  the  doomed  man. 

On   the  next  day  the  soldier  and  his  wife  sought  Lieutenant 


288  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  otf  TENNESSEE. 

Isnarde  at  his  hotel  to  thank  him,  and  he  was  the  happiest  man  when 
he  returned  to  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  in  having"  been  instrumental 
in  saving  the  life  of  that  soldier.  I  have  forgotten  his  name,  and 
poor  Isnarde  is  not  living  to  tell  me.  This  I  do  know :  The  story  of 
the  incident  impressed  me  deeply,  and  from  the  character  Lieutenant 
Isnarde  bore  with  us,  Stewart  and  his  staff,  and  those  who  knew  him, 
believed  what  he  said 


GENERAL  PATRICK  CLEBURNE, 

THE  AUGEREAU  OF  THE  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


GENERAL  P.  E.  CLEBURNE  CALLS  THE  OFFICERS  AT 
DALTON  TOGETHER  TO  HEAR  A  PAPER  PRO 
POSING  TO  FREE  THE  SLAVES. 

On  January  2,  1864,  at  Dalton,  Ga.,  the  general  officers  were  sum 
moned  to  General  Johston's  headquarters  to  hear  a  paper  prepared 
by  General  P.  R.  Cleburne  proposing  to  emancipate  our  slaves  and  put 
muskets  in  their  hands,  thereby  insuring  an  equality,  if  not  superior 
ity  of  numbers  over  our  enemies.  As  one  of  the  intensely  interest 
ing  camp  scenes  in  military  circles  I  will  introduce  Major-General  W. 
H.  T.  Walker's  letter  to  the  President,  the  President's  answer  to  a  me 
morial  of  General  Cleburne,  the  circular  of  General  J.  E.  Johnston,  and 
General  Johnston's  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War.  Whilst  none  of 
the  officer's  favored  the  scheme,  yet  some  thought  that  the  total  dis 
integration  of  the  army  would  follow  any  proposition  to  arm  the 
slaves.  A  Federal  officer  in  high  position  told  me  that  if  this  had 
been  done  it  would  have  prolonged-  the  struggle.  Had  General  Cle- 
burne's  idea  been  carried  out,  it  perhaps  would  not  have  brought 
about  the  disintegration  thought  of,  and  would  have  counteracted  the 
Federal  idea  of  enlisting  them  in  their  ranks. 

Headquarters  Division, 

Near  Dalton,  January  12,  1864. 

His  Excellency  Jefferson  Davis,  President  of  the  Confederate  States: 
I  feel  it  my  duty  as  an  officer  of  the  army  to  la;y  before  the 
Chief  Magistrate  of  the  Southern  Confederacy  the  within  document, 
which  was  read-  on  the  night  of  the  2nd  of  January,  1864,  at  a  meet 
ing  which  I  attended  in  obedience  to  the  following  order : 

"Headquarters  Hardee's  Corps, 

Dalton,  Ga.,  January  2,   1864. 
"Major-General  Walker,  Commanding  Division: 

"General : — Lieutenant-General  Hardee  desires  that  you  will  meet 
him   at   General  Johnston's   headquarters   this   evening  at  7   o'clock. 
"Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"D.  H.  POOLE, 
"Assistant   Adjutant-General." 

Having  after  the  meeting  adjourned  expressed  my  determina 
tion  to  apply  to  General  Cleburne  for  a  copy  of  the  document  to  for- 


290  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

ward-  to  the  War  Department,  some  of  the  gentlemen  who  were  pres 
ent  at  that  meeting  insisted  upon  their  sentiments  on  so  grave  a  sub 
ject  being  known  to  the  Executive.  I  informed  them  that  I  would 
address  a  letter  to  each  of  the  gentlemen  present  at  the  meeting, 
which  I  did.  I  addressed  a  note  to  General  Cleburne  asking  him  for 
a  copy  of  the  document,  and  informing  him  that  I  felt  it  my  duty  to 
forward  it  to  the  War  Department;  that  should  he  do  so  I  would  of 
course  give  him  a  copy  of  the  endorsement  I  made  on  it.  He  furnished 
me  with  a  copy  and  avowed  himself  the  author.  I  applied  to  the  com 
manding  general  for  permission  to  send  it  to  the  War  Department 
through  the  proper  official  channel,  which  for  reasons  satisfactory 
to  himself  he  declined  to  dc ;  hence  the  reason  for  it  not  reaching  you 
through  the  official  channel.  The  gravity  of  the  subject,  the  mag 
nitude  of  the  issues  involved,  and  my  strong  convictions  that  the 
further  agitation  of  such  sentiments  and  propositions  would  ruin 
the  efficiency  of  our  army  and  involve  our  cause  in  ruin  and-  disgrace, 
constitute  my  reasons  for  bringing  the  document  before  the  Executive. 

W.  H.  T.  WALKER, 

Major-General. 


PRESIDENT  DAVIS  REPLIES. 


Richmond,  Va.,  January  13,  1864. 
General  W.  H.  T.  Walker,  Army  of  Tennessee,  Dalton,  Ga. 

General : — I  have  received  your  letter  with  its  enclosure  informing 
me  of  the  propositions  submitted  to  a  meeting  of  the  general  officers 
on  the  2nd  instant,  and  thank  you  for  the  information.  Deeming  it 
to  be  injurious  to  the  public  service  that  such  subject  should  be  mooted 
or  even  known  to  be  entertained  by  persons  possessed  of  confidence 
and  respect  of  the  people,  I  have  concluded  that  the  best  policy  under 
the  circumstances  will  be  to  avoid  all  publicity,  and  the  Secretary  of 
War  has  therefore  written  to  General  Johnston  requesting  him  to  con 
vey  to  those  concerned  my  desire  that  it  should  be  kept  private.  If 
it  be  kept  out  of  the  public  journals  its  ill  effect  will  be  much  lessened. 
Very  respectfully  and  truly  yours, 
JEFFERSON  DAVIS. 

GENERAL  PATTON  ANDERSON  EXERCISED. 


Dalton,  Ga.,  January  14,  1864. 

(Confidential.) 
Lieutenant-General  L.  Polk,  Enterprise,  Miss. 

General : — After  you  have  read  what  I  am  about  to  disclose  to 
you,  I  hope  you  will  not  think  I  have  assumed  any  unwarrantable 
intimacy  in  marking  this  commuincation  as  confidential. 

My  thoughts  for  ten  days  past  have  been  so  oppressed  with  the 
weight  of  the  subject  as  to  arouse  in  my  mind  the  most  painful  appre 
hensions  of  future  results,  and  has  caused  me  to  cast  about  for  a 


A  PAPER  PROPOSING  TO  FREE  THE  SLAVES.  291 

friend:  of  clear  head,  ripe  judgment  and  pure  patriotism  with  whom 
to  confer  and  take  counsel.  My  choice  has  fallen  upon  you,  sir,  and 
I  proceed  at  once  to  lay  the  matter  before  you.  On  the  2nd  of-  Janu 
ary  I  received  a  circular  order  from  the  headquarters,  Hindman's 
corps,  informing  me  that  the  commanding  general  of  the  army  de 
sired  division  commanders  to  meet  him  at  his  quarters  at  7  o'clock 
that  evening.  At  the  hour  designated  I  was  at  the  appointed  place. 
I  met  in  the  room  General  Johnston,  Lieutenant-General  Hardee, 
Major-Generals  Walker,  Stewart  and  Stevenson,  and  in  a  moment 
afterwards  Major-Generals  Hindman  and  Cleburne  entered,  Briga 
dier-General  Bate  coming  in  a  few  moments  later — the  whole,  with 
the  general  commanding,  embracing  all  the  corps  and  division  com 
manders  (infantry)  of  this  army  except  Ma  jar-General  Cheatham, 
who  was  not  present.  In  a  few  minutes  General  Johnston  requested 
Lieutenant-General  Hardee  to  explain  the  object  of  the  meeting,  which 
he  did  by  stating  that  Major-General  Cleburne  had  prepared  with  great 
care  a  paper  on  an  important  subject  addressed-  to  the  officers  of  this 
army,  and  he  proposed  that  it  now  be  read.  General  Cleburne  pro 
ceeded  to  read  an  elaborate  article  on  the  subject  of  our  past  dis 
asters,  present  condition,  and  inevitable  future  ruin  unless  an  entire 
change  of  policy  might  avert  it.  That  change  he  boldly  and  proudly 
proposed  to  effect  by  emancipating  our  slaves  and  putting  muskets 
in  the  hands  of  all  of  them  capable  of  bearing  arms,  thus  securing 
them  to  us  as  allies  and*  equals,  and  insuring  a  superiority  of  num 
bers  over  our  enemies,  etc. 

Yes,  sir;  this  plain,  but  in  my  view  monstrous  proposition,  was 
calmly  submitted  to  the  generals  of  this  army  for  their  sanction  and 
adoption,  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  carrying  it  to  the  rank  and  file. 
I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  my  feelings  by  being  confronted  by  a 
project  so  startling  in  its  character — may  I  say  revolting  to  Southern 
sentiment,  Southern  pride  and  Southern  honor?  And  not  the  least 
painful  of  the  emotions  awakened  by  it  was  the  consciousness  which 
forced  itself  upon  me  that  it  met  with  favor  by  others  besides  the 
author  in  high  station  then  present.  You  have  a  place,  general,  in 
the  Southern  heart  perhaps  not  less  exalted  than  that  you  occupy  in 
her  army.  No  one  knows  better  than  yourself  all  the  hidden  powers 
and  secret  springs  which  move  the  great  moral  machinery  of  the 
South.  You  know  whence  she  derived  that  force  which  three  years 
ago  impelled  her  to  the  separation  and  has  since  that  time  to  the  pres 
ent  horu  enabled  her  to  lay  all  she  has,  even  the  blood  of  her  best  sons, 
upon  the  altar  of  independence.  And  do  you  believe  that  that  South 
will  now  listen  to  the  voices  of  those  who  would  ask  her  to  stultify 
herself  by  entertaining  a  proposition  which  heretofore  our  insolent 
foes  themselves  have  not  even  dared  to  make  in  terms  so  bold  and  un 
disguised?  What  are  we  to  do?  If  this  thing  is  once  openly  pro 
posed  to  the  army  the  total  disintegration  of  that  army  will  follow  in 
a  fortnight,  and  yet  to  speak  and  work  in  opposition  to  it,  is  an  agita 
tion  of  the  question  scarcely  less  to  be  dreaded  at  this  time,  and  brings 


292  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OE  TENNESSEE. 

down  the  universal  indignation  of  the  Southern  people  and  the  South 
ern  soldiers  upon  the  head  of  at  least  one  of  our  bravest  and  most 
accomplished  officers. 

Then,  I  repeat,  what  is  to  be  done?  What  relief  would  it  afford 
me  to  talk  to  you  about  this  matter !  But  as  that  may  not  be,  do  I  go 
too  far  in  asking  you  to  write  to  me?  I  start  in  a  few  days  to  my 
home  in  Monticello,  Fla.,  where  I  expect  to  spend  twenty  'days  with 
my  family,  and  I  assure  you,  general,  it  would  add  much  to  the  enjoy 
ment  of  my  visit  if  you  would  favor  me  by  mail  with  some  of  the  many 
thoughts  which  this  subject  will  arouse  in  your  mind. 

Believe  me,  general,  very  truly  your  friend, 
PATTON  ANDERSON." 

Dalton,  January  3ist,   1864. 
(Circular.) 
Lieutenant-General    Hardee,     Major-Generals    Cheatham,    Hindman, 

Cleburne,    Stewart,    Walker,    Brigadier-Generals    Bate    and 

P.  Anderson. 

General: — I  have  just  received  a  letter  from  the  Secretary  of  War 
in  reference  to  Major-General  Cleburne's  memoir  read  in  my  quar 
ters  about  the  2nd  instant.  In  this  letter  the  honorable  Secretary 
expresses  the  earnest  conviction  of  the  President  "that  the  dissemina 
tion  or  even  promulgation  of  such  opinions  under  the  present  circum 
stances  of  the  Confederacy,  whether  in  the  army  or  among  the  peo 
ple,  can  be  productive  of  only  discouragement,  destruction  and  dis 
sension.  The  agitation  and  controversy  which  must  spring  from  the 
presentation  of  such  views  by  officers  high  in  the  public  confidence 
are  to  be  deeply  deprecated,  and  while  no  doubt  or  mistrust  is  for  a. 
moment  entertained  of  the  patriotic  intents  of  the  gallant  author  of 
the  memorial  and  such  of  his  brother  officers  as  may  have  favored 
his  opinions,  it  is  requested-  that  you  communicate  to  them  as  well  as 
to  all  others  present  on  the  occasion,  the  opinions  herein  expressed, 
of  the  President,  and  urge  on  them  the  suppression,  not  only  of  the 
memorial  itself,  but  likewise  of  all  discussion  and  controversy  respect 
ing  or  growing  out  of  it.  I  would  add  that  the  measures  advocated 
in  the  memorial  are  considered  to  be  little  appropriate  for  consideration 
in  military  circles  and  indeed  in  their  scope  pass  beyond  the  bounds 
of  Confederate  action,  and  could  under  our  constitutional  system 
neither  be  recognized  or  recommended  by  the  Executive  to  Congress 
nor  be  entertained  by  that  body.  Such  views  can  only  jeopard  among 
the  States  and  people  unity  and  harmony,  when  for  successful  co 
operation  and  the  achievement  of  independence  both  are  essential." 
Most  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON, 

General. 


A  PAPER  PROPOSING  TO  FREE  THE  SLAVES^  293 

Dalton,  February  2,   1864. 
Hon.  Jas.  A.  Seddon,  Secreary  of  War. 

Sir: — I  had  the  honor  to  receive  the  letter  in  which  you  express 
the  views  of  the  President  in  relation  to  the  memorial  of  Major- 
General  Cleburne  on  the  3ist  ultimo,  and  immediately  transmitted 
his  instructions  in  your  own  language  to  the  officers  concerned.  None 
of  the  officers  to  whom  the  memorial  was  read  favored  the  scheme ; 
and  Majo/r-General  Cleburne,  as  soon  as  that  appeared,  voluntarily 
announced  that  he  would  be  governed-  by  the  opinion  of  those  officers, 
and  put  away  his  paper.  The  manner  of  strengthening  our  armies 
by  using  negroes  was  discussed',  and  no  other  thought  practicable 
than  that  which  I  immediately  proposed  to  the  President.  I  re 
garded  this  discussion  as  confidential  and  understood  it  to  be  so 
agreed  before  the  party  separated.  This  and  General  Cleburne's" vol 
untary  promise  prevented  any  apprehension  in  my  mind  of  the  agita 
tion  of  the  subject  of  the  memorial.  I  have  had  no  reason  since  to 
suppose  that  it  made  any  impression. 

Most  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON, 

General. 

War  Department,  C.  S.  A., 

Richmond,  Va.,  January  24,  1864. 
General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  Dalton,  Ga. 

General: — Major-General  Walker  has  communicated  directly 
to  the  President  copies  of  a  memorial  prepared  by  Major-General 
Cleburne,  lately  the  subject  of  consultation  among  the  generals  of 
division  in  your  command,  as  also  of  a  letter  subsequently  addressed 
by  himself  to  the  generals  present  asking  the  avowal  of  the  opinions 
entertained  by  them  in  relation  to  such  memorial?,  with  their  replies. 
I  am  instructed  by  the  President  to  communicate  with  you  on  the 
subject.  He  is  gratified  to  infer  from  your  declining  to  forward  offi 
cially  General  Walker's  communication  of  the  memorial,  that  you 
neither  approved  the  views  advocated  in  it  nor  deemed  it  expedient 
that  after  meeting  as  they  happily  did  the  disapproval  of  the  council, 
they  should  have  further  dissemination  or  publicity.  The  motives  of 
zeal  and  patriotism  which  have  prompted  General  Walker's  action 
are,  however,  fully  appreciated  and  that  action  is  probably  fortunate, 
as  it  affords  an  appropriate  occasion  to  express  the  earnest  convic 
tion  of  the  President  that  the  dissemination  or  even  promulgation  of 
such  opinions  under  the  present  circumstances  of  the  Confederacy, 
whether  in  the  army  or  among  the  people,  can  be  productive  only  of 
discouragement,  distraction  and  dissension.  The  agitation  and  con 
troversy  which  must  spring  from  the  presentation  of  such  views  by 
officers  high  in  public  confidence  are  to  be  deeply  deprecated,  and  while 
no  doubt  or  mistrust  is  for  a  moment  entertained  of  the  patriotic 
intents  of  the  gallant  author  of  the  memorial  and  such  of  his  brother 
officers  as  may  have  fayorecl  his  opinions,  it  is  requested  that  you  will 


294  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

communicate  to  them,  as  well  as  to  all  others  present  on  the  occa 
sion,  the  opinions,  as  herein  expressed,  of  the  President,  and  urge 
on  them  the  suppression,  not  only  of  the  memorial  itself,  but  likewise 
of  all  discussion  and  controversy  respecting  or  growing  out  of  it. 
I  would  add  that  the  measures  advocated  in  the  memorial  are  con 
sidered  to  be  little  appropriate  for  consideration  in  military  circles, 
and,  indeed  in  their  scope,  pass  beyond  the  bounds  of  Confederate 
action,  and  could  under  our  constitutional  system  neither  be  recom 
mended  by  the  Executive  to  Congress  nor  be  entertained  by  that  body. 
Such  views  can  only  jeopard  among  the  States  and  people  unity  and 
harmony,  when  for  successful  co-operation  and  achievement  of  inde 
pendence  both  are  essential. 

With  much  respect,  very  truly  yours, 

JAMES  A.  SEDDON, 

Secretary  of  War. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  RA8ACA,  MAY  15,  1864. 

The  Dalton-Atlanta  campaign  displayed  more  military  strategy 
than  any  in  the  war  between  the  States.  With  the  three  armies — 
the  Tennesse,  the  Ohio  and  the  Cumberland,  all  under  Sherman — and 
confronting  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  and  aggregating  two  or 
three  times  that  of  his  army,  there  was  not  a  more  skillful  game  upon 
the  military  chess  board.  Being  so  greatly  outnumbered,  his  only 
policy  was  to  strike  in  detail.  Vigilance  and  boldness  attended  with 
great  risk  had  to  be  employed  promptly  to  baffle  his  gigantic  foe.  It 
was  wonderful  to  see  our  lines  stretched  out  in  skirmish  style  to 
confront  the  enemy's  solid'  ranks,  and  even  then  a  withdrawal  of  the 
troops  from  right  to  left  to  meet  the  flank  movements  with  success, 
at  the  same  time  to  be  ready  for  Sherman's  dashes  on  our  weak  points. 
It  was  the  cleanest  retreat  on  record,  with  comparatively  small  loss  of 
men  and  stores. 

The  Federal  general,  Joseph  Hooker,  pronounced  it  the  greatest 
campaign  of  the  war,  and  the  finesse  used  as  establishing  the  great 
generalship  of  General  Johnston,  and  General  Woolsey,  of  English 
fame,  says  'twas  the  most  brilliant  on  record.  The  result  was  a  loss 
of  40,000  to  Federal  arms  to  about  10,000  to  the  Confederates  in  the 
Hundred  Days  Fight.  There  was  one  place,  though,  where  Sherman, 
had  he  been  the  able  general  many  supposed,  would  have  taken  some 
of  Johnston's  glory  from  him.  The  only  time  he  ever  got  Johnston 
apparently  in  "a  nine  hole"  was  at  Resaca,  on  May  15,  1864.  Stew 
art's  division  at  that  time  was  composed  of  Gibson's  Louisiana, 
Clayton's  and  Baker's  Alabama,  Stovall's  Georgia,  and  Maney's  Ten 
nessee  brigades,  and  Holman's  Tennessee  cavalry.  That  part  of  Stew 
art's  report  touching  on  the  battle  will  give  our  position  more  fully, 
and  veterans  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee  will  more  vividly  recall  the 
trial  of  that  terrible  day. 

"On  Sunday  morning,  the  I5th,"  General  Stewart  says,  "my 
line  was  advanced,  the  right  of  it  a  half  a  mile  and-  passing  in  front 
of  Mr.  Green's  house,  the  left  only  a  few  hundred  yards,  and  the 
new  position  was  soon  entrenched.  About  3  p.  m.  I  received  directions 
to  advance  the  right  of  it  half  a  mile  and  attack  the  enemy  in  my 
front  at  4  o'clock,  provided  I  had  not  myself  been  attacked  by  that 
time.  Shortly  previous  to  4,  information  came  to  me  of  a  heavy 
movement  of  the  enemy  to  my  front,  which  information  was  trans 
mitted  to  the  Lieutenant-General  (Hood)  commanding  corps.  My 
instructions  were,  in  advancing  to  gradually  wheel  towards  the  left, 


296 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


and  I  was  notified  that  General  Stevenson,  on  my  left,  would  also  ad 
vance  at  4  precisely.  Clayton,  on  the  left,  and  Stovall,  on  the  right 
of  the  front  line,  were  caused  to  make  a  half  wheel  to  the  left  to  place 
them  in  the  proper  direction,  and  were  also  instructed  to  continue 
inclining  by  a  slight  wheel  to  the  left  in  advancing.  This,  it  will  be 
perceived,  placed  them  en  echelon — the  object  being  to  prevent  my 


COLONEL  HUME  R.   FIELD. 


right  toward  the  river  from  being  turned.  Maney's  brigade,  which 
had  reported  to  me,  also  a  small  body  of  cavalry  under  Colonel  Hoi- 
man,  were  directed  to  move  out  on  the  right,  outflanking  and  cover 
ing  Stovall's  right,  Gibson  and  Baker  were  brought  forward  and 


298 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


placed  in  position  as  supports  to  Clayton  and  Stovall,  and  the  order 
to  advance  given.  The  men  moved  forward  with  great  spirit  and 
determination,  and  soon  engaged  the  enemy.  At  this  moment  an  or 
der  came  from  General  Hood,  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Cunningham, 
not  to  make  the  attack,  which,  however,  had  already  commenced. 
We  encountered  the  enemy  in  heavy  force  protected  by  breastworks 


MAP  OF 

RESACA- 

AND  VICINITY. 


and  logs.  The  ground  over  which  Stovall's  brigade  passed  was  cov 
ered-  with  (Jense  undergrowth  and  brush.  Regiments  in  consequence 
became  separated  and  the  brigade  soon  began  to  fall  back.  Hastening 
to  it  and  finding  it  impossible  to  reform  the  brigade  on  the  ground 
it  occupied,  it  was  suffered  to  fall  back  to  its  intrenched  position, 
Baker's  brigade  retiring  with  it.  Clayton  being  thus  supported  on 
the  right,  and  Stevenson's  division  not  having  advanced,  also  retired, 
and  Gibson  fell  back  by  my  order,  as  did  Maney  also." 

This  famous  order  countermanding  the  former  order  of  attack 
at  Resaca,  was  ever  a  matter  of  contention  between  Generals  Johnston 
and  Hood,  the  former  saying  that  he  had  countermanded,  and  the  lat 
ter  asserting  that  he  had  not  time  to  execute  it,    Be  that  as  it  may, 


BATTLE   OF   EfiSACA. 


299 


when  Colonel  Cunningham  brought  the  order  our  first  line  was  charg 
ing  on  the  breastworks ;  but  it  was  only  Stewart's  division  doing  this ; 
the  other  two  divisions  of  Hood's  corps  had  received  the  countermand 
order.  The«execution  of  this  order  with  our  lines  in  close  quarters 
and  fully  engaged  was  the  trying  thing  for  staff  officers  on  duty. 
General  Stewart  sent  Lieutenant  Scott,  volunteer  aide,  to  Clayton, 


CAPT.   L.   B.   MCFARLAND. 

and  Lieutenant  Cahal  to  Stovall  then  he  called  on  the  writer  to  go  to 
General  Maney.  I  felt  as  if  that  parallel  ride  from  left  to  right  of 
over  half  a  mile,  taking  the  fire  by  Clayton's  and  Stovall's  brigades, 
would  be  my  last.  Hooker  and  Schofield  and  McPherson,  massed, 
were  pouring  the  shot  and  shell  nigh  on  to  a  tempest.  I  spurred-  my 
horse  to  a  run ;  the  balls  were  so  terrific  that  I  checked  up  a  little  fear 
ing  that  my  horse  might  get  shot  and  turn  a  somersault  in  falling.  The 
checking  process  didn't  suit  for  it  seemed  like  death  to  tarry.  I  spurred 
up  again  and  (how  any  human  being  lived  through  it  I  can't  imagine) 
came  up  with  some  litter  bearers  who  hugged  the  trees  closely  and 
would  not  talk.  Moments  seemed  hours,  I  rode  through  brush  and 


300  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Corpse  into  an  open  field  and  finally  struck  the  left  of  Maney's  brigade 
lying  down  behind  the  railroad,  hotly  engaged.  Just  in  rear  of  them 
I  spied  a  staff  officer  of  General  Maney,  Lieutenant  L.  B.  McFarland, 
now  of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  riding  as  coolly  and  unconcernedly  as  if  no 
battle  were  raging.  I  accosted  him  with  the  query,  "Where's  Gen 
eral  Maney?"  He  said,  "On  the  right  of  the  brigade,"  and  that 
Maney  had  placed  him  to  look  after  the  left.  I  told  him  that  the  bri 
gades  on  his  left  were  falling  back,  that  if  a  charge  should  be  made 
his  brigade  would  be  lost,  and  to  pass  the  order  from  General  Stewart 
down  the  line  to  retire  rapidly.  In  the  meantime  I  started  to  the 
right  through  an  open  field  to  find  the  brigade  commander.  Talk 
about  thunder  and  lightning,  accompanied  by  a  storm  of  rain  and  hail ! 
My  experience  with  bullets  through  that  field  was  like  to  it,  for  "h — 1 
seemed  to  answer  h — 1  in  the  cannon's  roar."  Intermingled  with 
musketry,  it  created  an  unintermittent  roar  of  the  most  deafening 
and  appalling  thunder. 

General  Maney  was  working  to  keep  the  cavalry  connected  with 
his  line.  His  horse  having  been  shot  he  was  dismounted  but  he  had 
taken  that  of  Lieutenant  James  Keeble,  his  aid-e.  By  this  time  the 
brigade  was  retiring  as  ordered. 

When  this  order  to  retire  was  communicated  to  Colonel  Field, 
commanding  the  First  Tennessee  infantry  on  the  extreme  right,  the 
Federal  cavalry  were  pressing,  yet  his  regiment  was  formed  into  a 
hollow  square  under  the  galling  fire  and  thus  retired  with  a  palisade 
of  bristling  bayonets  confronting.  It  was  like  to  Napoleon's  battle  of 
the  pyramids  in  squares  on  the  march  to  Cairo,  deterring  the  intrepid 
Marmeluke  cavalry,  and  also  to  the  English  squares  at  Waterloo. 

But  the  problem  of  getting  back  confronted  me.  General  Maney 
urged  me  to  stay  with  him — that  it  was  death  to  try  the  open  field 
again.  With  a  detour,  however,  I  hurried  back  through  the  storm 
neither  I  nor  my  light  bay  getting  a  scratch.  In  this  short  time  three 
horses  had  been  shot  under  General  Stewart  and  nearly  all  the  staff 
were  dismounted.  Terry  Cahal  had  come  back  horseless ;  Lieutenant 
Scott's  horse  had  been  shot  and  had  fallen  on  him,  almost  paralyzing 
him ;  Captain  Stanford  of  Stanford's  battery,  killed,  yet  Private  John 
S.  McMath  was  fighting  his  guns  like  a  madman,  and  Oliver's  and 
Fenner's  batteries  dealing  the  death  shots  rapidly.  A  Virginia  regi 
ment,  the  Fifty-fourth,  of  Stevenson's  division,  the  only  one  that 
failed  to  get  the  countermand  orders,  lost  a  hundred  men  in  a  few  min  - 
utes.  The  dead  and  dying  of  our  first  line  was  heartrending. 

Had  Sherman  made  a  charge  on  us  then  there  would  have  been 
no  escape.  In  this  trough,  the  position  was  critical — the  Conne- 
suaga  to  the  right,  the  Oostanaula  in  the  rear,  and  both  non-  fordable. 
Whilst  General  Sherman  showed  a  want  of  generalship  in  nut  follow 
ing,  old  Joe  displayed  wonderful  skill  in  getting  us  out.  I  will  never 
forget  Resaca.  Ofttimes  it  occurs  to  me  that  our  boldness  in  making 
the  attack  saved  the  army — for  Sherman,  massed,  had  given  orders. 


BATTLE   OF   RESACA.  301 


to  pounce  on  us,  which  was  postponed  when  he  saw  that  we  were 
preparing  as  aggressors. 

The  playing  upon  the  bridges  by  the  enemy's  artillery  all  that 
night  when  our  army  was  crossing  added  to  the  horror  of  the  event. 
Visions  of  Forrest's  charge  over  the  bridge  at  Chickamauga,  and  of 
Napoleon's  contest  over  Lodi,  came  upon  me,  but  old  Joe  stood  there 
on  the  Oostanaula  until  all  had  safely  passed. 

The  closing  of  General  Stewart's  report  gives  vivid  conception 
of  it :  "During  the  retreat  of  the  army  at  night,  the  division  remained 
in  line  of  battle,  crossing  the  railroad  and  the  Dalton  and  Resaca 
road,  until  the  entire  army  had  crossed  the  bridges.  The  situation  was 
all  the  while  perilous  and  calculated  to  try  the  endurance  of  our  men. 
They  stood  firm  however  and  remained  in  position  until  about  3 
o'clock  in  the  morning  when  we  retired  in  obedience  to  orders." 

To  confirm  the  accuracy  of  his  memory,  Captain  Ridley  submitted 
the  manuscript  of  his  article  to  Generals  Stewart  and  Maney  and  to 
Lieutenant  McFarland.  The  former  refers  to  it  as  a  very  creditable 
production,  McFarland  mentions  it  as  a  graphic  portraiture  and 
makes  the  additional  statement  that  when  he  conveyed  Gen 
eral  Stewart's  orders  through  Ridley  to  Colonel  Field  on  the  extreme 
right,  he  formed  his  regiment  into  a  hollow  square  under  fire  to  resist 
the  Federal  cavalry,  and  thus  executed  the  command-'  to  retire.  "This 
was  the  more  noticeable  to  me  because  it  was  the  only  instance  in  four 
years  of  war  that  I  ever  saw  this  maneuver  executed  during  an  engage 
ment."  General  George  Maney  replied: 

My  Dear  Captain: — Upon  return  home,  I  found  your  very  kind 
letter  advising  of  your  article  on  Resaca  and  its  having  been  sub 
mitted  to  General  Stewart  who  approved  with  compliments  upon  its 
merits.  With  the  compliment  feature  I  am  most  fully  in  accord.  You 
are,  however,  in  immaterial  error  in  stating  that  I  took  Lieutenant 
Keeble's  horse  after  mine  was  shot.  Keeble's  services  at  the  moment 
were  far  too  important  for  this  and  so  continued  until  my  command 
had  been  withdrawn.  It  was  an  orderly's  horse  I  used  after  my  own 
was  shot. 

Of  course  I  am  greatly  gratified  at  your  article's  favorable  men 
tion  of  the  ever-reliable  McFarland  and  the  intrepid  Field  with  his 
distinguished  regiment,  and  this  being  only  one  of  many  like  affairs  of 
the  memorable  campaign  from  Dalton  to  Atlanta  which  do  not  appear 
in  offiicial  reports,  it  may  be  but  proper  I  should  say  you  only  saw 
them  as  they  were  upon  all  such  occasions.  It  was  their  way. 

As  to  yourself,  with  memory  revived  of  the  stormy  hour  by  your 
very  vivid  narrative,  it  remains  but  little  less  than  a  wonder  that  you 
are  living  to  write  of  the  event. 


ONE  OF  THE  NOTABLE  INCIDENTS  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF 

RES  AC  A,  GA. 


It  was  at  the  battle  of  Resaca,  Ga.,  on  May  I5th,  1864,  that  the 
Second  Tennessee  regiment  was  ordered  to  protect  the  bridge  at  that 
point,  and  upon  arriving  at  the  point  the  Federal  batteries  began  a 


PRIVATE  BENJAMIN  R.  COSBY,  FROM  SHILOH  TO  THE 
SURRENDER,  IN  EVERY  BATTLE  OF  ARMY  OF 
TENN.,  A  TYPICAL  CONFEDERATE  SOLDIER. 

furious  and-  continuous  cannonading  upon  the  regiment.  One  shell 
came  through  the  temporary  works  thrown  up,  and  wounded  one  of 
ficer.  Lieutenant  Blakemore  of  Co.  K,  called  for  some  one  to  throw 
the  shell  out  of  the  works,  as  it  was  likely  to  explode,  the  fuse  still 
burning. 

Sergeant  Benjamin  R.  Cosby  who  was  near  the  shell,  caught  it 
up  in  his  hands  and1  threw  it  out  of  the  works.  The  fuse  in  the  shell 
was  burning  at  the  time  he  caught  it  up  and  threw  it  out  of  the  works. 
It  can  be  truthfully  said  of  him  that  he  was  one  of  the  brave  men  in 
the  Confederate  Army ;  a  patriot  who>  loved  his  country  and  a  soldier 
who  did  every  duty  devolving  upon  him  in  the  camp,  on  the  march 
and  on  the  battle  field. 


THE   GREAT  BATTLE  OF   NEW  HOPE  CHURCH, 

MAY  25,  1864. 


It  was  the  beautiful  afternoon  of  May  25,  1864,  when  the  noted 
battle  of  New  Hope  Church  in  the  famous  Dalton-Atlanta  campaign 
was  fought.  The  memory  of  it  is  peculiarly  interesting  to  me  because 
it  marks  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  Stewart's  division  that  is  pointed 
to  as  a  memorial  of  heroic  valor  just  as  Cleburne's  men  point  to  Ring- 
gold  and  Cheatham's  to  near  Kennesaw. 

General  Thomas,  commanding  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland, 
was  moving  from  Burnt  Hickory  for  Dallas  on  three  roads,  his  object 
being  to  flank  Johnston  from  Allatoona  Hills.  Sherman  ordered  Hook 
er's  corps  to  advance,  three  divisions  strong,  to  make  a  bold  push  to 
secure  the  strategic  point  known  as  New  Hope  Church,  where  three 
roads  met  from  Acworth,  Marietta  and  Dallas.  Sherman  says: 
"Here  a  hard  battle  was  fought.  General  Hooker  was  unable  to  drive 
the  enemy  from  these  roads  but  he  did  drive  them  to  New  Hope 
Church."  The  latter  sentence  in  General  Sherman's  report  is  calcu 
lated  to  mislead,  as  only  a  force  of  skirmishers  was  driven  to  our  lines. 
Stewart's  division  never  gave  back  an  inch  but  stood  there  from 
5  p.  m.  for  three  hours  and  whipped  Hooker's  entire  corps,  three  lines 
deep.  As  the  advancing  line  would  break  we  could  only  greet  their 
departure  with  a  yell  before  another  line  would'  come.  Our  division 
had  just  reached  New  Hope  and  was  resting  when  General  Johnston 
rode  up  and  called  for  General  Stewart.  He  told'  us  that  the  enemy 
were  "out  there"  just  three  or  four  hundred  yards,  to  "throw  out 
skirmishers  and  put  the  division  in  line,"  and  to  tell  General  Stewart 
that  if  the  line  should  break  we  would  lose  Stevenson's  division  back 
of  us  on  that  road.  As  quick  as  it  could  be  done,  the  division  composed 
of  Stovall's  Georgia  brigade,  Clayton's  and  Baker's  Alabamians, 
Gibson's  Louisianians,  Brown's  Tennesseeans,  a  brigade  of  Steven 
son's  division  just  arrived,  were  placed  in  line.  Soon  General  Hooker 
rushed  upon  us.  He  must  have  lost  heavily,  for  the  mortality  from  our 
view  was  frightful.  He  reported  his  total  loss  that  evening  of  killed 
and  wounded  at  sixteen  hundred  and  sixty-five  and  that  he  had  not 
been  able  to  recover  the  d-ead  between  the  lines.  General  Stewart's 
report  taken  from  the  "Rebellion  Record's"  states:  "On  Wednesday 
evening,  May  25,  being  in  line  of  battle  near  New  Hope  Church — 
Baker's  brigade  on  the  right,  Clayton's  in  the  center,  Stovall's  on  the 
left  and  Gibson's  in  reserve,  except  Austin's  battalion  and  the  Six 
teenth  Louisiana  under  Colonel  Lewis,  who  were  in  front  as  skirmish- 


304  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

ers — the  enemy  after  firing  a  few  shells  advanced  and  attacked  along 
our  entire  front.  Baker's  and  Clayton's  men  had  piled  up  a  few  logs ; 
Stovall's  Georgians  were  without  any  defense.  The  entire  line  re 
ceived  the  attack  with  great  steadiness  and  firmness — every  man  stand 
ing  at  his  post.  The  force  opposed  to  us  was  reported  by  prisoners 
to  be  Hooker's  corps  of  three  divisions,  and  their  loss  was  stated  at 
from  three  to  five  thousand.  Eldridge's  battalion  of  artillery,  consist 
ing  of  Stanford's,  Oliver's  and  Fenner's  batteries — sixteen  guns — 
was  admirably  posted,  well  served  and  did  great  execution.  They  had 
forty-three  men  and  forty-four  horses  killed  and  wounded.  Our 
position  was  such  that  the  enemy's  fire,  which  was  very  heavy,  passed 
over  the  line  to  a  great  extent  and  that  is  why  our  loss  was  not  greater. 
The  calm  determination  of  the  men  during  this  engagement  of  two 
and  one-half  or  three  hours  deserves  all  praise.  The  enemy's  advance 
seemed  to  be  three  lines  of  division  front  without  artillery.  No  more 
persistent  attack  or  determined  resistance  was  anywhere  made.  Not 
being  allowed  to  advance  and  charge,  we  did  not  get  possession  of  the 
ground1'  occupied  by  the  enemy  who  intrenched  and  during  the  two  fol 
lowing  days  kept  up  a  severe  galling  skirmish  fire,  from  which  we 
suffered  considerably,  especially  losing  a  number  of  valuable  officers." 

Eldridge's  battalion  of  artillery  is  said  to  have  fired  fifteen  hun 
dred  and  sixty  rounds  in  that  three  hours  fight ;  but  Hooker  was  more 
disastrously  worsted  by  us  than  our  General  Breckinridge  could  have 
been  in  his  fatal  charge  against  fifty-one  pieces  of  artillery  at  Mur- 
freesboro.  When  the  division  found  that  New  Hope  was  the  key  to 
the  movement  and  that  their  break  would  cause  the  loss  of  Steven 
son's  division  it  was  the  grandest  spectacle  to  see  their  heroism.  The 
spirit  of  chivalry  displayed  by  that  impregnable  line  furnished  an  ex 
ample  for  Southern  manhood  to  point  to.  Like  surging  waves  against 
the  beach,  line  after  line  vanished  when  "our  angry  rifles  spat  their 
fire  and  hungry  cannon  belched  their  flame." 

Stewart's  old  roan  was  seen  all  along  the  line.  His  quiet  way 
enlisted  the  love  of  the  division.  They  begged  him  to  get  back  fearing 
he  might  be  killed*  but  he  rode  along  as  unconcerned  as  ever.  General 
Johnston  sent  to  know  if  re-enforcemnts  were  wanted.  The  reply  was : 
"My  own  troops  will  hold  the  position."  And  they  did. 

An  episode  connected  with  the  battle  of  New  Hope  brought  sor 
row  and  tears  to  the  old  division  and  sympathy  from  the  Army  of  Ten 
nessee  after  the  fight.  In  Fenner's  Louisiana  battery  three  brothers 
handled  one  gun.  The  oldest  was  rammer.  He  was  shot  down  and 
the  second  brother  took  his  place.  In  a  short  time  he  too  was  shot 
down  and  the  third  brother  took  his  place  when  shortly  he  was  shot, 
but  stood  there  until  a  comrade  came  to  relieve  him.  A  beautiful 
poem  was  written  concerning  this  in  war  times.  I  wish  so  much  that 
it  could  be  reproduced.  The  Yanks  said  that  we  carried  our  breast 
works  with  us. 

On  Friday  evening  the  2/th,  at  New  Hope  after  our  fight  of  the 
25th,  when  the  enemy  tried  to  flank  us  on  the  right,  another  heartrend- 


BATTLE  OF  NEW  HOPE  CHURCH.  305 

ing  scene  of  death  and  destruction  took  place.  Cranberry  and  Lowery, 
of  Cleburne's  division,  met  the  flank  movement  and  in  one  volley  left 
seven  hundred  and  seventy  Yankees  to  be  buried  in  one  pit.  Had  a 
Tamerlane  been  there,  a  pyramid  of  human  skulls  could  have  been 
erected  at  New  Hope.  Lieutenant  R.  C.  Stewart  and  I  went  the  next 
evening  to  see  the  dead'  in  front  of  Cranberry  and  Lowery's  line.  Had 
Ahmed  the  Turkish  butcher  seen  it,  he  would  have  been  appalled  at 
the  sacrifice.  Sherman  himself  winced  when  he  said  it  was  "all  a  fail 
ure"  while  the  name  of  Joe  Johnston  still  loomed  up'a  tower  of  strength 
to  his  army.  This  was  a  part  of  the  fourteen  hundred  that  General 
O.  O.  Howard  says  Wood's  division  alone  lost. 

I  have  so  often  thought  of  two  little  boys  that  we  saw  among  the 
dead  Federals.  They  appeared  to  be  about  fourteen  years  old,  and 
were  exactly  alike.  Their  hands  were  clasped  in  death  with  "feet  to 
the  guns  and  face  to  the  sky."  Although  they  were  enemies,  my 
heart  melted  at  the  idea  that  the  little  boys  must  have  been  twin  broth 
ers,  and  in  death's  embrace  their  spirits  had  taken  flight  away  from  the 
mother  and  home  in  the  forefront  of  battle. 

The  grape-vine  in  our  army  on  the  evening  of  the  25th,  after  the 
battle,  was  that  Stewart  had  annihilated  "Fighting  Joe"  Hooker,  once 
the  commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  on  the  2/th  Pat  Cle- 
burne  had  hardly  left  any  of  Wood's  crivision  to  tell  the  tale,  and  that 
old  Joe  Johnston  was  still  happy  over  his  game  of  chess  with  Sherman. 
The  staff  moved  up  and  down  Stovall's  line  during  the  fight  cheering 
the  men,  when  Lieutenant  Mathis,  volunteer  aide,  received  a  shot  in 
the  left  wrist.  Strange  to  say,  we  found  that  night  that  Dr.  Thornton 
had  taken  out  the  ball  just  under  the  armpit.  It  had  struck  the  bone 
and-  followed  up  to  the  shoulder. 

On  returning  home  after  the  surrender  I  came  through  New  Hope 
battle  field  and  when  I  saw  the  trees  literally  imbedded  with  shot  and 
shell  I  wondered  how  it  was  possible  for  any  human  being  to  get  our 
of  that  battle  alive.  Between  the  dead  lines  I  recalled  the  seething 
mass  of  quivering  flesh,  the  dead  piled  upon  each  other  and  the  groans 
of  the  dying.  And  now,  after  thirty-three  years,  when  I  recall  the  ex 
perience  of  the  Dalton-Atlanta  campaign,  the  sucMen  and  unlooked  for 
attack  upon  us  at  New  Hope  and  the  determination  with  which  Gen 
eral  Stewart's  command  so  successfully  met  it,  I  can  see  "Old  Joe"  and 
the  Army  of  Tennessee  happy,  Stevenson's  division  saved,  the  strategic 
point  held,  Sherman  baffled,  Hooker's  corps  of  three  divisions  whipped 
in  a  square  fight  by  the  artillery  and  three  brigades  who  bore  the  brunt, 
and  Alexander  P.  Stewart  the  genius  of  the  battle  of  the  25th,  and  Pat 
rick  Cleburne  and  Frank  Cheatham,  the  heroes  of  the  2/th. 


STEWART'S  DIVISION-DALTON- ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN. 


Report  of  Major-General  Alexander  P.  Stewart,  C.  S.  Army,  Com 
manding  Division,  of  Operations  May  7-27. 

Headquarters  Stewart's  Division. 

Hood's  Corps,  Army  of  Tennessee. 
In  the  Field,  Paulding  County,  Ga.,  June  5,  1864. 

Sir : — I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the  oper 
ations  of  this  division  during  the  present  campaign : 

"~On  the  moirning  of  Saturday,  May  7th,  the  enemy  being  reported 
advancing  from  Ringgold  on  Dalton,  my  command  was  placed  under 
arms,  and  with  Eld-ridge's  battalion  of  artillery  took  position  on  the 
ridges  in  front  of  Mill  Creek  Gap  and  on  the  right  of  the  railroad, 
Bate's  division  prolonging  the  line  on  the  left  of  the  railroad.  The 
cavalry  fell  back  and  the  enemy  appeared  on  Tunnel  Hill  Ridge  in 
heavy  force.  After  nightfall  in  obedience  to  orders  from  Lieutenant- 
General  Hood,  the  division  retired  to  the  line  we  had  intrenched  on 
the  south  of  Dalton  side  of  the  gap.  On  Monday  the  Qth,  the  troops 
were  disposed  as  follows:  Clayton's  brigade  on  the  main  mountain 
(Rocky  Face)  on  the  right,  Baker's  and  Stovall's  on  the  ridge  to  the 
right  of  the  creek  and  railroad,  Gibson's  on  the  advance  of  ridge  on 
left  of  the  railroad,  Bate's  division  on  the  left  of  Gibson's  occupy 
ing  the  main  mountain  to  Trail  Gap.  Sunday  evening  (8th) 
the  enemy's  skirmishers  occupied  the  line  we  abandoned  Saturday 
night — the  front  line  of  the  gap — and  from  that  time  until  Thursday 
night  (i2th)  a  constant  and  heavy  skirmishing  continued.  In  forti 
fying  the  gap  I  had  caused  lines  of  breast  heights  for  skirmishers  to  be 
constructed*  in  front  of  the  main  lines  of  battle,  artillery  proof.  The 
enemy  repeatedly  charged  them  and  were  as  often  repused  with  severe 
loss.  It  is  believed  the  skirmishers  occupying  these  advanced  works 
could  have  held  them  successfully  against  any  force  that 
could  have  been  brought  against  them.  During  these  affairs  my  own 
loss  was  not  trifling.  Gibson's  line  was  occasionally  enfiladed  by  the 
enemy's  artillery  from  which  he  suffered  though  not  heavily. 

It  is  proper  here  to  say  that  the  defenses  of  the  gap  were  con 
structed  by  my  division,  Lieutenant  John  W.  Glenn  being  the  en 
gineer  officer  superintending.  I  desire  to  bear  testimony  to  his  zeal, 
skill  and  energy.  Mill  Creek  had  been  dammed  at  two  railroad 
bridges  by  the  division  pioneer  company  aided  by  the  pioneers  of  Stev 
enson's  division. 

Captain  J.   R.  Oliver,   Forty-fourth  Tennessee  volunteers,  com- 


STEWART'S  DIVISION— DALTON  ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN.  307 


manding  my  pioneers,  deserves  special  mention  as  a  most  capable  and 
efficient  officer.  His  company  is  not  surpassed  by  any  in  the  army. 
Captain  John  A.  Avirett  also  of  Fifty-eighth  Alabama,  is  entitled  to 
the  same  distinction  for  the  energy  and  skill  displayed  by  him  in  for 
tifying  Rocky  Face  on  north  side  of  the  gap  and  constructing  prac 
ticable  roads  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  and  along  its  summit. 

Thursday  night  (i2th)  we  brought  up  the  rear  of  the  corps  in 
retiring  to  Tilton.  Friday  night  (i3th)  we  bivouacked  along  railroad 
some  three  miles  in  advance  of  Resaca  and  on  Saturday  morning 
(i4th)  took  position  in  a  line  crossing  the  railroad  forming  the  right 
of  the  army — my  right  resting  on  the  Connesauga.  About  5  p.  m.  in 
compliance  with  the  orders  of  the  Lieutenant-General  commanding 
corps,  I  moved  out  along  the  railroad  formed  in  two  lines  parallel 
to  the  road  and  advanced  to  attack  the  enemy's  left.  We  moved  for 
ward  a  distance  of  one  and  a  half  or  two  miles,  getting  sight  of  the 
enemy's  line  near  Union  Church  which,  however,  hastily  retired.  By 
this  time,  owing  to  the  eagerness  of  the  men,  the  lines  had  become 
somewhat  separated  and  I  halted  to  reform.  In  the  meantime  we  were 
subjected  to  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery  which,  however,  caused  but  little 
or  no  loss.  By  the  time  the  lines  were  reformed  night  had  come  on 
and  I  deemed  it  imprudent  to  advance  farther.  Toward  midnight, 
under  orders,  we  retired  to  our  position  in  line. 

On  Sunday  morning  (i5th)  my  line  was  advanced,  the  right  of 
it  half  a  mile  and  passing  in  front  of  Mr.  Green's  house,  the  left  only 
a  few  hundred  yards  and  the  new  position  was  soon  intrenched. 
About  3  p.  m.  I  received  directions  to  advance  and  attack  the  enemy 
in  my  front  at  4  o'clock,  provided  I  had  not  myself  been  attacked  by 
that  time.  Shortly  previous  to  4,  information  came  to  me  of  a  heavy 
movement  of  the  enemy  to  my  front,  which  information  was  trans 
mitted  to  the  lieutenant-general  commanding  corps.  My  instructions 
were  in  advancing  to  gradually  wheel  to  the  left  and  I  was  notified 
that  Stevenson  on  my  left,  would  also  advance.  At  4  precisely  Clay 
ton  on  the  left  and  Stovall  on  the  right  of  the  front  line  were  caused 
each  to  make  a  half  wheel  to  the  left  to  place  them  in  the  proper  direc 
tion  and  were  also  instructed  to  continue  inclining  by  a  slight  wheel  to 
the  left  in  advancing.  This  it  will  be  perceived,  placed  them  en  eche 
lon,  the  object  being  to  prevent  my  right  toward  the  river  from  being 
turned.  Maney's  brigade  which  had  reported  to  me  and  a  small  body 
of  cavalry  under  Colonel  Holman  were  directed  to  move  out  on  the 
right,  outflanking  and  covering  Stovall's  right.  Gibson  and*  Baker 
were  brought  forward  and  placed  in  position  as  supports  to  Clayton 
and  Stovall  and  the  order  to  advance  given.  The  men  moved  forward 
with  great  spirit  and  determination  and  soon  engaged  the  enemy.  At 
this  moment  an  order  came  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Cunningham  not 
to  make  the  attack  which  however  had  already  commenced.  We  en 
countered  the  enemy  in  heavy  force  and  protected  by  breastworks  of 
logs.  The  ground  over  which  a  portion  of  Stovall's  brigade  passed 
was  covered  with  a  dense  undergrowth  and  brush.  Regiments  in  con- 


308  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

sequence  became  separated  and  the  brigades  soon  began  to  fall  back 
Hastening  to  it  and  finding  it  impossible  to  reform  it  on  the  ground 
it  occupied,  it  was  suffered  to  fall  back  to  intrenched  position — Baker's 
brigade  retiring  with  it.  Clayton  being  thus  unsupported  on  the  right, 
and  Stevenson's  division  on  the  left  not  having  advanced,  also  retired 
and  Gibson  fell  back  by  my  order,  as  did  Maney  also.  The  attack 
would  have  been  renewed  but  for  the  order  received  at  the  last  moment 
countermanding  it.  During  the  advance  Stanford's  battery  on  the 
left  was  of  material  assistance  and  I  deeply  regret  the  loss  of  the  skill 
ful  and  brave  officer,  Captain  T.  J.  Stanford,  with  whom  it  has  been 
my  good  fortune  to  be  associated  with  little  interruption  since  March, 
1862.  Attention  is  called  to  the  statement  of  Brigadier-General  Clay 
ton  as  to  the  praiseworthy  conduct  of  Private  John  S.  McMath,  of 
the  same  battery  and  also  to  his  report  of  the  conduct  of  his  several 
regiments  and  of  Colonel  Lankford,  Thirty-eighth  Alabama,  and  oth 
ers.  Also  to  General  Baker's  statements  in  regard  to  the  color-bearer, 
Sergeant  Gilder,  Fortieth  Alabama,  and  to  the  aged  missionary,  Rev. 
J.  P.  McMullin,  and  others.  General  Baker  had  his  horse  severely 
wounded. 

During  the  retreat  of  the  army  at  night  the  division  remained  in 
line  of  battle,  crossing  the  railroad  and  Dalton  and  Resaca  road,  until 
the  entire  army  had  crossed  the  bridges.  The  situation  was  perilous 
and  calculated  to  try  the  endurance  of  the  men  as  the  enemy  threat 
ened  an  attack.  They  stood  firm  however  and  remained  in  posiiton 
until  about  3  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  we  retired  in  obedience  to 
the  orders  of  the  lieutenant-general  commanding  corps. 

On  the  skirmish  line  in  front  of  Cassville  on  Thursday,  May  iQth, 
I  regret  to  say  that  a  number  of  men  belonging  to  the  Eighteenth 
Alabama  regiment  unnecessarily  and  disgracefully  surrendered.  Ref 
erence  is  made  to  the  report  of  Major  Austin  commanding  at  the  time 
the  skirmishers  of  Gibson's  brigade,  for  the  facts. 

On  Wednesday  evening,  May  25th,  being  in  line  of  battle  near 
New  Hope  Church — Baker's  brigade  on  the  right,  Clayton's  in  the 
center,  Stovall's  on  the  left,  Gibson's  in  reserve,  except  Austin's  bat 
talion,  and  the  Sixteenth  Louisiana,  under  Colonel  Lewis  who  were  in 
front  as  skirmishers — the  enemy  after  firing  a  few  shells  advanced  and 
attacked  along  my  entire  front.  Baker's  and  Clayton's  men  had  piled 
up  a  few  logs  and  Stovall's  Georgians  were  without  any  defense.  The 
entire  line  received  the  attack  with  great  steadiness  and  firmness,  every 
man  standing  at  his  post.  The  fight  began  toward  5  o'clock  and  con 
tinued  with  great  fury  until  after  night.  The  enemy  were  repulsed 
at  all  points  and  it  is  believed  with  heavy  loss.  The  force  opposed  to 
us  was  reported  by  prisoners  taken  to  be  Hooker's  corps  of  three  di 
visions  and;  their  loss  was  stated  at  from  3,000  to  5,000. 

Eldridge's  battalion  of  artillery,  of  Stanford's,  Oliver's,  and  Fen- 
ner's  batteries,  was  admirably  posted,  well  served  and  did  great  execu 
tion.  They  had  forty-three  men  and  forty-four  horses  killed  and 
wounded.  Our  position  was  such  that  the  enemy's  fire  which  was 


STEWART'S  DIVISION — DALTON- ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN.  309 

very  heavy,  passed  over  the  line  to  a  great  extent  which  accounts  for 
the  fact  that  while  so  heavy  a  punishment  was  inflicted  on  the  enemy, 
our  own  loss,  between  300  and  400  was  not  greater.  The  calm  deter 
mination  of  the  men  during  this  engagement  of  two  and  a  half  or  three 
hours  was  beyond  all  praise.  The  enemy's  advance  seemed  to  be  in 
three  lines  of  division  front  without  artillery.  No  more  persistent  at 
tack  or  determined  resistance  has  anywhere  been  made.  Not  being 
allowed  to  advance  and  charge  the  enemy  we  did  not  get  possession  of 
the  ground  occupied  by  the  enemy  who  intrenched  and  during  the  two 
following  days  kept  up  a  severe  and  galling  skirmish  fire,  from  which 
we  suffered  considerably  especially  losing  a  number  of  valuable 
officers. 

During  the  27th,  the  Thirty  seventh  Alabama,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Greene  commanding,  suffered  severely  from  the  fire  of  a  battery,  and 
with  the  Fifty-fourth  Alabama,  who  re-enforced  it  (both  of  Baker's 
brigade),  is  entitled  to  special  mention  for  the  fortitude  with  which 
they  endured  the  ordeal. 

ALEX.  P.  STEWART, 

Major-General. 

MAJOR  RATCHFORD, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General,  Hood's  Corps. 


THE  DEATH  OF  LIEUTENANT-GENERAL  POLK, 
PINE  MOUNTAIN,  GA. 

Marietta,  June  I4th,  1864. 
To  His  Excellency  Jefferson  Davis: 

The  army  and  the  country  this  morning  had  the  calamity  to  lose 
Lieutenant-General  Polk,  who  fell  by  a  cannon  shot  directed  at  one  of 
our  batteries. 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON. 

Headquarters  Army  of  Tennessee, 

In  the  Field,  June  14,  1864. 
(General  Field  Orders  No.  2.) 

Comrades : — You  are  called  to  mourn  your  first  captain,  your 
oldest  companion  in  arms.  Lieutenant-General  Polk  fell  today  at  the 
outpost  of  this  army;  the  army  he  raised  and  commanded,  in  all  of 
whose  trials  he  shared,  to  all  of  whose  victories  he  contributed.  In 
this  distinguished  leader  we  have  lost  the  most  courteous  of  gentle 
men,  the  most  gallant  of  soldiers.  The  Christian  patriot  soldier  has 
neither  lived  nor  died  in  vain.  His  example  is  before  you,  his  mantle 
is  with  you. 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON, 

General. 

After  the  death  of  General  Polk  the  signal  corps  at  different  sta 
tions  grew  busy  for  the  signal  service  had  become  an  important  branch 
to  our  armies,  imparting  information  not  in  any  other  way  to  be  ob 
tained.  The  idea  evidently  sprung  from  the  Indians'  smoke  signals 
and  the  telegraphy  which  the  Federals  even  followed.  The  Federals 
used  it  on  battle  fields,  notably  at  Chickamauga  in  the  west,  Gettysburg 
in  the  east.  The  alphabet  was  easily  learned  by  friends  and  just  as 
easily  deciphered  by  enemies.  To  keep  th  code  from  being  found  out 
changes  had  often  to  be  made.  The  staff  used  to  be  taught  the  mode 
of  signalling.  When  we  were  instructed,  one  right  wave  of  the  flag 
meant  A,  one  left  B,  two  right  C,  two  left  D,  right-left  E,  etc.  The 
end  of  a  word  was  one  thrust  forward,  of  a  sentence  two  thrusts  for 
ward,  of  a  message  three  thrusts.  The  following  is  an  account  of  some 
signal  service  messages  on  the  Southern  side  deciphered  by  the 
Federals : 

General  Hood: 

"Enemy  has  fortified  their  position  on  their  left." 

P.  B.  LEE. 


DEATH  OF  GEN.   POLK.  311 


General  Hood : 

The  lines  that  were  advancing  on  General  Hardee  have  halted 
and  are  fortifying. 

G.  A.  HENRY 
General  Oel: 

Was  Lieutenant-General  Polk  killed ;  let  me  know  ? 

HOOD,  General. 

General  Hood: 

The  remains  of  Lieutenant-General  Polk  passed-  in  direction  of 
Marietta  Station. 

88. 

To  show  the  accuracy  with  which  our  messages  were  deciphered, 
I  quote  from  the  chief  signal  officer  of  the  Federal  Department  of  the 
Tennessee,  commanded  by  General  McPherscn,  in  the  Dalton-Atlanla 
campaign. 

No.  445. 

Office  of  the  Chief  Signal  Officer, 

Department  of  the  Tennessee, 
In  the  Field,  Near  Big  Shanty,  Ga.,  June  23rd,  1864. 

Captain: — I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  copy  of  Rebel 
signal  messages  deciphered  by  the  officers  of  my  detachment  between 
the  loth  and  2Oth  instant.  They  were  sent  in  a  code  adopted  by  them 
since  we  closed  with  the  enemy  in  this  position,  and  which  was  de 
ciphered  by  the  officers  of  this  detachment.  Lieutenant  Bellinger  is 
chief  signal  officer  of  the  Rebel  army  in  our  front.  Major  Pollock 
B.  Lee  and  Colonel  Gus.  A.  Henry  are  assistant  inspectors-general 
detailed  to  watch  our  movements  from  Kennesaw  Mountain  and  to 
report  by  signals.  It  seems  that  they  do  not  intrust  this  duty  to  their 
field  officers.  The  first  intimation  of  General  Folk's  death  was  re 
ceived  by  Rebel  signals.  It  is  since  verified  by  deserters.  Colonel 
fienry  and  Major  Lee  kept  us  constantly  informd  of  the  movements 
of  the  Armies  of  the  Cumberland  and  Ohio;  their  dispatches  being 
always  received  by  General  McPherson  before  he  obtained-  information 
from  any  other  source.  We  use  every  endeavor  to  keep  the  facts  of 
our  knowledge  of  their  code  from  unauthorized  persons. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be  captain,  very  respectfully  your  obedient 
servant, 

O.   H.  HOWARD, 
Captain  and  Signal  Officer. 

Captain  H.  O.  Taft,  Washington,  D.  C. 

As  senior  division  commander,  General  Loring  immediately  took 
command  of  Folk's  corps  and  so  continued  until  superseded  by  the 
following  order: 

Richmond,  Va.,  July  3rd,  1864. 
General  J.  E.  Johnston: 

Major-General  Stewart  has  this  day  been  appointed  Lieutenant- 


312 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


General  to  command  the  corps  recently  commanded  by  Lieutenant- 
General  Polk. 

S.  COOPER, 
Ad  j  utant-General. 


BATTLE  OF  KENNESAW  MOUNTAIN. 

CALLED  ALONG  CHEATHAM'S  LINE  THE  DEAD  ANGLE,  JUNE  27,    1864. 


I  quote  by  permission  from  General  French's  journal  to  give  a 
proper  idea  of  General  Johnston's  army  where  the  battle  of  Kennesaw 
Mountain  and  all  along  the  line  near  Marietta  took  place. 

June  1 9th — The  position  of  our  army  today  is  Hood's  (corps)  on 
our  right,  covering  Marietta  on  the  northwest.  From  his  left,  Folk's 
corps  (now  Loring's)  extend  over  both  Big  and  Little  Kennesaw 
Mountains  with  the  left  on  the  road  from  Gilgal  Church  to  Marietta. 
From  this  road  Hardee  extends  the  line  nearly  south,  covering  Mari 
etta  on  the  west.  The  left  of  my  division  was  established  on  the 
Marietta  road,  thence  it  ran  up  the  spur  or  incline  of  the  Mountain 
called  Little  or  West  Kennesaw  and  thence  to  the  top  of  the  same; 
thence  on  up  to  the  top  of  Big  Kennesaw  when  it  connected  with  Gen 
eral  Walthall's  troops.  Featherstone  was  on  the  right  of  Walthall  and 
joined  General  Hood.  Walker  of  Hardee's  corps  was  on  my  left. 
Then  in  order,  Bate,  Cleburne  and  Cheatham  came. 

Kennesaw  Mountain  is  about  four  miles  northwest  of  Marietta. 
It  is  over  two  and  a  half  miles  in  length  and  rises  abruptly  from  the 
plain  solitary  and  alone  to  the  height  of  perhaps  seven  hundred  feet. 
Its  northwestern  side  is  rocky  and  abrupt  but  on  the  northernly 
and  southernly  extremities  it  can  be  gained  on  horseback.  Little  Ken 
nesaw  being  bold  and  destitute  of  timber,  affords  a  commanding  view 
of  all  the  surrounding  country  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  except 
where  the  view  is  hidden  by  the  higher  peak.  The  view  from  the  ele 
vation  embraces  Lost  Mountain,  Pine  Mountain  and  all  the  beautiful 
cultivated  plain  dotted  here  and-  there  with  farm  houses  and  extending 
to  the  Allatoona  Mountain,  a  spur  of  the  Great  Smoky  Mountains 
of  North  Carolina." 

The  two  armies  confronted  each  other  without  incident  until 
the  27th,  when  General  French  reports  that: 

"This  morning  there  appeared  great  activity  among  the  Federal 
staff  officers  and  generals  all  along  and  up  and  down  the  lines.  The 
better  to  observe  what  it  portended,  I  and  my  staff  seated  ourselves 
on  the  brow  of  the  mountain  sheltered  by  a  large  rock  that  rested 
between  our  guns  and  those  of  the  enemy  while  my  infantry  line  was 
farther  in  front  but  low  down  the  mountain  sides.  Artillery  firing 
was  common  at  all  times  on  the  line  but  now  it  swelled  in  volume  and 
extended  down  to  the  extreme  left.  And  then  from  fifty  guns  the  fir 
ing  burst  out  simultaneously  in  my  front  while  battery  after  battery  fol- 


314  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

lowing  on  the  right,  disclosed  a  general  attack  on  our  entire  line. 
Presently  and  as  if  by  magic  there  sprang  from  the  earth  a  host  of 
men  and  in  one  long  waving  line  of  blue,  the  infantry  advanced  and  the 
battle  of  Kennesaw  Mountain  began. 

'I  could  see  no  infantry  of  the  enemy  on  my  immediate  front, 
owing  to  the  woods  at  the  base  of  the  mountain  and  therefore  directed 


GENERAL  F.   M.   COCivUELL. 

the  guns  from  their  elevated  position  to  enfilade  the  blue  line  that  was 
advancing  on  Walker's  front  in  full  view.  In  a  short  time  this  flank 
fire  down  their  line  drove  them  back  and  Walker  was  relieved  from 
the  attack. 

"We  sat  there  perhaps  an  hour  enjoying  a  bird's-eye  view  of  one 
of  the  most  magnificent  sights  ever  allotted  to  man — a  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  men  arrayed  in  the  strife  of  battle  below.  'Twere  worth 
ten  years  of  peaceful  life,  one  glance  at  their  array. 

"Better  an  hour  on  this  mountain  top 

"Than  an  age  on  a  peaceful  plain." 

'As  the  infantry  closed  in,  the  blue  smoke  of  the  musket  marked 
out  the  line  of  battle  while  over  it  rose  in  cumuli  clouds,  the  white 
smoke  of  the  artillery.  So  many  were  the  guns  concentrated  to 
silence  those  three  guns  of  ours  on  the  mountain  brow  behind  us,  so 
incessant  was  the  roar  of  the  cannon  and  explosion  of  shells  passing 
our  heads  or  crashing  on  the  rocks  around  us,  that  naught  else  couM 


BATTLE  OF  KENNESAW  MOUNTAIN. 


315 


be  heard ;  and  so  with  a  roar  as  constant  as  Niagara  and  as  sharp  as 
the  crash  of  thunder  with  lightning  yet  in  the  eye,  we  sat  in  silence 
watching  the  changing  scenes  of  this  great  panorama. 

'Through  the  rifts  of  smoke,  or  as  it  was  wafted  aside  by  the 
wind,  we  could  see  the  assault  made  on  Cheatham.  There  the  strug 
gle  was  hard  and  there  it  lasted  longest.  From  the  fact  that  I  had 


CAPTAIN  P.  H.  GRIFFiN,  *'SONS  OF  ERIN,"  lOtll 
TENNESSEE  INFANTRY  (iRISH)  C.  S.  A.  NOW 
LIEUTENANT  COMPANY  B,  U.  C.  V.  OF  NASHVILLE, 

TENNESSEE. 

seen  no  infantry  in  my  front  and  heard  no  musketry  near,  I  thought 
I  was  exempted  from  the  general  infantry  attack.  I  was  therefore 
surprised  and  awakened  from  my  dream  when  a  courier  came  to  me 
about  9  o'clock  and  said  that  General  Cockrell  wanted  assistance, 
that  his  line  had  been  attacked  in  force.  General  Ector  was  at  once 
directed  to  send  two  regiments  to  report  to  him.  Soon  after  a  second- 
courier  came  and  reported  an  assault  made  on  the  left  of  my  line.  I 
went  immediately  with  the  remainder  of  Ector's  brigade  to  Cockrell's 


318  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

assistance,  but  on  reaching  him  I  found  the  Federal  assault  had  been 
repulsed.  The  assaulting  column  had  struck  Cockrell's  works  near 
the  center,  recoiled  under  the  fire,  then  swung  around  into  a  steep  val 
ley,  where  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  Missourians  in  the  front  and:  right 
and  of  Sears'  Mississippians  on  their  left,  it  seemed  to  melt  away  or 
sink  to  the  earth  to  rise  no  more. 

The  assault  on  my  line  repulsed,  I  returned  to  the  mountain  top, 
The  intensity  of  the  fire  had  slackened  and  no  movement  of  troops 
was  visible.  Although  the  din  of  arms  yet  resounded  far  and  near 
the  battle  was  virtually  ended 

"From  prisoners  and  from  papers  and  diaries  found  in  their  pos 
session,  I  learned  that  my  line,  from  its  position,  had  been  selected  for 
assault  by  General  McPherson,  as  that  of  Cheatham's  and  Cleburne's 
had  by  General  Thomas. 

"General  BcPherson  was  a  distinguished  officer  and  it  would 
be  a  reflection  on  his  judgment  and  skill  as  a  general  to  infer  that  he 
did  not,  under  the  eye  of  his  commander  and  with  ample  men  and 
means,  make  what  he  deemed  adequate  preparations  for  its  accomplish 
ment;  but  owing  to  the  ground  and  the  determined  resistance  en 
countered,  his  men  by  intuitive  perception  awakened  by  action,  realized 
that  the  contest  was  hopeless  and  where  persistence  was  only  death, 
very  properly  abandoned  the  field. 

"Gneral  Cheatham's  loss  was  195;  mine  (French's)  186;  all  other 
Confederate  losses  141.  Being  a  total  of  522.  What  the  Federal  loss 
was  I  do  not  know  but  it  was  estimated  at  from  five  to  eight  thou 
sand." 

""The  folowing  orders  of  General  Sherman  will  explain  the  attack 
clearly;  and  the  telegrams  the  result  of  the  battle. 

Headquarters  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi, 

In  the  Field,  Near  Kennesaw  Mountain,  June  24,  1864. 

The  army  commanders  will  make  full  reconnoisssances  and  prep 
arations  to  attack  the  enemy  in  force  on  the  27th  inst,  at  8  a.  m. 
precisely. 

The  commanding  general  will  be  on  Signal  Hill  and-  will  have 
telegraphic  communication  with  all  the  army  commanders. 

1.  Major-General  Thomas  will  assault  the  enemy  at  any  front 
near  his  center  to  be  selected  by  himself  and  will  make  any  changes 
in  his  troops  necessary,  by  night,  so  as  not  to  attract  the  attention 
of  the  enemy. 

2.  Major-General  McPherson  will  feign,  by  a  movement  of  his 
cavalry  and  one  division  of  his  infantry  on  his  extreme  left,  approach 
ing  Marietta  from  the  north  and  using  artillery  freely  but  will  make  his 
real  attack  at  a  point  south  and  west  of  Kennesaw. 

3.  Major-General  Schofield  will  feel  to  his  extreme  right  and 
threaten  that  flank  of  the  enemy,  etc. 

4.  Each  attacking  column  will  endeavor  to  break  a  single  point 
of  the  enemy's  line  and  make  secure  lodgment  beyond  and  be  pre- 


BATTLE  OF  KENNESAW  MOUNTAIN.  319 

pared  for  following  it  up  toward  Marietta  and  the  railroad  in  case  of 
success. 

By  order  of 

Major-General  W.  T.  SHERMAN. 
L.  M.  DAYTON, 

Aide-de-Camp. 
Headquarters  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi, 

In  the  Field,  June  27,  1864,  n  145  a.  m. 

General  Schofield: — Neither  McPherson  nor  Thomas  has  suc 
ceeded  in  breaking  through  but  each  has  made  substantial  progress 
at  some  cost.  Push  your  operations  on  the  flank  and  keep  me  advised. 

W.  T.SHERMAN, 
Major-General   Commanding, 
Headquarters  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi, 
In  the  Field,  Near  Kennesaw,  June  27,  1864,  n  145  a.  m. 
General   Thomas : — McPherson's   column   marched   near   the   top 
of  the  hill  through  very  tangled  brush  but  was  repulsed.     It  is  found 
impossible  to  deploy  but  they  hold  their  ground.     I  wish  you  to  study 
well  the  positions  and-  if  possible  to  break  through  the  lines  to  do  it. 
It  is  easier  now  than  it  will  be  hereafter.     I  hear  Leggitt's  guns  well 
behind  the  mountain. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 
Major-General  Commanding. 

As  nothing  decisive  was  obtained  by  Sherman's  attack,  the  fire 
slackened  except  on  skirmish  line.  After  dark  the  enemy  withdrew 
to  their  main  trenches,  the  roar  of  guns  died  gradually  away  and  the 
morning  of  the  28th  dawned  on  both  armies  in  their  former  positions. 
The  battle  of  Kennesaw  then  was  a  display  of  force  and  an  attack 
on  the  entire  length  of  our  line  by  artillery  and  infantry  under  cover 
of  which  two  grand1  attacks  were  made  by  assaulting  columns,  the 
one  on  my  line  and  the  other  on  Cheatham's. 

This  fight  along  Cheatham's  line  was  what  was  called  the  "Dead 
Angle."  On  the  right  of  Cheatham  was  Stewart  who  was  highly  en 
tertained  by  a  number  of  the  enemy's  batteries  turning  on  one  of  his, 
trying  to  silence  it. 

It  was  during  this  battle  that  one  of  the  noblest  deeds  of  hu 
manity  was  performed.  Colonel  W.  H.  Martin  of  the  First  Arkansas 
of  Cleburne's  division  seeing  the  woods  in  front  of  him  on  fire  and 
burning  the  wounded  Federals,  tied  a  handkerchief  to  a  ramrod  and- 
amidst  the  danger  of  battle  mounted  the  parapet  and  shouted  to  the 
enemy :  "We  wont  fire  a  gun  till  you  get  them  away.  Be  quick." 
And  with  his  own  men  he  leaped  over  our  works  and  helped  to  remove 
them.  When  this  was  done,  a  Federal  major  was  so  imprssecP  by 
such  magnanimity  that  he  pulled  from  his  belt  a  brace  of  fine  pistols 
and  presented  them  to  Colonel  Martin  with  the  remark,  "Accept  them 
with  my  appreciation  of  the  nobility  of  this  deed." 

The  noble  Colonel  Martin  lived  until  the  war  was  over.  His  wife 
died  leaving  an  only  child.  He  went  to  Honduras  and  one  dav  when 


320  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

sailing  in  a  small  boat  on  the River  the  boom  struck  him  on 

the  head  knocking  him  overboard  and  he  was  drowned.     Such  is  the 
irony  of  fate.     So  says  Joseph  N.  Brown  of  Marietta. 

After  these  famous  battles  events  passed  without  notable  incident, 
until  a  telegram  came  from  Richmond  on  July  i/th,  which  cast  a  gloom 
over  the  Army  of  Tennessee.  It  was  never  overcome.  The  substance 
as  shown  in  the  following  chapter  will  ever  be  pointed  to  as  a  stupend 
ous  blunder  upon  the  part  of  our  parties  in  power. 


GENERAL  J.  E.  JOHNSTON  RELIEVED  FROM  DUTY. 

Richmond,  July  I7th,  1864. 
General  J.  E.  Johnston: 

Lieutenant-General  J.  B.  Hood  has  been  commissioned  to  the 
temporary  rank  of  general  under  the  late  law  of  Congress.  I  am 
directed  by  the  Secretary  of  War  to  inform  you  that  you  have  failed 
to  arrest  the  advance  of  the  enemy  to  the  vicinity  of  Atlanta,  far  into 
the  interior  of  Georgia,  and  express  no  confidence  that  you  can  defeat 
or  repel  him.  You  are  hereby  relieved  from  the  command  of  the  Army 
and  Department  of  Tennessee,  which  you  will  immediately  turn  over 
to  General  Hood. 

S.  COOPER, 
Adjutant  and  Inspector-General. 


Headquarters  Army  of  Tennessee,  July  17,  1864. 
(General  Orders  No.  4.) 

In  obedience  to  orders  of  the  War  Department,  I  turn  over  to 
General  Hood  the  command  of  the  Army  and  Department  of  Ten 
nessee.  I  cannot  leave  this  noble  army  without  expressing  my  admi 
ration  of  the  high  military  qualities  it  has  displayed.  A  long  and  ardu 
ous  campaign  has  made  conspicuous  every  soldierly  virtue,  endurance 
of  toil,  obedience  to  orders  and  brilliant  courage.  The  enemy  has  never 
attacked  but  to  be  repulsed  and  severely  punished.  You,  soldiers, 
have  never  argued  but  from  your  courage  and  never  counted  your 
foes.  No  longer  your  leader,  I  will  still  watch  your  career  and  will 
rejoice  in  your  victories.  To  one  and  all  I  offer  assurances  of  my 
friendship  and  bid  an  affectionate  farewell. 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON, 

General. 


Atlanta,  July  18,  1864. 
President  Jefferson  Davis : 

The  enemy  being  now  in  our  immediate  front  and  making  as  we 
suppose  a  general  advance,  we  deem  it  dangerous  to  change  command 
ers  now  especially  as  this  would  necessitate  other  important  changes. 
A  few  days  will  probably  decide  the  fate  of  Atlanta  when  the  cam 
paign  may  be  expected-  to  close  for  a  time,  allowing  a  new  commander 
opportunity  to  get  his  army  in  hand  and  make  the  necessary  changes. 
For  these  reasons  we  would  respectfully  urge  the  order  requiring  a 


322  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

change  of  commanders  be  suspended  until  the  fate  of  Atlanta  shall 
be  decided. 

J.  B.  HOOD, 

General. 
W.  J.  HARDEE, 

Lieutenant-General. 
ALEX.  P.  STEWART, 

Lieutenant-General. 

Richmond,  July  18,  1864. 
General  Hood: 

Your  telegram  of  this  date  received.  A  change  of  commanders 
under  existing  circumstances  was  regarded  as  so  objectionable  that 
I  only  accepted  it  as  the  alternative  of  continuing  in  a  policy  which 
had  proved  so  disastrous.  Reluctance  to  make  the  change  induced  me 
to  send  a  telegram  of  inquiry  to  the  commanding-general  on  the  i6th 
inst.  His  reply  but  confirmed  previous  apprehensions.  There  can 
be  but  one  question  which  you  and  I  can  entertain — that  is,  what  will 
best  promote  the  public  good ;  and  to  each  of  you  I  confidently  look 
for  the  sacrifice  of  every  personal  consideration  in  conflict  with  that 
object.  The  order  has  been  executed  and  I  cannot  suspend'  it  with 
out  making  the  case  worse  than  it  was  before  the  order  was  issued. 

.JEFFERSON  DAVIS, 

(Same  to  Generals  Hardee  and  Stewart.) 

Atlanta,  July   18,   1864. 
General  S.  Cooper: 

General: — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  my  ap 
pointment  as  general  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee.  There  is  now  heavy 
skirmishing  and  indications  of  a  general  advance.  I  deem  it  danger 
ous  to  change  the  commander  of  this  army  at  this  particular  time,  and 
it  will  be  to  the  interest  of  the  service  that  no  change  should  be  made 
until  the  fate  of  Atlanta  is  decided. 

Respectfully, 

J.  B.  HOOD, 

General. 

Near  Atlanta,  July  18,  1864. 
General  S.  Cooper,  Richmond: 

Your  dispatch  of  yesterday  received  and  obeyed.  Command  of 
the  Army  and  Department  of  Tennessee  has  been  transferred  to  Gen 
eral  Hood.  As  to  the  alleged  cause  of  my  removal,  I  assert  that 
Sherman's  army  is  much  stronger  compared  with  that  of  Tennessee 
than  Grant's  compared  with  that  of  Northern  Virginia.  Yet  the  enemy 
has  been  compelled  to  advance  much  more  slowly  to  the  vicinity  of  At 
lanta  than  to  that  of  Richmond  and  Petersburg  and  has  penetrated 
much  deeper  into  Virginia  than  into  Georgia.  Confident  language 


GENERAL  J.  E.  JOHNSTON  RELIEVED  FROM  DUTY.        323 

by  a  military  commander  is  not  usually  regarded  as  evidence  of  com 
petency. 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON. 


Atlanta,  July  28,  1864. 
Hon.  J.  A.  Seddon,  Richmond: 

The  enemy  commenced  extending  his  right  about  8  this  morning, 
driving  in  our  cavalry.  Lieutenant-Generals  Stewart  and  Lee  were 
directed  to  hold  the  Lick  Skillet  road  for  the  day  with  a  portion  of 
their  commands.  About  1 :3O  o'clock  a  sharp  engagement  ensued  with 
no  decided  advantage  to  either  side.  We  still  occupy  the  Lick  Skillett 
road.  I  regret  to  say  that  Lieutenant-General  Stewart  and  Major- 
General  Loring  were  wounded.  In  my  dispatch  of  yesterday  I  should 
have  mentioned  that  Brigadier-General  Ector  was  severely  wounded 
during  the  day. 

J.  B.   HOOD, 

General. 


AN  INCIDENT  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  ATLANTA,  JULY  26,  1864. 


THE  DEATH  OF  MAJOR-GENERAL  J.   B.   MCPHERSON,  BY  CAPTAIN  RICHARD 
BEARD  OF  MURFREESBORO,   TENN. 


Taken  from  the  Nashville  Union  and  American. 

I  notice  in  your  paper  also  in  the  Banner  of  the  24th,  a  letter  from 
a  correspondent  at  Shelby ville,  Tenn.,  connecting  my  name  and  that  of 
my  company  with  the  killing  of  Major-General  McPherson,  on  the22d 
of  July,  before  Atlanta.  Both  letters  are  substantially  correct  with 
the  exception  of  one  important  particular.  The  impression  is  made 
by  your  correspondent  that  we  were  detached  at  the  time  and  in  am- 
buscac!:e  which  is  erroneous  for  we  were  in  line  of  battle  with  our  regi 
ments  the  Fifth  Confederate,  together  with  Folk's  brigade  of  Cle- 
burne's  division,  to  which  we  belonged. 

After  my  return  from  prison  at  the  close  of  the  war,  I  heard 
that  it  had  been  charged-  by  the  Northern  press  that  General  McPher 
son  had  been  murdered.  I  have  been  frequently  asked  to  write  a  let 
ter  of  vindication  and  to  give  an  exact  statement  o*f  the  facts  connected 
with  his  death  but  owing  to  my  ignorance  of  localities  and  the  general 
arrangements  of  the  battle  of  the  22nd  of  July  I  have  up  to  this  time, 
failed  to  do  so. 

On  the  7th  of  May,.  1864.,  commenced  that  memorable  campaign 
from  Daltori  to  Atlanta  which  lasted  for  a  hundred  days  and  during 
which  time  the  sounc/  of  the  enemy's  guns  never  were  beyond  the  reach 
of  our  ears  and  which  ended  in  the  capture  of  the  latter  important  city, 
on  the  28th  of  July.  It  was  in  the  last  but  one  of  the  engagements  in 
this  campaign  that  the  unfortunate  occurrence  took  place  which  I  am 
about  to  relate.  The  simple  unvarnished  facts  in  regard  to  the  killing 
of  the  Federal  general  are  as  follows: 

For  a  day  or  two  previous  to  the  battle  I  had  been  in  command 
of  a  brigade  line  of  skirmishers  and  early  on  the  morning  of  July  22nd, 
was  ordered  to  join  my  regiment  and  division  which  were  moving  out 
from  Atlanta  on  the  Decatur  road,  in  order  to  strike  the  left  flank  of 
General  Sherman's  army  under  the  command  of  General  McPherson, 
which  stretched  across  the  Augusta  railroad.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  but  a  few  days  before  this  General  Hood  had  relieved  General 
Johnston  in  command  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee  and  this  was  his  sec 
ond  tussle  with  the  enemy.  While  halting  on  the  road  to  the  battle 
ground,  we  were  furnished  with  sixty  additional  rounds  of  ammuni 
tion  and  were  told  that  there  was  a  hard  day's  work  before  us. 

We  were  placed  in  line  of  battle  about  12  or  I  o'clock  in  the  day, 


AN  INCIDEJST  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  ATLANTA.  325 

and  the  last  order  given  by  General  Pat  Cleburne  to  us,  was  to  move 
forward  turn  neither  to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left  until  we  were 
within  the  enemy's  breastworks.  Shortly  afterwards  a  heavy  and  rapid 
cannonading  commenced  from  what  we  supposed  to  be  General  Bate's 
division  which  announced  too  clearly  that  the  ball  was  about  to  open 
in  good  earnest.  Under  the  excitement  aroused  by  it,  we  commenced 
a  double-quick  through  a  forest  covered  with  dense  underbrush.  Here 
we  ran  through  a  line  of  skirmishers  and  took  them  in  without  the 
firing  of  a  gun.  Suddenly  came  up  to  the  edge  of  a  little  wagon  road 
running  parallel  with  our  line  of  march  and  down  which  General  Mc- 
Pherson  came  thundering  at  the  head  of  his  staff  and  according  to  the 
best  of  my  recollection  followed  by  his  body  guard.  As  he  swept 
down  that  lonely  road  in  that  black  jack  forest,  he  was  little  aware 
of  the  fate  that  awaited  him.  He  had  evidently  just  left  the  last  confer 
ence  he  ever  had  with  General  Sherman  near  the  Howard  House  and 
was  on  his  way  to  see  what  the  sud-den  and  rapid  firing  on  his  left  all 
meant.  General  Sherman  is  certainly  mistaken  in  his  memoirs  when 
he  says  that  he  was  almost,  if  not  entirely  alone,  for  I  estimated  his 
rank  not  only  by  his  personal  appearance  but  by  the  size  of  his  retinue 
and  in  that  estimate  I  fixed  his  rank  at  nothing  less  than  a  corps  com 
mander.  He  had  a  considerable  staff  with  him  and  according  to  the 
best  of  my  recollection,  a  body  guard  followed  him. 

He  was  certainly  surprised  to  find  himself  suddenly  face  to  face 
with  the  Rebel  line.  My  own  company  and  possibly  others  of  the  regi 
ment  had  reached  the  verge  of  the  road  when  he  discovered  for  the 
first  time,  that  he  was  within  a  few  feet  of  where  we  stood.  I  threw 
up  my  sword  to  him  as  a  signal  to  surrender.  Not  a  word  was  spoken. 
He  checked  his  horse  slightly,  raised  his  hat  as  politely  as  if  he  were 
saluting  a  lady,  wheeled  his  horse's  head  directly  to  the  right  and 
dashed  off  to  the  rear  in  a  full  gallop.  Young  Corporal  Coleman  who 
was  standing  near  me,  was  ordered  to  fire  on  him.  He  did  so  and  it 
was  his  ball  that  brought  General  McPherson  down.  He  was  shot 
as  he  was  passing  under  the  thick  branches  of  a  tree  while  bending 
over  his  horse's  neck  either  to  avoid  coming  in  contact  with  the  limbs 
or  more  probably,  to  escape  the  death  dealing  bullet  of  the  enemy  that 
he  knew  was  sure  to  follow  him.  He  was  shot  in  the  back  and  as  Gen 
eral  Sherman  says  in  his  Memoirs,  "the  ball  ranged  upwards  across 
the  body  and  passed  through  his  heart." 

A  number  of  shots  were  fired  into  his  retreating  staff. 

I  ran  immediately  up  to  where  the  general  lay,  just  as  he  had 
fallen  upon  his  knees  and  face.  There  was  not  a  quiver  of  his  bodv 
to  be  seen,  not  a  sign  of  life  perceptible.  The  fatal  bullet  had  done 
its  work  too  well.  He  had  been  killed  instantly.  Even  a?  he  lay 
there  in  his  major-general's  uniform  with  his  face  in  the  dust,  he  was 
as  magnificent  a  specimen  of  manhood  as  I  ever  saw. 

Right  by  his  side  lay  a  man  who  if  hurt  at  all  was  but  slightly 
wounded  but  whose  horse  had  been  shot  from  under  him.  From  h's 
appearance  I  took  him  to  be  the  adjutant  or  inspector-general  of  the 


326  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

staff.  Pointing  to  the  dead  man  I  asked  him,  "Who  is  this  lying 
here?"  He  answered  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  "Sir,  it  is  General  Mc~- 
Pherson.  You  have  killed  the  best  man  in  our  army."  This  was  the 
first  intimation  we  had  as  to  who  the  officer  was  and  as  to  his  rank. 

There  was  a  touch  of  pathos  connected  with  the  death  of  this 
great  soldier  of  the  Federal  army.  He  seemed  to  be  about  thirty-five 
years  of  age  and  it  was  said  at  the  time  that  he  was  engaged  to  be 
married  to  a  beautiful  girl  in  Baltimore,  that  a  short  time  before  this, 
he  had  asked  for  a  leave  of  absence  from  General  Sherman,  to  visit  her 
but  owing  to  the  exigencies  of  the  times  and  the  stirring  scenes  through 
which  the  two  armies  were  passing,  his  application  was  denied. 

General  Sherman  alleges  in  his  book  that  General  McPherson's 
pocketbook  and  papers  were  found  in  the  haversack  of  a  prisoner 
afterwards.  That  may  be  so  but  that  prisoner  did  not  belong  to  our 
party.  Captain  W.  A.  Brown  of  Mississippi  picked  up  his  hat  that 
had  caught  in  the  branches  of  the  tree  under  which  he  had  fallen  and 
that  was  the  only  piece  of  McPherson's  property  disturbed  by  any  of 
us.  That  hat  Captain  Brown  wore  through  all  of  our  prison  experi 
ence  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  when  the  last  Confederate  flag  was 
furled  when  we  separated  at  Hamilton,  Ohio,  he  going  to  his  home  in 
Grenada,  Miss.,  and  I  to  mine  at  Lebanon,  Tenn.,  he  still  wore  it.  As 
I  stood  over  the  body,  the  bullets  were  beginning  to  whistle  rapidly 
around  that  locality.  Soon  after  an  order  was  sent  commanding  the 
division  to  move  by  the  right  flank,  but  Major  Richard  Person  a  gal 
lant  officer,  who  commanded  the  regiment,  was  on  the  extreme  left 
and  in  front  of  it  and  did  not  hear  the  order  but  pushed  on  to  the 
Federal  intrenchments  which  were  before  and  in  sight  of  us.  I  was 
satisfied  then  that  d-etached  as  we  were,  the  movement  would  only 
result  in  our  death  or  capture;  but  feeling  it  my  duty  to  stick  to  the 
colors  of  my  regiment  and  share  its  fate  no  matter  what  it  might  be, 
I  did  so  and  the  result  was  as  I  anticipated — we  were  all  taken 
prisoners. 

After  our  capture  we  had  several  conversations  with  Federal  of 
ficers  in  regard  to  the  killing  of  McPherson  and  I  had  myself  one, 
with  an  officer  of  his  staff,  who  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  escape 
our  bullets  when  McPherson  fell. 

The  next  day  we  started  on  our  way  to  Northern  prisons — the  offi 
cers  to  Johnson's  Island,  near  Sandusky,  Ohio.  On  the  route  we  spent 
one  night  in  the  Chattanooga  jail — an  old  building  that  now  stands  on 
Market  street  in  that  city ;  a  day  in  the  Nashville  penitentiary,  and  one 
Sunday  in  jail  at  Indianapolis.  A  short  distance  this  side  of  Sandusky 
we  passed  through  the  little  city  of  Clyde,  the  birthplace  and  the  home 
of  General  McPherson.  We  noticed  that  the  flag  was  at  half  mast  and 
asked  some  of  the  crowd4,  around  the  depot  what  it  meant  and  were 
told  that  they  had  just  buried  General  McPherson  whom  the  "damned 
Rebels  had  murdered"  and  that  the  flag  was  at  half  mast  for  him. 
Within  three  hours  after  this  I  was  in  a  prison  guarded  by  high  pali 
sades  on  which  was  a  walkway  where  sentries  paced  their  beat  night 


AN  INCIDENT  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  ATLANTA.  327 

and  day,  by  the  I28th  Ohio  regiment,  one  thousand1  strong,  by  the  gun 
boat  Michigan  and  by  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie  and  Sandusky  Bay. 
Here  for  nearly  eleven  months  I  heard  the  wild  waves  beat  against 
the  shores  of  the  island-  and  the  wild  sea  birds  cry.  On  the  morning 
of  June  ist,  1865,  I  passed  out  of  the  gate  of  the  prison  a  free  man  and 
no  one  who  has  not  experienced  a  prison  life  can  realize  the  sensations 
that  I  underwent.  The  morning  was  as  beautiful  as  the  sun  ever  ros^ 
on.  There  was  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky ;  the  "air  was  silent  as  the  ocean," 
and  the  dew  sparkled  like  jewels  on  the  grass.  Taking  a  mint  julep 
with  Captain  Collins  one  of  the  officers  of  the  I28th  Ohio,  who  had 
been  guarding  us,  we  "shook  hands  across  the  bloody  chasm"  and 
turned  my  face  toward  my  home  in  Tennessee — a  home  that  I  had  not 
seen  for  more  than  four  years. 

I  have  somewhat  digressed,  but  I  will  say  that  the  tragedy  I 
have  described  above  was  the  last  one  that  I  ever  took  part  in  during 
the  war  and  it  is  as  vividly  pictured  on  my  mind  as  if  it  all  had  oc 
curred  yesterday.  The  circumstances  under  which  General  McPher- 
son  met  his  death  were  perfectly  justifiable.  He  had  every  oppor 
tunity  on  earth  to  surrender  but  refused  to  do  so  and  preferred  to  take 
the  chances  of  flight.  Although  he  was  considered  a  host  in  himself 
against  us,  his  untimely  end  was  mourned'  even  by  the  Confederate 
army,  for  he  was  universally  esteemed  as  a  soldier  and  a  gentleman. 

Some  others  have  rendered  and  had  published  different  versions 
of  this  death  and  some  have  even  claimed  that  they  fired  the  shot  that 
brought  him  down  but  this  credit— if  there  can  be  any  credit  attached 
to  it — I  have  never  claimed.  His  blood  is  not  on  my  hands.  The  only 
claim  I  make  is  that  I  saw  him  fall  and  I  believe  that  I  was  about  the 
first  party  that  reached  his  body. 

On  this  same  day  our  Major  General  W.  H.  T.  Walker,  command 
ing  a  division  in  our  (Hardee's)  corps  was  killed. 


MAJOR-GENERALS  LORING,  WALTHALL  AND  FRENCH'S 
DIVISION,  STEWART'S  CORPS. 


Report  of  Lieutenant-General  Alexander  P.  Stewart,  C.  S.  Army, 
Commanding-  Corps  (formerly  Folk's)  of  Operations  July  18  to  Sep 
tember  29,  1864. 

Head-quarters  Stewart's  Corps,  Army  of  Tennessee, 

Near  Tupelo,  Miss.,  January  12,  1865. 

Sir: — In  compliance  with  the  wishes  of  the  commanding  general 
I  respectfully  submit  the  following  brief  report  of  the  operations  of 
this  corps  from  July  18,  1864,  the  day  upon  which  General  Hood 
assumed  command  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  to  September  29,  1864, 
the  day  on  which  we  crossed  the  Chattahoochee : 

On  the  1 8th  of  July  we  lay  in  bivouac  on  the  south  side  of  Peach 
Tree  creek  between  the  Marietta  and  Pace's  ferry  roads.  On  that  or 
the  following  day  we  commenced  intrenching,  the  enemy  having 
crossed  the  Chattahoochee  and  advanced  on  Sunday,  the  I7th,  to  the 
vicinity  of  Peach  Tree  creek.  This  corps  was  on  the  left,  Hardee's  in 
the  center,  Cheatham's  (formerly  .Hood's)  on  the  right  of  the  army. 

On  the  morning  of  the  2Oth  it  was  decided  at  army  headquarters 
that  at  i  p.  m.  that  day  an  attack  should  be  made  on  the  enemy  by  this 
corps  and  Hardee's.  The  plan  was  for  the  divisions  (commencing  on 
Hardee's  right)  to  move  forward1  successively  en  echelon  at  inter 
vals  of  some  200  yards  to  attack  the  enemy,  drive  him  back  to  the  creek 
and  then  press  d:own  the  creek  to  the  left.  Should  the  enemy  be  found 
intrenched,  his  works  were  to  be  carried,  everything  on  our  side  of  the 
creek  was  to  be  taken  and  our  crossing  to  the  other  side  of  the  creek 
was  to  depend  on  our  success.  Such  were  the  instructions  of  the  com 
manding  general  to  General  Hardee  and  myself.  I  was  to  hold  a  di 
vision  in  reserve.  It  seems  a  division  had  been  drawn  from  our  lines  on 
the  right  of  Hard-ee's  corps.  This  corps  and  mine  was  to  close  to  the 
right  far  enough  to  cover  the  space  vacated  by  this  division  the 
space  to  be  divided  between  the  two  corps.  This  would  have  shifted 
my  line  a  half  division  front  to  the  right — perhaps  at  most  a  half  miJe. 
The  division  and  brigade  commanders  were  notified  of  the  work  to 
be  done  and  directed  to  reconnoiter  the  ground  in  front  of  their  lines 
as  far  as  practicable.  At  I  o'clock  I  found  the  left  of  Hardee's  corps 
just  beginning  to  shift  to  the  right.  Feeling  that  this  change  was  not 
important  and  that  not  a  moment  should  be  lost  in  making  the  attack 
contemplated,  a  staff  officer  was  dispatched  to  the  commanding  general 
to  inform  him  of  the  fact  and  requesting  an  order  to  stop  the  movement 


329 

to  the  right  and  commence  the  forward  movement.  The  result  was, 
however,  that  to  keep  up  connection  with  the  other  corps,  my  line 
moved  fully  a  mile  and  a  half  or  two  miles  to  the  right  and  my  right 
division  (Loring's)  did  not  move  forward  following  the  one  on  its 
right  in  the  prescribed  order  until  near  4  o'clock.  My  instructions  to 
division  commanders  of  brigades  and  regiments  were:  to  move  for 
ward-  and  attack  the  enemy;  if  found  intrenched  to  fix  bayonets  and 
carry  his  works;  to  drive  him  back  to  the  creek  and  then  press  down 
the  creek;  that  we  were  to  carry  everything  in  our  front  on  our  side 
of  the  creek.  Loring's  division  was  on  the  right,  Walthall's  in  the  cen 
ter  and  French's  the  reserve  division,  on  the  left.  The  instructions 
given  were  obeyed  promptly  and  with  alacrity.  Loring's  division 
moved  forward  and  carried  the  works  in  their  front  but  were  compelled 
to  fall  back  by  an  enfilade  fire  from  the  right  because  the  left  division 
of  the  other  corps  had  not  moved  up  to  the  attack.  Walthall's  division 
also  eneaged  the  enemv  with  great  spirit  while  French's  was  moved  so 
as  to  cover  the  left  and  be  in  supporting  distance.  Learning  the  cause 
of  the  check  to  Loring's  and  Walthall's  divisions,  an  officer  was 
dispatched  to  request  General  Hardee  to  allow  his  left  division  to  co 
operate  with  Loring  in  carrying  the  line  in  its  front.  Before  an  answer 
was  received,  a  staff  officer  from  the  commanding  general  brought 
me  an  order  to  retire  to  the  intrenched  line  from  which  we  had  ad 
vanced  and  the  conflict  terminated. 

The  loss  in  Loring's  and  Walthall's  divisions  especially  the  former, 
was  heavy.  These  commanders,  their  subordinates  and  men  behaved 
entirely  to  my  satisfaction  and  I  cannot  but  think  had  the  plan  of  the 
battle  as  I  understood  it,  been  carried  out  fully,  we  would  have 
achieved  a  great  success. 

I  beg  leave  to  refer  to  subordinate  reports  for  the  names  of  those 
who  distinguished  themselves  by  acts  of  special  gallantry  and  of  the 
brave  officers  and  men  whose  blood  was  so  freelv  and  it  would  seem 
so  uselessly  shed  on  the  occasion,  as  well  as  for  those  details  it  is  im 
possible  to  embrace  in  this  sketch. 

Thursday  night,  July  2ist,  the  army  fell  back  to  the  line  around 
Atlanta,  this  corps  occupying  the  space  from  Peach  Tree  street  to  a 
redoubt  on  a  hill  to  the  left  of  the  Turner's  Ferry  road,  being  still  the 
left  of  the  army.  On  the  22nd  wre  were  ordered  to  be  in  readiness  to 
attack  the  enemy  again,  following  the  corps  on  our  right ;  but  for  rea 
sons  unknown  to  me  the  battle  of  that  day  did  not  become  general. 
By  the  28th  the  enemy  by  extending  to  his  right  had  nearly  gained 
the  Lick  Skillet  road.  Loring's  and  Walthall's  divisions  had  been  re 
lieved  at  the  trenches  and  it  was  expected  that  French's  would"  be  that 
night.  As  I  understood  the  instructions,  General  Lee,  commanding 
corps,  was  to  move  out  on  the  Lick  Skillet  road,  attack  the  enemy's 
right  flank  and  drive  him  from  that  road  and  the  one  leading  from  it 
by  Mount  Ezra  Church.  My  own  orders  were  to  move  with  the  di 
visions  named  to  the  point  where  our  line  of  works  crossed  the  Lick 
Skillet  road*.  French's  division  (when  relieved)  and  one  from  some 


330  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AEMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

other  corps  were  to  join  us  and  at  an  early  hour  the  next  morning  we 
were  to  move  out  on  that  road,  turn  to  the  right,  pass  in  rear  of  the 
enemy  and  attack.  On  reaching  the  point  indicated,  Lee's  corps  was 
found  to  be  engaged  and  in  need  of  assistance.  Accordingly,  Wal- 
thall's  division  was  moved  out,  Loring's  following  as  support  and 
formed  on  Lee's  left.  It  attacked  the  enemy  strongly  posted  on  a  hill, 
and  failing  after  a  desperate  fight  and  heavy  loss  to  dislodge  him,  Lor- 
ing's  division  was  placed  in  position  along  the  Lick  Skillet  road  and 
Walthall  directed  to  withdraw  his  in  rear  of  Loring's.  A  short  time 
previous  to  this,  General  Loring  was  wounded  leaving  his  division 
under  command  of  Brigadier-General  Featherston.  While  his  di 
vision  was  taking  its  position  I  was  myself  disabled  and  did  not  return 
to  duty  until  the  I5th  of  August.  At  this  time  the  corps  occupied  the 
line  from  Marietta  road  to  a  short  distance  west  of  the  Lick  Skillet 
road.  Nothing  of  special  interest  occurred  beyond  the  constant  skirm 
ishing  along  the  picket-lines  until  toward  the  end  of  August,  when  the 
enemy  withdrew  from  our  front  and  moved  upon  Jonesboro. 

This  corps  remained  in  position  around  Atlanta  until  it  became  nec 
essary  to  evacuate  the  place,  where  it  remained:  until  September  18. 
On  that  day  we  marched  for  Palmetto  on  the  Atlanta  &  West  Point 
Railroad  and  on  the  2Olh  took  position  on  the  left  of  the  army  between 
the  railroad  and  the  Chattahoochee  where  we  remained  undisturbed 
until  the  2Qth,  when  we  recrossed  the  river  at  Pumpkintown  near 
Cross  Anchor. 

It  is  due  them  to  express  my  high  appreciation  of  the  conduct  and 
services  of  the  several  members  of  my  staff,  viz :  Lieutenant-Colonel  T. 
F.  Sevier  assistant  inspector-general  and-  his  assistants,  Lieutenants  Ca- 
hal  and  Hopkins,  and  Private  Williams  of  the  Orleans  Light  Horse; 
Doctors  Voorhies  and  Darby,  at  different  times  acting  as  medical  di 
rectors  ;  Major  Douglas  West  and  Captain  W.  D.  Gale  of  Adjutant- 
General's  Department;  Major  Foster,  Captain  Porter,  Lieutenants 
DeSaulles  and  McFall  of  the  engineers ;  Lieutenants  Ridley  and  Stew 
art,  aides ;  Captain  Vanderford,  ordnance  officer ;  Major  Mason,  quar 
termaster,  and  Major  Murphy,  commissary  of  subsistence. 

To   Captain  Greenleaf    and    his    company    (the    Orleans    Light 
Horse)  I  acknowledge  my  obligations  for  valuable  services. 
Very  respectfully,  colonel,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  P.  STEWART, 

Lieutenant-General 

Colonel  A.  P.  MASON, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General, 


BATTLES  AROUND  JONESBOROUGH,  LOVEJOY  STATION 

AND  ATLANTA. 


Report  of  Lieutenat-General  William  J.  Hardee,  C.  S.  Army,  Com 
manding  Corps. 

Jonesborough,  August  31,   1864. 

Fought  the  enemy  at  Jonesborough  today,  but  without  decisive 
results.  Cleburne  commanding  my  corps,  carried;  the  enemy's  in- 
trenchments  on  the  left  and  holds  them.  Lieutenant-General  Lee 
carried  a  part  of  the  enemy's  works,  but  was  in  the  end  badly  re 
pulsed.  No  loss  in  material.  Generals  Anderson  and  Cumming 
badly  wounded.  Telegraph  communication  with  Atlanta  broken. 
I  can  hold  this  place  unless  the  enemy  cross  Flint  river  below  me. 
My  aim  will  be  to  keep  my  command  between  the  enemy  and  Macon. 

W.  J.  HARDEE, 

Lieutenant-General. 

His  Excellency  President  Davis. 

Love  joy  Station,  September  2,   1864. 

The  enemy  attacked  my  whole  line  fiercely  at  Jonesborough  yes 
terday,  turning  my  right  flank  at  the  same  time.  The  assault  was 
everywhere  repulsed  except  upon  Lewis'  and  Govan's  brigades  which 
gave  way  but  reformed  about  150  yards  in  rear  of  their  original  line 
and  maintained  their  position  steadily.  I  was  occupying  in  single 
rank  the  line  of  both  Lee's  corps  and  my  own  of  the  day  previous. 
My  only  reserves  had  to  be  thrown  on  my  right  flank  to  prevent  the 
enemy  from  turning  my  position.  I  lost  a  few  prisoners  including 
Brigadier-General  Govan  and  eight  pieces  of  artillery.  My  loss  not 
heavy  in  killed  or  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  enemy  believed  to  be 
greater  than  in  any  previous  engagement  of  the  campaign.  Prison 
ers  report  that  General  Sherman  commanded  in  person  and  that  there 
were  six  corps  in  my  front.  The  enemy  reached  the  Decatur  road  be 
fore  dark  compelling  me  to  retire  to  this  place,  four  miles  and  a  half 
in  rear  of  my  position  of  yesterday. 

W.  J.  HARDEE, 

Lieutenant-General. 


His  Excellency  Jefferson  Davis,  Richmond,  Va. 

Near  Lovejoy's  Station,  September  3rd,  1864. 
The  enemy   approached  my  position   cautiously   from  Jonesbor 
ough  yesterday  and  about  sunset  attacked  a  portion  of  Cleburne's 


332  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

line.     The  attack  was  easily  repulsed  and  with  considerable  loss  to 
the  enemy. 

W.  J.  HARDEE, 

Lieutenant-General. 

His  Excellency  Jefferson  Davis,  Richmond,  Va. 

Headquarters,  Camp  Near  Smithfield,  N.  C,  April  5,  1865. 
Hon.  John  C.  Breckinridge,  Secretary  of  War,  Richmond : 

General: — I  have  just  conclud-ed  and  will  today  forward  to  Gen 
eral  Cooper  a  report  of  the  operations  of  my  corps  about  Atlanta  and 
intended  merely  as  an  answer  to  the  misrepresentations  contained  in 
General  Hood's  report  respecting  myself.  You  will  oblige  me  by 
authorizing  its  publication  which  I  consider  due  alike  to  the  truth 
of  history  and  to  my  own  reputation. 

With  high  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  J.  HARDER, 

Lieutenant-General. 

Headquarters  Hardee's  Corps, 
Camp  Near  Smithfield,  N.  C,  April  5,  1865. 
General : — The  want  of  subordinate  reports  has  heretofore  pre 
vented  me  from  making  an  official  report  of  the  operations  of  my 
corps  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  from  the  opening  of  the  campaign 
at  Dalton  to  the  time  of  my  transfer  from  that  army  on  the  28th 
of  September,  1864.  Many  of  the  general  officers  in  that  corps  were 
killed,  wounded  or  captured  in  the  recent  Tennessee  campaign  with 
out  having  made  up  their  reports  and  this  obstacle  therefore  still 
exists;  but  the  publication  of  General  Hood's  official  report  makes  it 
a  duty  to  place  at  once  upon  record  a  correction  of  the  misrepre 
sentations  which  he  has  made  in  that  report  with  respect  to  myself 
and  the  corps  which  I  commanded.  It  is  well  known  that  I  felt  un 
willing  to  serve  under  General  Hood  upon  his  succession  to  the 
command  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee  because  I  believed  him, 
though  a  tried  and  gallant  officer,  to  be  unequal  in  both 
experience  and  natural  ability  to  so  important  a  command  and  soon 
afterward  with  the  knowledge  and  approval  of  General  Hood,  I  ap 
plied  to  his  Excellency  the  President  to  be  relieved  from  duty  with 
that  army.  The  President  replied  that  it  was  my  duty  to  rem.iin  where 
I  was.  I  accepted  the  decision  and  gave  to  the  commanding  general 
an  honest  and  cordial  support.  That  in  the  operations  about  Atlanta 
I  failed  to  accomplish  all  that  General  Hood  thinks  might  have  been 
accomplished  is  a  matter  of  regret.  That  I  committed  errors  is  very 
possible  but  that  I  failed  in  any  instance  to  carry  out  in  good  faith  his 
orders  I  utterly  deny;  nor  during  our  official  connection  did  General 
Hood  ever  evince  a  belief  that  I  had  in  any  respect  failed-  in  the  exe 
cution  of  such  parts  of  his  military  plans  as  were  intrusted  to  me.  On 
the  contrary,  by  frequent  and  exclusive  consultation  of  my  opinions, 
by  the  selection  of  my  corps  for  important  operations  and  by  assign- 


BATTLES  AROUND  JONESBOROUGH,  LOVEJOY  AND  ATLANTA.    333 

ing  me  on  several  occasions  to  the  command  of  two  thirds  of  his  army, 
he  gave  every  proof  of  implicit  confidence  in  me.  The  publication 
of  his  official  report  with  its  astonishing  statements  and  insinuations 
was  the  first  intimation  of  his  dissatisfacton  with  my  official  conduct. 
Referring  to  the  attack  of  the  2Oth  of  July  at  Peach  Tree  creek, 
he  says: 

"Owing  to  the  demonstrations  of  the  enemy  on  the  right,  it 
became  necessary  to  extend  Cheatham  a  division  front  to  the  right. 
To  do  this  Hardee  and  Stewart  were  each  ordered  to  extend  a  half 
division  front  to  close  the  interval.  Foreseeing  that  some  confusion 
and  delay  might  result,  I  was  careful  to  call  General  Hardee's  atten 
tion  to  the  importance  of  having  a  staff  officer  on  his  left  to  see  that 
his  left  did  not  take  more  than  half  a  division  front.  This  unfortu 
nately  was  not  attended  to  and  the  line  closed  to  the  right,  causing 
Stewart  to  move  two  or  three  times  the  proper  distance.  In  conse 
quence  of  this  the  attack  was  delayed:  until  nearly  4  p.  m.  At  this 
hour  the  attack  began  as  ordered,  Stewart's  corps  carrying  the  tem 
porary  works  on  its  front.  Hardee  failed  to  push  the  attack  as  or 
dered  and  thus  the  enemy  remaining  in  possession  of  his  works  on 
Stewart's  right,  compelled  Stewart  by  an  enfilade  fire  to  abandon  the 
position  he  had  carried.  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  our  at 
tack  would-  have  been  successful  had  my  orders  been  executed." 

I  was  ordered  as  above  stated  to  move  half  a  division  length  to 
the  right  but  was  directed  at  the  same  time  to  connect  with  the  left 
of  Cheatham's  corps.  The  delay  referred  to  by  General  Hood  was 
not  caused  by  my  failure  to  post  a  staff  officer  to  prevent  my  command 
from  moving  more  than  half  a  division  length  to  the  right,  for  Major 
Black  of  my  staff,  was  sent  to  the  proper  point  for  that  purpose ;  but 
it  arose  from  the  fact  that  Cheatham's  corps  with  which  I  was  to  con 
nect  was  nearly  two  miles  to  my  right  instead  of  a  division  length. 
Had  General  Hood  been  on  the  field  the  alternative  of  delaying  the 
attack  or  leaving  an  interval  between  Cheatham's  command  and  my 
own  could  have  been  submitted  to  him  for  decision.  He  was  in  At 
lanta  and  in  his  absence  the  hazard  of  leaving  an  interval  of  one  mile 
and  a  half  in  a  line  intended  to  be  continuous  and  at  a  point  in  front 
of  which  the  enemy  was  in  force  and  might  at  any  time  attack, 
seemed  to  me  too  great  to  be  assumed.  The  attack  thus  delayed  was 
therefore  made  at  4  instead  of  I  p.  m.  My  troops  were  formed  as 
follows:  Bate's  division  on  the  right,  Walker's  in  the  center,  Cheat- 
ham's  (commanded  by  Brigadier-General  Maney)  on  the  left,  and 
Cleburne's  in  reserve.  The  command  moved  to  the  attack  in  echelon 
of  division  from  the  right.  Walker's  division  in  consequence  of  the 
circular  formation  of  the  enemy's  fortifications,  encountered  them 
first  and  was  repulsed  and  driven  back.  Bate  finding  no  enemy  in 
his  immediate  front,  was  directed  to  find  and  if  practicable,  to  turn 
their  flank,  but  his  advance  through  an  almost  impenetrable  thicket  was 
necessarily  slow.  Expecting  but  not  hearing  Bate's  guns  I  ordered 
Maney  and  Cleburne  whose  division  had  been  substituted  for  Walker's 


334 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


beaten  troops,  to  attack.  At  the  moment  when  the  troops  were  ad 
vancing  to  the  assault  I  received  information  from  General  Hood 
that  the  enemy  were  passing  and  overlapping  the  extreme  right  of 
the  army,  accompanied  by  an  imperative  order  to  send  him  a  division 
at  once.  In  obedience  to  this  order  I  immediately  withdrew  and  sent 
to  him  Cleburne's  division.  The  withdrawal  of  a  division  at  the  mo- 


LIEUTENANT-GENERAL  W.   J.   HARDEE. 

ment  when  but  two  were  available  compelled  me  to  countermand  the 
assault  and  the  lateness  of  the  hour  which  made  it  impossible  to  get 
Bate  in  position  to  attack  before  dark,  left  no  alternative  but  to  give 
up  the  attack  altogether. 

These  movements  and  their  causes  were  fully  explained  to  Gen 
eral  Hood  at  the  time  and  seemingly  to  his  entire  satisfaction.  No 
mention  is  made  in  General  Hood's  report  of  the  fight  made  by  Clef 
burne  on  the  2ist,  which  he  described  as  the  "bitterest  of  his  life;" 
but  it  was  the  well-known  and  often  expressed  opinion  of  that  noble 
and  lamented  officer  that  but  for  the  withdrawal  of  his  division  which 
prevented  the  assault  on  the  2Oth  and  its  timely  arrival  on  the  right, 


BATTLES  AROUND  JON ESBO HOUGH,  LOVEJOY  AND  ATLANTA.        335 

the  enemy  would  on  the  morning  of  the  2ist  have  succeeded  in  gam 
ing  the  inner  works  of  Atlanta. 

On  the  2  ist  of  July,  General  Hood  decided  to  attempt  on  the 
following  day  to  turn  the  enemy's  left  flank.  The  original  plan  was 
to  send  my  corps  by  a  detour  to  Decatur  to  turn  the  enemy's  position, 
but  my  troops  had  been  marching,  fighting  and  working  the  night 
and  day  previous  and  had  had  little  rest  for  thirty-six  hours  so  it 
was  deemed  impracticable  to  make  a  long  march  in  time  to  attack  on 
the  following  d-ay.  This  plan  was  therefore  abandoned  and  General 
Hood  decided  to  strike  the  enemy  in  flank.  General  Hood  says- 

"Hardee  failed  to  entirely  turn  the  enemy's  flank  as  directed ; 
took  position  and  attacked  his  flank." 

In  proof  that  General  Hood's  instructions  were  obeyed,  I  have 
only  to  mention  that  when  my  dispatch  informing  him  of  the  position 
I  had  taken  and  the  dispositions  I  had  made  for  the  attack  was  re 
ceived,  he  exclaimed  to  Brigadier-General  Mackall  his  chief  of  stafl, 
with  his  finger  on  the  map,  "Hardee  is  just  where  I  wanted  him." 

I  will  not  in  this  report  enter  into  the  details  of  the  engagement 
of  the  22nd  of  July,  one  of  the  most  desperate  and  bloody  of  the  war 
and  which  won  the  only  decided   success  achieved-  by  the  army  of' 
Tennessee  in  front  of  Atlanta. 
Atlanta. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  28th  of  July,  when  the  corps  of  Stewart 
and  Lee  on  the  left,  had  been  badly  repulsed  in  an  attack  upon  the 
enemy's  right  and  were  attacked  in  turn,  a  serious  disaster  was  ap 
prehended.  General  Hood  sent  several  couriers  in  quick  succession 
and  great  haste  to  summon  me  to  his  headquarters  which  were  be 
tween  my  own  and  the  then  battle-field,  and:  a  mile  and  a  half  nearer 
to  it.  He  then  directed  me  to  proceed  to  the  field  and  if  necessary 
to  assume  command  of  the  troops  engaged. 

If  I  failed  of  my  duty  in  any  respect  on  the  2Oth  and  22nd  of  July, 
it  is  a  little  singular  that  on  the  28th  General  Hood,  remaining  at  his 
headquarters  in  Atlanta,  should  have  sent  me  to  take  command  on  a 
field  where  there  was  no  portion  of  my  own  corps  and;  where  nearly 
two-thirds  of  his  army  were  engaged.  Upon  my  arrival  on  the  field 
the  fighting  had  nearly  ceased  and  I  found  it  unnecessary  to  take 
command.  This  fight  of  the  28th  is  mentioned  by  General  Hood  in 
terms  to  leave  an  impression  of  its  success  but  it  was  well  known 
throughout  the  army  that  so  great  was  the  loss  in  men,  organization 
and  morale  in  that  engagement,  that  no  action  of  the  campaign,  prob 
ably,  did  so  much  to  demoralize  and  dishearten  the  troops  engaged  in 
it.  It  was  necessary,  in  order  to  cast  upon  me  the  onus  of  the  general 
failure  at  Atlanta,  to  cover  up  any  want  of  success  on  the  part  of  the 
others.  But  if  strange  that  General  Hood  should  have  placed  me  in 
command  of  two-thirds  of  his  army  on  the  28th,  after  my  failure  of 
the  20th  and  22nd,  it  is  not  less  remarkable  that  in  the  following 
month,  remaining  himself  at  Atlanta  nearly  thirty  miles  from  the 
scene  of  action  with  one  corps  of  his  army,  he  should  have  sent  me 


336  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

in  command  of  the  other  two  corps  to  make  an  attack  at  Jonesbor- 
ough  upon  which  he  says  so  much  depended. 

On  the  26th  of  August  the  enemy  drew  in  his  left  on  the  north 
front  of  Atlanta  in  pursuance  of  a  plan  to  turn  our  position  and 
move  upon  our  railroad  communications.  Wheeler  had  cut  the  rail 
road  between  Atlanta  and  Chattanooga  and  General  Hood  believed 
the  enemy  to  be  retreating  for  want  of  supplies.  He  even  ordered 
General  W.  H.  Jackson  then  commanding  the  cavalry  of  the  army, 
to  harass  the  rear  of  the  retreating  enemy.  General  Jackson  endeav 
ored  to  convince  him  of  his  error  but  to  no  purpose.  The  opportunity 
to  strike  the  flank  of  the  enemy  exposed  during  the  five  days  occupied 
in  the  movement  from  Atlanta  to  Jonesborough,  was  neglected  and 
lost.  It  was  not  until  the  3Oth  of  August  in  the  evening  of  which 
day  the  enemy  actually  reached1  the  vicinity  of  Jonesborough,  that  Gen 
eral  Hood  was  convinced  by  information  sent  him  by  myself  from 
Rough  and  Ready,  that  the  enemy  were  moving  upon  that  place.  He 
then  determined  to  attack  what  he  believed  to  be  only  two  corps 
of  the  enemy  at  Jo-nesborough.  The  enemy  hda  reached 
Jonesborough  before  the  order  was  given  to  move  against 
him.  I  was  telegraphed  at  Rough  and  Ready  in  the  even 
ing  of  August  3Oth  to  come  to  Atlanta  and  an  engine  was  sent 
for  me.  I  arrived  in  the  night.  General  Hood  ordered  me  to  move 
with  Lee's  corps  and  my  own  commanded  by  Major-General  Cleburne, 
to  Jonesborough  to  attack  the  enemy  and  drive  him  if  possible,  across 
Flint  river.  The  troops  were  in  the  vicinity  of  East  Point  and  were 
put  in  motion  at  once.  I  left  Atlanta  bv  rail  and  reached  Jonesbor 
ough  before  daylight,  expecting  to  find  Lee  and  Cleburne  there.  To 
my  disappaointment  I  learned  that  Cleburne  who  was  in  advance, 
had  encountered  the  enemy  in  force  on  the  road  he  had  been  instructed 
to  take  and  had  been  compelled  to  open  another  road.  This  occa 
sioned  great  delay.  Cleburne  got  into  position  about  9  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  the  3ist,  and  Lee  who  was  in  rear,  about  n  o'clock. 
Three  brigades  of  Lee's  corps  which  had-  been  left  on  picket  did  not 
get  up  until  1 130  p.  m.  Foreseeing  that  the  attack  could  not  be  made 
before  the  afternoon  and  that  the  enemy  would  have  time  by  intrench 
ing  himself  to  add  strength  of  position  to  superiority  of  numbers,  I 
telegraphed  these  facts  to  General  Hood  early  in  the  day  and  urged 
him  to  come  to  Jonesborough  and  take  command.  Communication 
with  Atlanta  by  rail  was  then  still  open  but  he  did  not  come.  As 
soon  as  the  lines  could  be  adjusted-  I  ordered  the  attack.  Lee's  corps 
was  on  the  right  and  Cleburne's  on  the  left.  Cleburne  had  orders 
to  turn  the  enemy's  right  flank  and  Lee  to  begin  the  attack  on  our 
right  when  he  heard  Cleburne's  guns.  Lee  mistaking  the  guns  of 
Cleburne's  skirmishers  for  the  main  attack  began  the  movement  before 
Cleburne  became  seriously  engaged.  He  encountered  formidable 
breastworks  which  he  was  unable  to  carry  and  after  considerable 
loss  was  driven  back  in  confusion.  Cleburne  had  carried  the  tem 
porary  works  of  the  enemy  and  a  portion  of  his  command  had  crossed 


BATTLES  AROUND  JONESBOROUGH,  LOVEJOY  AND  ATLANTA.         337 

Flint  river  and  captured  two  pieces  of  artillery  which  he  was  unable, 
however,  to  bring  over  the  river.  He  was  now  moving  up  the  enemy's 
main  works.  I  sent  my  chief  of  staff  (Colonel  Roy)  to  Lieutenant 
General  Lee  to  ascertain  whether  his  troops  were  in  condition  to  re 
new  the  attack.  General  Lee  expressed  the  decided  opinion  that  they 
were  not.  Immediately  after  this  I  was  informed  by  another  staff 
officer  (Colonel  Pickett)  that  the  enemy  were  preparing  to  attack 
Lee.  In  view  of  the  demoralized  condition  of  Lee's  troops  as  re 
ported  by  the  same  officer,  I  withdrew  a  division  from  Cleburne  to 
support  Lee. 

It  now  became  necessary  for  me  to  act  on  the  defensive  and  [ 
ordered  Cleburne  to  make  no  further  attempt  on  the  enemy's  works. 
It  is  proper  to  state  that  the  enemy  were  strongly  intrenched  and 
had  one  flank  resting  on  Flint  river  and  both  well  protected.  Their 
fortifications  were  erected  during  the  day  and  night  preceding  the 
attack  and  were  formidable.  Two  corps  were  in  position  with  a 
third  corps  in  reserve.  Three  other  corps  were  in  supporting  dis 
tance  between  Jonesborough  and-  Rough  and  Ready.  The  Twentieth 
corps  alone  of  Sherman's  army,  had  been  left  in  front  of  Atlanta. 
These  facts  were  obtained  from  Captain  Buel,  a  captured  officer  of 
Major-General  Howard's  staff.  On  the  night  of  the  3ist  the  follow 
ing  dispatch  was  received  in  duplicate  from  General  Hood: 

"Headquarters  Army  of  Tennessee, 

"Office  Chief  of  Staff, 
"August  31,  1864,  6  p.  m. 
"Lieutenant-General  Hardee,  Commanding,  etc. 

"General  Hood  directs  that  you  return  Lee's  corps  to  this  place. 
Let  it  march  by  2  o'clock  tomorrow  morning.  Remain  with  you.* 
corps  and  the  cavalry  and  so  dispose  your  force  as  best  to  protect 
Macon  and  communications  in  rear.  Retain  provision  and  ordnance 
trains.  Please  return  Reynolds'  brigade  and  if  you  think  you  can  GO 
so  and  still  accomplish  your  object,  send  back  a  brigade  or  so  of  your 
corps  also.  There  are  some  indications  that  the  enemy  may  make 
an  attempt  upon  Atlanta  tomorrow. 

"Very  respectfully,  etc., 
.    .  "F.   A.    SHOUP, 

Chief  of  Staff." 

Lee's  corps  proceeded  to  Atlanta  in  obedience  to  this  order  and 
I  remained  at  Jonesborough  with  my  own  corps  and  a  body  of  cav 
alry  under  Brigadier-General  Jackson. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  order  that  Lee's  corps  was  not 
recalled  as  General  Hood  states,  with  a  view  of  attacking  the  enemy 
in  flank  but  to  protect  Atlanta  from  an  apprehended  attack  by  Sher 
man's  army  which  General  Hood  with  a  marvelous  want  of  informa 
tion,  evidently  still  believed  to  be  in  front  of  Atlanta. 

On  the  morning  of  September  1st  the  situation  was  as  follows: 


338  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

General  Hood  was  at  Atlanta  with  Stewart's  corps  and  the  Georgia 
militia;  my  corps  was  at  Jonesborough  thirty  miles  distant  and  Lee's 
corps  on  the  road  from  Jonesborough  to  Atlanta,  fifteen  miles  from 
each  place,  and  in  supporting  distance  of  neither.  The  Federal  com 
mander  on  the  other  hand,  had  concentrated  his  whole  army  upon  my 
corps  at  Jonesborough,  except  the  one  corps  left  in  front  of  Atlanta 
and  was  not  in  position  to  crush  in  detail  the  scattered  corps  of  his 
unwary  antagonist.  My  position  at  Jonesborough  had  been  taken 
up  on  the  failure  of  the  attack  on  the  day  previous.  It  was  not  strong 
naturally  and  there  had  been  little  time  to  strengthen  it  by  art;  but 
it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  ho'd  the  position  through  the  day  to  se 
cure  the  evacuation  of  Atlanta  which  had  now  become  a  necessity. 
To  add  to  my  embarrassment,  I  was  encumbered  by  the  immense  sub 
sistence  and  ordnance  trains  of  the  army  which  had  been  sent  for 
safety  from  Atlanta  to  Jonesborough  and  could  not  now  be  sent 
farther  to  the  rear  because  the  superiority  of  the  enemy  in  cavalry 
made  it  undisputable  to  their  safety  that  they  should  remain  under 
the  protection  of  the  infantry.  It  is  difficult  to  imagine  a  more  per 
plexing  or  perilous  situation;  yet  it  is  this  engagement,  fought  under 
such  circumstances  which  General  Hood  disposes  of  in  two  contemp 
tuous  sentences ;  an  engagement  in  which  my  corps  was  attacked  by 
six  corps  commanded  by  General  Sherman  in  person  and  where  upon 
my  ability  to  hold  the  position  through  the  day  depended  the  very  ex 
istence  of  the  remainder  of  the  army,  for  it  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that  if  the  enemy  had  crushed  my  corps  or  even  driven  it  from  its 
position  at  Jonesborough  on  the  ist  of  September,  no  organized  body 
of  the  other  two  corps  could  have  escaped  destruction.  Through 
the  splendid  gallantry  of  the  troops  the  position  was  held  against 
fierce  and  repeated  assaults  of  the  enemy.  At  night  the  object  of  the 
stand  (which  was  to  secure  the  successful  retreat  of  the  two  corps  in 
Atlanta)  having  been  gained,  I  retired  about  four  miles  and  took 
up  a  position  in  front  of  Lovejoy's  station  which  was  maintained 
against  a  renewal  of  the  attack  on  the  following  day  and  until  the 
remainder  of  the  army  formed  a  junction  with  my  corps  and  Sher 
man  withdrew  to  Atlanta. 

General  Hood  sums  up  the  total  losses  of  his  entire  army  from 
the  date  of  his  assuming  command,  on  the  i8th  of  July,  to  the  Jones- 
borough  fight  inclusive,  at  5,247.  The  casualties  in  my  corps  alone 
during  that  time  considerably  exceeded  7,000  in  killed,  wounded  and 
captured. 

General  Hood  says:  "The  vigor  of  the  attack  (on  the  3ist  of 
August)  may  be  in  some  sort  imagined  when  only  1,400  were  killed 
and  wounded  out  of  the  two  corps  engaged." 

This  attack  was  made  principally  by  Lee's  corps  and  the  loss 
\vas  chiefly  in  that  corps.  It  is  true  that  the  attack  could  scarcely 
have  been  called  a  vigorous  one,  nor  is  it  surprising  that  troops  who 
had  for  two  months  been  hurled  against  the  breastworks  only  to  be 
repulsed  or  to  gain  dear-bought  and  fruitless  victories,  should-  now 


BATTLES  AROUND  JONESBOROUGH,  LOVEJOY  AND  ATLANTA.         339 

have  moved  against  the  enemy's  works  with  reluctance  and  distrust. 
But  dispositions  were  made  to  renew  the  attack  with  both  corps 
which  would  probably  have  resulted  bloodily  enough  to  satisfy  even 
the  sanguinary  expectations  of  the  commanding  general  but  for  de- 
velopements  of  the  enemy's  movements  and  forces  which  made  it 
necessary  for  me  to  assume  the  defensive.  I  now  consider  this  a 
fortunate  circumstance,  for  success  against  such  odds  could  at  best 
only  have  been  partial  and  bloody  while  defeat  would  have  been  al 
most  inevitable  destruction  to  the  army. 

The  fall  of  Atlanta  does  not  date  from  the  result  of  the  battle 
of  Jonesborough  but  from  General  Hood's  misconception  of  his  ad 
versary's  plans. 

After  the  3Oth  of  August  General  Hood's  whole  plan  of  opera 
tions  was  based  upon  the  hypothesis  that  Sherman  was  moving  only 
a  detachment  to  Jonesborough  whereas  in  reality  he  was  moving 
his  army.  He  divided  his  forces  to  attack  a  concentrated  enemy.  He 
(Hood)  in  effect  sent  a  detachment  of  his  army  to  attack  an  enemy 
who  was  superior  in  numbers  to  his  whole  army. 

Had  it  been  possible  with  two  corps  to  dislodge  three  corps  of 
the  enemy  from  the  chosen  position  on  t'le  3ist,  I  should-  stili  have 
had  to  meet  three  fresh  corps  on  the  following  morning  with  my  own 
corps  alone,  for  be  it  remembered  that  Lee's  corps  was  withdrawn  by 
General  Hood  before  he  knew  the  result  of  the  fight  on  the  3ist. 

The  fate  of  Atlanta  was  sealed  from  the  moment  when  General 
Hood  allowed  an  enemy  superior  in  numbers  to  pass  unmolested 
around  his  flank  and  plant  himself  firmly  upon  his  only  line  of  rail 
road.  If,  after  the  enemy  reached  Jonesborough,  General  Hood  had 
attacked  him  with  his  whole  army  instead  of  with  a  part  of  it  ho 
could  not  reasonably  have  expected  to  drive  from  that  position  an 
army  before  which  his  own  had  been  four  months  retiring  in  the 
open  field. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  general,  very  respectfully  your  obedient 
servant, 

W.  J.  HARDEE, 

Lieutenant-General. 

General  C.  S.  Cooper,  Adjutant-General  and  Inspector-General, 
Richmond,  Va. 


"THE  MASTER  OF  THE  SCIENCE  OF  WAR." 

Report  of  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,    C.    S.    Army,    Commanding 
Army  of  Tennessee,  of  Operations  December  27,  1863 — July  17,  1864. 

Vineville,   Ga.,   October  20,    1864. 

Sir: — I  have  the  honor  to  make  the  following  report  of  the  op 
erations  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee  while  it  was  under  my  command. 
Want  of  the  reports  of  the  lieutenant-generals,  for  which  I  have 
waited  until  now,  prevents  me  from  being  circumstatial. 

In  obedience  to  the  orders  of  the  President,  received  by  telegraph 
at  Clinton,  Miss.,  December  i8th,  1863,  I  assumed  command  of  the 
Army  of  Tennessee  at  Dalton  on  the  27th  of  that  month. 

Letters  from  the  President  and  Secretary  of  War,  dat^cl.  respec 
tively,  December  23rd  and  20,  impressed  upon  me  the  importance 
of  soon  commencing  active  operations  against  the  enemy.  The  rela 
tive  forces  including  the  moral  effect  of  the  affair  of  Missionary 
Ridge,  condition  of  the  artillery  horses  and  most  of  those  of  the  cav 
alry  and  want  of  field  transportation,  made  it  impracticable  to  effect 
the  wishes  of  the  Executive. 

On  December  31  the  effective  total  of  the  infantry  and  artillery 
of  the  army  including  two  brigades  belonging  to  the  Department  of 
Mississippi,  was  36,826.  The  effective  total  of  the  cavalry  including 
Roddey's  command  at  Tuscumbia,  was  5,613.  The  Federal  force  in 
our  front  exclusive  of  cavalry,  and  the  Ninth  and  Twenty-third  corps 
at  Knoxville,  was  estimated  at  80,000.  The  winter  was  mainly  em 
ployed  in  improving  the  discipline  and  equipment  of  the  army  and 
bringing  back  absentees  to  the  ranks.  At  the  end  of  April  more  than 
5,000  had  rejoined  their  regiments. 

The  horses  of  the  cavalry  and  the  artillery  had  been  much  re 
duced  in  condition  by  the  previous  campaign.  As  full  supplies  of 
forage  could  not  be  furnished  them  at  Dalton,  it  was  necessary  to 
send  about  half  of  each  of  these  arms  of  the  service  far  to  the  rear 
where  the  country  could  furnish  food.  On  that  account  Brigadier- 
General  Roddey  was  ordered  with  about  three-fourths  of  his  troops 
from  Tuscumbia  to  Dalton  and  arrived  at  the  end  of  February.  On 
April  2,  however,  he  was  sent  back  to  his  former  position  by  the  Sec 
retary  of  War. 

On  January  15  and:  i6th  Baldwin's  and  Quarles'  brigades  re 
turned  to  the  Department  of  Mississippi  and  East  Louisiana,  to 
wliich  they  belonged.  His  Excellency  Joseph  E.  Brown  added  to  tha 


'THE  MASTER  OF  THE  SCIENCE  OF  WAR." 


341 


army  two  regiments  of  State  troops  which  were  used  to  guard  the 
railroad  bridges  between  Dalton  and  Atlanta. 

On  February  i/th  the  President  ordered  me  by  telegraph  to 
detach  Lieutenant-General  Hardee  with  the  infantry  of  his  corps, 
except  Stevenson's  division,  to  aid*  Lieutenant-General  Polk  against 
Sherman  in  Mississippi.  This  order  was  obeyed  as  promptly  as  our 


GENERAL  J.   E.   JOHNSTON. 


means  of  transportation  permitted.  The  force  detached  was  prob 
ably  exaggerated  to  Major-General  Thomas,  for  on  the  23rd  the  Fed 
eral  army  advanced  to  Ringgold,  on  the  24th  drove  in  our  outposts, 
and  on  the  25th  skirmished  at  Mill  Creek  Gap  and  in  Crow's  Valley, 
east  of  the  Rocky  Face  Mountain.  We  were  successful  at  both 
places.  At  the  latter,  Clayton's  brigade  after  a  sharp  action  of  half 
an  hour,  defeated  double  its  number.  At  night  it  was  reported  that 
a  U.  S.  brigade  was  occupying  Dug  Gap,  from  which  it  had  driven 
our  troops.  Granbury's  (Texas)  brigade  returning  from  Missis 
sippi,  had  just  arrived.  It  was  ordered  to  march  to  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  immediately  and  to  retake  the  gap  at  sunrise  the  next  morn 
ing  which  was  done.  In  the  night  of  the  26th  the  enemy  retired. 
On  February  27th  I  suggested  to  the  Executive  by  letter  through 


342  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

General  Bragg,  that  all  preparations  for  a  forward  movement  should 
be  made  without  further  delay. 

In  a  letter  d-ated  4th  of  March  General  Bragg  desired  me  "to 
have  all  things  ready  at  the  earliest  practicable  moment  for  the  move 
ment  indicated."  In  replying  on  the  I2th,  I  reminded  him  that  the 
regulations  of  the  War  Department  do  not  leave  such  preparations 
to  commanders  of  troops  but  to  officers  who  receive  their  orders  fr.om 
Richmond.  On  the  i8th  a  letter  was  received  from  General  Bragg 
sketching  a  plan  of  offensive  operations  and  enumerating  the  troops 
to  be  used  in  them  under  me.  I  was  invited  to  express  my  views  on 
the  subject.  In  doing  so  both  by  telegraph  and  mail,  I  suggested 
modifications  and  urged  that  the  additional  troops  named  should  be 
sent  immediately  to  enable  us,  should  the  enemy  advance,  to  beat 
him  and  then  move  forward;  or  should  he  not  advance,  d:>  so  our 
selves.  General  Bragg  replied  by  telegraph  on  the  2ist: 

'Your  dispatch  of  the  iQth  does  not  indicate  acceptance  of  plan 
proposed.  Troops  can  only  be  drawn  from  other  points  for  advance. 
Upon  your  decision  of  that  point  further  action  must  depend." 

I  replied  by  telegraph  on  the  22nd: 

'In  my  dispatch  of  iQth  I  expressly  accept  taking  offensive.  Only 
differ  with  you  as  to  details.  I  assume  that  the  enemy  wi1!  be  pre 
pared  for  advance  before  we  will  and  will  make  it  to  our  advantage. 
Therefore  I  propose  both  for  offensive  and  defensive,  to  assemble 
our  troops  here  immediately." 

This  was  not  noticed.  Therefore,  on  the  25th  I  again  urged  the 
necessity  of  re-enfocing  the  Army  of  Tennessee  because  the  enemy 
was  collecting  a  larger  force  than  that  of  the  last  campaign  while  ours 
was  less  than  it  had  been. 

On  the  3rd  of  April  Lieutenant-Colonel  A.  H.  Cole  arrived  at 
Dalton  to  direct  the  procuring  of  artillery  horses  and  field  transpor 
tation  to  enable  the  army  to  advance.  On  the  4th,  under  orders 
No.  32,  1864,  I  applied  to  the  chief  of  the  conscript  service  for  i.ooo 
negro  teamsters.  None  were  received.  On  the  8th  of  April  Colonel 
B.  S.  Ewell  assistant  adjutant-general,  was  sent  to  Richmond  to  rep 
resent  to  the  President  my  wish  to  take  the  offensive  with  proper 
means  and  to  learn  his  views.  A  few  days  after  Brigadier-General 
Pendleton  arrived  from  Richmond  to  explain  to  me  the  President's 
wishes  on  the  subject.  I  explained  to  him  the  modification  of  the 
plan  communicated  by  General  Bragg  (that  seemed  to  me  essential), 
which  required  that  the  intended  re-enforcements  should  be  sent  to 
Dalton.  I  urged  that  this  should  be  done  without  delay  because  our 
present  force  was  not  sufficient  even  for  defense,  and  to  enable  us 
to  take  the  offensive  if  the  enemy  did  not. 

On  the  ist  of  May  I  reported  the  enemy  about  to  advance.  On 
the  2nd  Brigadier-General  Mercer's  command  arrived — about  1,400 
effective  infantry.  On  the  4th  I  expressed  myself  satisfied  that  the 
enemy  was  about  to  attack  with  his  united  forces  and  again  urged  that 
a  part  of  Lieutenant-General  Polk's  troops  should  be  put  at  my  dis- 


"THE  MASTER  OF  TUP:  SCIENCE  OF  WAR."  343 

posal.  I  was  informed  by  General  Bragg  that  orders  to  that  effect 
were  given.  Major-General  Martin,  whose  division  of  cavalry  coming 
from  East  Tennessee  had  been  hailed  o>n  the  Etowah  to  recruit  his 
horses,  was  ordered  with  it  to  observe  the  Oostenaula  from  Resac-'i 
to  Rome ;  and  Brigadier  General  Kelley  was  ordered,  with  his  com 
mand  from  the  neighborhood  of  Resaca,  to  report  to  Major-General 
Wheeler.  The  effective  artillery  and-  infantry  of  the  Army  of  Ten 
nessee  after  the  arrival  of  Mercer's  brigade  amounted  to  about  4,000. 
Major-General  Sherman's  army  was  composed  of  that  of  Missionary 
Ridge  (about  80,000)  increased  by  several  thousand  recruits;  5,000 
men  under  Hovey;  the  Twenty- third  corps  (Schofield's)  from  Knox- 
ville  and  two  divisions  of  the  Sixteenth,  from  North  Alabama.  Major- 
General  Wheeler  estimated  the  cavalry  of  the  army  at  15,000.  On 
the  5th  of  May  his  army  was  in  line  between  Ringgold  and  Tunnel 
Hill  and  after  skirmishing  on  that  and  the  following  day,  on  the  7th 
pressed  back  our  advanced  troops  to  Mill  Creek  Gap.  On  the  same 
day  Brigadier-General  Cantey  reached  Resaca  with  his  brigade  and 
was  halted  there.  On  the  8th,  at  4  p.  m.,  a  division  of  Hooker's 
corps  assaulted  Dug  Gap  which  was  bravely  held  by  two  regiments 
of  Reynolds'  (Arkansas)  brigade  and  Grigsby's  brigade  of  Kentucky 
cavalry  righting  on  foot,  until  the  arrival  of  Lieutenant-General  Har- 
dee  with  Granbury's  brigade,  when  the  enemy  was  put  to  flight.  On 
the  Qth  five  assaults  were  made  on  Lieutenant-General  Hood's  troops 
on  Rocky  Face  Mountain.  All  were  repulsed.  In  the  afternoon  a 
report  was  received  that  Logan's  and  Dodge's  corps  were  in  Snake 
Creek  Gap.  Three  divisions  under  Lieutenant-General  Hood  were 
therefore  sent  to  Resaca.  On  the  loth  Lieutenant-General  Hood  re 
ported  the  enemy  retiring.  Skirmishing  to  our  advantage  continued 
all  day  near  Dalton.  Major-General  Bate  repulsed  a  vigorous  attack 
at  night.  On  the  nth  Brigadier-General  Cantey  reported  that  the 
enemy  was  again  approaching  Resaca.  Lieutenant-Genet  al  Polk 
arrived  there  in  the  evening  with  Loring's  division  and  was  instructed 
to  defend  the  place  with  those  troops  and  Cantey's.  The  usual  skirm 
ishing  continued  near  Dalton.  Rocky  Face  Mountain  and  Snake 
Creek  Gap  at  its  south  end  completely  covered  for  the  enemy  the 
operation  of  turning  Dalton.  On  the  I2th  the  Federal  army  cov 
ered  by  the  mountain,  moved  by  Snake  Creek  Gap  toward  Resaca. 
Major  General  Wheeler  with  2,200  of  ours,  attacked  and  defeated 
more  than  double  that  number  of  Federal  cavalry  near  Varnell's 
Station.  At  night  our  infantry  and  artillery  marched  for  Resaca. 
The  cavalry  following  on  the  I3th.  On  that  day  the  enemy  approach 
ing  on  the  Snake  Creek  Gap  road,  was  checked-  by  Loring's  troops 
which  gave  time  for  the  formation  of  Hardee's  and  Hood's  corps, 
just  arriving.  As  the  army  was  formed,  the  left  of  Folk's  corps  was 
on  the  Oostenaula  and  the  right  of  Hood's  on  the  Connesauga.  There 
was  brisk  skirmishing  during  the  afternoon  on  Folk's  front  and-  Har 
dee's  left.  On  the  I4th  the  enemy  made  several  attacks,  the  most 
vigorous  on  Hindman's  division,  Hood's,  left.  All  were  handsome- 


344  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

ly  repulsed.  At  6  p.  m.  Hood  advanced  with  Stevenson's  and  Stew 
art's  divisions,  supported  by  two  of  Walker's  brigades,  driving  the 
enemy  from  his  ground  before  night.  He  was  instructed  to  be  ready 
to  continue  the  offensive  next  morning.  At  9  p.  m.  I  learned  that 
Lieutenant-General  Folk's  troops  had  lost  a  position  commanding  our 
bridges  and  received  from  Major-General  Martin  a  report  that  Fed 
eral  infantry  was  crossing  the  Oostenaula  near  Calhoun,  on  a  pon 
toon  bridge.  The  instructions  to  Lieutenant-General  Hood  were  re 
voked  and  Walker's  division  sent  to  the  point  named  by  Major-Gen- 
eral  Martin.  On  the  I5th  there  was  severe  skirmishing  on  the  whole 
front.  Major-General  Walker  reported  no  movement  near  Calhoun. 
Lieutenant-General  Hood  was  directed  to  prepare  to  move  forward, 
his  right  leading,  supported  by  two  brigades  from  Folk's  and  Hardee's 
corps.  When  he  was  about  to  move  information  came  from  Major- 
General  Walker  that  the  Federal  right  was  crossing  the  river.  To 
meet  this  movement  Lieutenant-General  Hood's  attack  was  counter 
manded.  Stewart's  division  not  receiving  the  order  from  corps  head 
quarters  in  time  attacked  unsuccessfully.  The  army  was  ordered-  to 
dee  skirmished  with  them  successfully  near  Culhcun.  The  fact  that  a 
cross  the  Oostenaula  that  night,  destroying  the  bridges  behind  it.  On 
the  i6th  the  enemy  crossed  the  O^stenaula.  Lieutenant-General  Har- 
part  of  Folk's  troops  were  still  in  the  rear  and  the  great  numerical 
superiority  of  the  Federal  army,  made  it  expedient  to  risk  battle 
only  when  position  or  some  blunder  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  might 
give  us  counterbalancing  advantages.  I  therefore  determined  to 
fall  back  slowly  until  circumstances  should  put  the  chances  of  battle 
in  our  favor,  keeping  so  near  the  U.  S.  army  as  bjo  prevent  its  sending 
re-enforcements  to  Grant  and  hoping  by  taking  advantage  of  posi 
tions  and  opportunities,  to  reduce  the  odds  against  us  by  partial  en 
gagements.  I  also  expected  it  to  be  materially  reduced  before  the 
end  of  June  by  the  expiration  of  the  terms  of  service  of  many  of  the 
regiments  which  had  not  re-enlisted.  In  this  way  we  fell  back  to 
Cassville  in  two  marches. 

At  Adairsville  (about  midway),  on  the  I7th,  Folk's  cavalry  under 
Brigadier-General  Jackson,  met  the  army  and  Hardee  aftrr  severe 
skirmishing  checked  the  enemy.  At  this  point,  on  the  i8th,  Folk's  and 
Hood's  corps  took  the  direct  road  to  Cassville  and  Hardee's  that  by 
Kingston.  About  half  the  Federal  army  took  each  road.  French's 
division  having  joined  Folk's  corps  on  the  i8th,  on  the  morning  of 
the  I  Qth,  when  half  the  Federal  army  was  near  Kingston,  the  two 
corps  at  Cassville  were  ordered  to  advance  against  the  troops  that 
had  followed  them  from  Adairsville,  Hood's  leading  on  the  right. 
When  this  corps  had  advanced  some  two  miles,  one  of  his  staff 
officers  reported  to  Lieutenant-General  Hood  that  the  enemy  was 
approaching  on  the  Canton  road  in  rear  of  the  right  of  our  original 
position.  He  drew  back  his  troops  and  formed  them  across  the  road. 
When  it  was  discovered  that  the  officer  was  mistaken,  the  oppor 
tunity  had  passed  by  the  near  approach  of  the  two  portions  of  the 


345 

Federal  army.  Expecting  to  be  attacked  I  drew  up  the  troops  in  what 
seemed  to  me  an  excellent  position — a  bold  ridge  immediately  in  rear 
of  Cassville  with  an  open  valley  before  it.  The  fire  of  the  enemy's 
artillery  commenced  soon  after  the  troops  were  formed,  and  continued 
until  night.  Soon  after  dark  Lieutenant-Generals  Polk  and  Hood 
together  expressed  to  me  decidedly  the  opinion  formed  upon  the  ob 
servation  of  the  afternoon,  that  the  Federal  artillery  would  render  their 
positions  untenable  the  next  day  and  urged  me  to  abandon  the  ground 
immediately  and  cross  the  Etowah.  Lieutenant-General  Hardee 
whose  position  I  thought  the  weakest,  was  confident  that  he  could 
hold  it.  The  other  two  officers  were  so  earnest,  however,  and  so  un 
willing  to  depend  upon  the  ability  of  their  corps  to  defend  the  ground, 
that  I  yielded  and  the  army  crossed  the  Etowah  on  the  2Oth,  a  step 
which  I  have  regretted  ever  since.  Wheeler's  cavalry  was  placed 
in  observation  above  and  Jackson's  below  the  railroad.  On  the  22nd, 
Major-General  Wheeler  was  sent  with  all  his  troops  not  required  for 
observation  to  the  enemy's  rear,  and  on  the  24th,  beat  a  biigade  at 
Cassville  and  took  or  burned  250  loaded  wagons.  In  the  meantime 
the  enemy  was  reported  by  Jackson's  troops  moving  down  the  Etowah 
as  if  to  cross  it  near  Stilesborough,  and  crossing  on  the  23rd.  On 
the  24th  Folk's  and  Hardee's  corps  reached  the  road  from  Stiles- 
borough  to  Atlanta,  a  few  miles  south  of  Dallas,  and  Hood's  four 
miles  from  New  Hope  Church,  on  the  road  from  Allatoona.  On  the 
25th  the  enemy  was  'found  to  be  intrenched  near  and, east  of  Dallas, 
Hood's  corps  was  placed  with  its  center  near  New  Hope  Church, 
and  Folk's  and  Hardee's  ordered  between  it  and  the  Atlanta  road 
which  Hardee's  left  was  to  cover.  An  hour  before  sunset  Stewart's 
division  at  New  Hope  Church  was  fiercely  attacked  by  Hooker's 
corps  which  it  repulsed  after  a  hot  engagement  of  two  hours.  Skir 
mishing  was  kept  up  on  the  26th  and  27th.  At  5  130  p.  m.  on  the  27th 
Howard's  corps  assailed  Cleburne's  division  and  was  driven  back 
about  dark  with  great  slaughter.  In  these  two  actions  our  troops 
were  not  intrenched.  Our  loss  in  each  was  about  450  killed  and 
wounded.  On  the  27th  the  enemy's  dead  except  those  borne  off, 
were  counted  600.  We  therefore  estimated  the  whole  loss  at  3,000 
at  least.  It  was  probably  greater  on  the  25th,  as  we  had  a  larger  force 
engaged  then  both  of  infantry  and  artillery.  The  usual  skirmishing 
was  kept  up  on  the  28th.  Lieutenant-General  Hood  was  instructed 
to  put  his  corps  in  position  during  the  night  to  attack  the  enemy'? 
left  flank  at  dawn  next  morning  and  the  rest  of  he  army  to  join  in 
the  action  successively  from  right  to  left.  On  the  29th  Lieutenant- 
General  Hood  finding  the  Federal  left  covered  by  a  division  which 
had  intrenched  itself  in  the  night,  thought  it  expedient  to  attack ; 
so  reported  and  asked  for  instructions.  As  the  resulting  delay  made 
the  attack  expedient  even  if  it  had  not  been  so  before,  by  preventing 
the  surprise  upon  which  success  in  a  great  degree  depended,  he  was 
recalled. 

Skirmishing  continued  until  the  4th  of  June,  the  enemy  gradu- 


346  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

ally  extending  his  intrenched  lines  toward  the  railroad  ,at  Acworth. 
On  the  morning  of  the  5th  the  army  was  formed  with  its  left  at  Lost 
Mountain,  its  center  near  Gilgal  Church  and  its  right  near  the  rail 
road.  On  the  7th  the  right  covered  by  Noonday  creek,  was  extended 
across  the  Acworth  and  Marie  ta  road,  the  enemy  approached 
under  cover  of  successive  lines  of  intrenchmnts.  There  was  brisk 
and-  incessant  skirmishing  until  the  i8th.  On  the  I4th  the  biave  lieu- 
tenant-General  Polk  distinguished  in  every  battle  in  which  this  army 
had  fought,  fell  by  a  cannon  shot  at  an  advanced  post.  Major  General 
Loring  succeeded  to  the  command  which  he  held  until  the  7th  of  July 
with  great  efficiency. 

On  the  4th  of  June  a  letter  from  Governor  Brown  informed  me 
that  he  had  organized  a  division  of  infantry  and  placed  it  under  my 
orders.  These  troops  when  ready  for  service — about  the  middle  of 
the  month,  under  Major-General  G.  W.  Smith — were  employed  to 
defend  the  crossing  of  the  Chattahoochee  to  prevent  the  surprise  of 
Atlanta  by  the  Federal  cavalry.  On  the  iQth  a  new  line  was  taken 
by  the  army,  Hood's  corps  with  its  right  on  the  Marietta  and  Canton 
road.  Loring's  on  the  Kennesaw  Mountain,  and  Hardee's  with  its  left 
extending  across  the  Lost  Mountain  and  Marietta  road.  The  enemy 
approached  as  usual  under  cover  of  intrenchments.  In  his  position 
there  was  incessant  fighting  and  skirmishing  until  July  3,  the  enemy 
gradually  extending  his  intrenched  right  toward  Atlanta. 

On  the  2Oth  of  June  Wheeler  with  1,000  men  routed  Garrard's 
division  of  Federal  cavalry  on  the  right.  On  the  2ist  Hood's  corps 
was  transferred  from  right  to  left,  Wheeler's  cavalry  taking  charge 
of  the  position  which  it  left.  On  the  22nd  Lieutenant-General  Hood 
reported  that  Hindman's  and  Stevenson's  divisions  of  his  corps  be 
ing  atacked,  drove  back  the  enemy,  taking  a  line  of  his  breastworks 
but  were  compelled1  to  withdraw  by  the  fire  of  fortified  artillery. 
On  the  24th  Hardee's  skirmishers  repulsed  a  line  of  battle  as  did  Stev 
enson's  of  Hood's  corps,  on  the  25th.  On  the  27th  after  a  furious 
cannonade  of  several  hours,  the  enemy  made  a  general  advance  but 
was  everywhere  repulsed  with  heavy  loss.  The  assaults  wcte  moost 
vigorous  on  Cheatham's  and  Cleburne's  divisions  of  Hardee's  corps, 
arid  French's  and  Featherston's  of  Loring's.  Lieutenant-General  Har- 
dee  reports  that  Cheatham's  division  lost  in  killed  and  wounded-  and 
missing  195 ;  the  enemy  opposed  it  by  the  statement  of  a  staff  officer 
subsequently  captured,  2,000.  The  loss  of  Cleburne's  division,  1 1  ; 
that  of  the  enemy  in  his  front,  1,000  missing  and  the  loss  of  the  enemy 
by  their  own  estimates  at  between  2,500,  and  3,000,  which  he  thinks 
very  small. 

On  the  first  of  July  Major-General  Smith's  division  was  ordered 
to  support  the  cavalry  on  our  left.  Their  effective  total  was  about 
1,500.  On  the  2nd  the  enemy's  right  being  nearer  to  Atlanta  by  sev 
eral  miles  than  our  left,  the  army  fell  back  during  the  night  to  Smyrna 
Church.  On  the  4th  Major-General  Smith  reported  that  he  should 
be  compelled  to  withdraw  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  to  the  line  of 


347 

intrenchments  covering  the  railroad  bridge  and  Turner's  Ferry.  The 
army  was  therefore  ordered  to  retire  at  the  same  time  to  that  line  to 
secure  our  bridges.  The  cavalry  crossed  the  Chattahoochee,  Wheeler 
observing  it  for  some  twenty  miles  above  and  Jackson  as  far  below. 
The  enemy  advanced  as  usual  covered  by  intrenchments.  Skirmish 
ing  continued  until  the  Qth.  Our  infantry  and  artillery  were  brought 
to  the  southeast  side  of  the  river  that  night  because  two  Federal  corps 
had  crossed*  it  above  Power's  Ferry  on  the  8th  and  intrenched.  Lieu 
tenant-  General  Stewart  took  command  of  his  corps  on  the  7th. 

The  character  of  Peach  Tree  creek  and  the  numerous  fords  on 
the  Chattahoochee  above  its  mouth  prevented  my  attempting  to  de 
fend  that  part  of  the  river.  The  broad  and  muddy  channel  of  the 
creek  would  have  separated  the  two  parts  of  the  army.  It  and  the 
river  below  it  were  therefore  taken  as  our  line.  A  position  on  the 
high  ground  south  of  the  creek  was  selected  for  the  army  from  which 
to  attack  the  enemy  while  crossing.  The  engineer  officers  with  a 
large  force  of  negroes  were  set  to  work  to  strengthen  the  fortifica 
tions  of  Atlanta  and  mount  on  them  seven  heavy  rifles  borrowed  from 
Major-General  Maury.  The  chief  engineer  was  instructed  to  de 
vote  his  attention  first  to  the  works  between  the  Decatur  and  Marietta 
roads ;  to  put  them  in  such  position  that  they  might  be  held  by  the 
State  troops  so  that  the  army  might  attack  the  enemy  in  flank  when 
he  approached  the  town.  This  in  the  event  we  should  be  unsuccessful 
in  attacking  the  Federal  army  in  its  passage  of  Peach  Tree  creek. 
After  the  armies  were  separated  by  the  Chattahoochee  skirmishing 
became  less  severe. 

On  the  I4th  a  division  of  Federal  cavalry  crossed  the  river  by 
Moore's  bridge  near  Newman  but  was  driven  back  by  Armstrong's 
brigade  sent  by  Brigadier-General  Jackson  to  meet  it.  On  the  I5th 
Governor  Brown  informed  me  orally  that  he  hoped  to  rerenforce  the 
army  before  the  end  of  the  month  with  near  10,000  State  troops.  On 
the  I7th  the  main  body  of  the  Federal  army  crossed  the  Chattahoochee 
between  Roswell  and  Powers'  Ferry.  At  10  p.  m.  while  I  was  giving 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Pressman  chief  engineer,  insructions  in  regard1  to 
his  work  of  next  day  on  the  fortifications  of  Atlanta,  a  telegram  was 
received  from  General  Cooper  informing  me  by  direction  of  the  Sec 
retary  of  War,  that  as  I  had  failed  to  arrest  the  advance  of  the  enemy 
to  the  vicinity  of  Atlanta  and  expressed  no  confidence  that  I  could  de 
feat  or  repel  him, I  was  relieved  from  the  command  of  the  Army  and 
Department  of  Tennessee  which  would  be  immediately  turned  over 
to  General  Hood.  This  was  done  at  once.  On  the  morning  of  the 
1 8th  the  enemy  was  reported  to  be  advancing  and  at  General  Hood's 
request  I  continued  to  give  orders  until  afternoon,  placing  the  troops 
in  the  position  selected  near  Peach  Tree  creek. 

In  transferring  the  command  to  General  Hood  I  explained  mv 
plans  to  him :  First  to  attack  the  Federal  army  while  crossing  Peach 
Tree  creek.  If  we  were  successful  great  results  might  be  hoped  for 
as  the  enemy  would  have  both  the  creek  and  the  river  to  intercept  his 


34:8  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

retreat.  Second,  if  unsuccessful  to  keep  back  the  enemy  by  intrench 
ing  to  give  time  for  the  assembling  of  the  State  troops  promised  by 
Governor  Brown;  to  garrison  Atlanta  with  those  troops  and  when  the 
Federal  army  approached  the  town  attack  it  on  its  most  exposed  flank 
with  all  the  Confederate  troops.  These  troops  who  had  been  for  sev 
enty-four  days  in  immediate  presence  of  the  enemy — laboring  and 
fighting  daily,  enduring  toil,  exposure  and  danger  with  equal  cheer 
fulness,  more  confident  and  high  spirited:  than  when  the  Federal  army 
presented  itself  near  Dalton — were  then  inferior  to  none  who  ever 
served  the  Confederacy. 

Under  the  excellent  administration  of  Brigadier-General  Mackall, 
chief  of  staff,  the  troops  were  well  equipped  and  abundantly  supplied. 
The  draft  animals  of  the  artillery  and  quartermaster's  department 
were  in  better  condition  on  the  i8th  of  July,  than  on  the  5th  of  May. 
We  lost  no  material  in  the  retreat  except  the  four  field  pieces  men 
tioned  in  the  accompanying  report  of  General  Hood. 

I  commenced  the  campaign  with  General  Bragg's  army  of  Mis 
sionary  Ridge  with  one  brigade  added  (Mercer's)  and  two  taken 
away  (Baldwin's  and  Quarles').  That  opposed  to  us  was  Grant's 
army  of  Missionary  Ridge  then  estimated  at  80,000  by  our  principal 
officers,  increased  as  I  have  stated1,  by  two  corps,  a  division  and  sev 
eral  thousand  recruits — in  all,  at  least  30,000  men.  The  cavalry  of  that 
army  was  estimated  by  Major-General  Wheeler  at  1,500.  The  re- 
enforcements  which  joined  our  army  amounted  to  15,000  infantry 
and  artillery  and  4,000  cavalry.  Our  scouts  reported  much  greater 
numbers  joining  the  U.  S.  Army,  garrisons  and  bridge  guards  from 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  relieved  by  loo-days'  men  and  the  Seven 
teenth  corps,  with  2,000  cavalry. 

The  loss  of  our  infantry  and  artillery  from  the  5th  of  May  had 
been  about  10,000  killed  and  wounded  and  4,700  from  all  other 
causes,  mainly  slight  sickness  produced  by  heavy  cold  rains,  which 
prevailed  in  the  latter  half  of  June.  These  and  the  slightly  wounded 
were  beginning  to  rejoin  their  regiments. 

For  want  of  reports  I  am  unable  to  give  the  loss  or  the  services 
of  the  cavalry  which  was  less  under  my  eye  than  the  rest  of  the  army. 
Its  effective  strength  was  increased  by  about  2,000  during  the  cam 
paign.  The  effective  force  transferred  to  General  Hood  was  about 
41,000  infantry  and1  artillery  and  10,000  cavalry. 

Acording  to  the  opinions  of  our  most  experienced  officers,  daily 
reports  of  prisoners  and  statements  of  Northern  papers,  the  enemy's 
loss  in  action  could  not  have  been  less  than  five  times  as  great  as 
ours.  In  the  cases  in  which  we  had  the  means  of  estimating  it,  it 
ranged  from  7  to  i  to  91  to  i,  compared-  with  ours  and  averaged  13 
to  i.  The  Federal  prisoners  concurred  in  saying  that  their  heaviest 
loss  occurred  in  the  daily  attacks  made  in  line  of  battle  upon  our  skirm 
ishers  in  their  rifle-pits  whether  they  succeeded  in  dislodging  our 
skirmishers  or  not,  their  loss  was  heavy  and  ours  almost  nothing. 

At  Dalton  the  great  numerical  superiority  of  the  enemy  made 


"THE  MASTER  ot  THE  SCIENCE  OF  WAR."  349 

the  chances  of  battle  much  against  us  and  even  if  beaten  they  had  a 
safe  refuge  behind  the  fortified  pass  of  Ring-gold  and  in  the  fortress 
of  Chattanooga.  Our  refuge  in  case  of  defeat  was  in  Atlanta — 100 
miles  off  with  three  rivers  intervening.  Therefore  victory  for  us 
could  not  have  been  decisive,  while  defeat  would  have  been  utterly  dis 
astrous.  Between  Dalton  and  the  Chattahoochee  we  could  have  given 
battle  only  by  attacking  the  enemy  intrenched  or  so  near  intrenchments 
that  the  only  result  of  success  to  us  would  have  been  his  falling  back 
into  them  while  defeat  would  have  been  our  ruin.  In  the  course 
pursued,  our  troops  always  fighting  under  cover,  had  very  trifling 
losses  compared  with  those  they  inflicted,  so  that  the  enemy's  nu 
merical  superiority  was  reduced  daily  and  rapidly  and  we  could  rea 
sonably  have  expected  to  cope  with  the  Federal  army  on  equal  ground 
by  the  time  the  Chattahoochee  was  passed.  Defeat  on  this  side  of  that 
river  would  have  been  its  destruction.  We  if  beaten,  had  a  place  of 
refuge  in  Atlanta  too  strong  to  be  assaulted  and  too  extensive  to  be 
invested.  I  had  also  hoped-  that  by  the  breaking  of  the  railroad  in 
its  rear  the  Federal  army  might  be  compelled  to  attack  us  in  a  posi 
tion  of  our  own  choosing  or  to  a  retreat  easily  converted  into  a  rout. 
After  we  crossed  trie  Etowah,  five  detachments  of  cavalry  were  suc 
cessively  sent  with  instructions  to  destroy  as  much  as  they  could  of  the 
railroad  between  Dalton  and-  the  Etowah.  All  failed  because  too  weak. 
We  could  never  spare  a  sufficient  body  of  cavalry  for  this  service  as 
its  assistance  was  absolutely  necessary  in  the  defense  of  every  posi 
tion  we  occupied.  Captain  Harvey,  an  officer  of  great  courage  and 
sagacity,  was  detached  on  this  service  with  100  men  on  the  nth  of 
June  and  remained  for  several  weeks  near  the  railroad,  frequentlv 
interrupting  (although  not  strong  enough  to  prevent)  its  use. 

Early  in  the  campaign  the  statements  of  the  srength  of  the  cav 
alry  in  the  Department  of  the  Mississippi  and  East  Louisiana  given 
me  by  Lieutenant-General  Polk,  just  from  the  command  of  that  de 
partment,  and  my  telegraphic  correspondence  with  his  successor,  Lieu 
tenant-General  S.  D.  Lee,  gave  me  reason  to  hope  that  a  competent 
force  could  be  sent  from  Mississippi  and  Alabama  to  prevent  the  use 
of  the  railroad  by  the  U.  S.  army.  I  therefore  suggested  it  to  the 
President  directly  on  the  I3th  of  June  and  i6th  of  July  and  through 
General  Bragg  on  the  3d,  I2th,  I3th,  i6th  and  26th  of  June,  and  also 
to  1Lieutenant-General  Lee  on  the  roth  of  May  and  3d  and  nth  and 
1 6th  of  June.  I  did  so  in  the  belief  that  this  cavalry  would  serve  the 
Confederacy  better  by  causing  the  defeat  of  Major-General  Sherman's 
army  than  by  repelling  a  raid  in  Mississippi. 

Besides  the  causes  of  my  removal  alleged  in  the  telegram  an 
nouncing  it,  various  other  accusations  have  been  made  against  me, 
some  published  in  newspapers  in  such  a  manner  as  to  appear  to  have 
official  authority  and  others  circulated  orally  in  Georgia  and  Alabama 
and  imputed  to  General  Bragg.  The  principal  accusations  are — that  I 
persistently  disregarded  the  instructions  of  the  President;  that  I 
would  not  fight  the  enemy;  that  I  refused-  to  defend  Atlanta;  that  I 


350  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

refused  to  communicate  with  General  Bragg  in  relation  to  the  opera 
tions  of  the  army;  that  I  disregarded  his  entreaties  to  change  my 
course  and  attack  the  enemy  and  the  gross  exaggerations  of  the  losses 
of  the  army.  I  had  not  the  advantage  of  receiving  the  President's 
instructions  in  relation  to  the  manner  of  conducting  the  campaign, 
but  as  the  conduct  of  my  predecessors  in  retreating  before  odds  less 
than  those  confronting  me  had  apparently  been  approved,  and  as  Gen 
eral  Lee,  in  keeping  of  the  defensive  and  retreating  towards  Grant's 
objective  point  under  circumstances  like  mine,  was  adding  to  his  great 
fame,  both  in  the  estimation  of  the  administration  and  people,  I  sup 
posed  that  my  course  would  not  be  censured.  I  believed  then  as  I  do 
now,  that  it  was  the  only  one  at  my  command  which  promised  success. 

I  think  that  the  foregoing  narrative  shows  that  the  army  of  Ten 
nessee  did  fight  and-  with  at  least  as  much  effect  as  it  had  ever  done 
before.  The  proofs  that  I  intended  to  hold  Atlanta  are — the  fact 
that  under  my  orders  the  work  of  strengthening  its  defenses  was 
going  on  vigorously,  the  communication  on  the  subject  made  by  me 
to  General  Hood,  and  the  fact  that  my  family  was  in  town.  That 
the  public  workshops  were  removed  and  no  large  supplies  deposited 
in  town,  as  alleged  by  General  Bragg,  were  measures  of  common 
prudence  and  no  more  indicated  an  intention  to  abandon  the  place 
than  the  sending  the  wagons  of  an  army  to  the  rear  on  a  day  of  battle 
proves  a  foregone  determination  to  abandon  the  field. 

While  General  Bragg  was  at  Atlanta  about  the  middle  of  July, 
we  had  no  other  conversation  concerning  the  army  there  than  such 
as  I  introduced.  He  asked  me  no  questions  regarding  its  operations 
past  or  future ;  made  no  comments  upon  them  nor  suggestions,  and  had 
not  the  slightest  reason  to  suppose  that  Atlanta  would  not  be  defended. 
He  told  me  that  the  object  of  his  journey  was  to  confer  with  Lieuten- 
ant-General  Lee  and  communicate  with  General  E.  K.  Smith  in  rela 
tion  to  re-enforcements  for  me.  He  talked  much  more  of  affairs  in 
Virginia  than  in  Georgia,  asserting  what  I  believed,  that  General  Sher 
man's  army  outnumbered  Grant's  and  impressed  me  with  the  belief 
that  his  visits  to  me  were  unofficial. 

A  copy  of  a  brief  report  by  General  Hood  accompanies  this. 
Most  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON, 

General. 


THE  DEATH  OE  GENERAL  JOHN  H.  MORGAN. 


BY  GENERAL  DUKE,  IN  1867. 

On  the  28th  or  2Qth  of  August,  General  Morgan  left  Abingdon, 
and  taking  command  of  the  troops  at  Jonesborough  on  the  3ist,  im 
mediately  prepared  to  move  against  the  enemy.  Our  forces  had  again 
been  driven  away  from  their  position  at  Bull's  Gap  and-  Rogersville, 
and  had  fallen  back  to  Jonesborough.  After  two  or  three  days'  delay 
for  refitment,  etc.,  General  Morgan  marched  from  Jonesborough  with 
the  intention  of  attacking  the  enemy  at  Bull's  Gap.  If  he  could  drive 
them  from  that  position,  by  a  sudden  and  rapidly  executed  movement, 
he  would,  in  all  probability,  cut  off  that  force  at  Rogersville  and  eithei 
force  it  to  surrender  or  compel  it  to  retreat  into  Kentucky.  In  the 
latter  event,  the  enemy's  strength  would  be  so  much  reduced  that  all 
of  East  Tennessee,  as  far  down  as  Knoxville,  would  be  for  some  time 
in  the  possession  of  the  Confederates.  General  Morgan's  strength, 
including  the  portion  of  General  Vaughan's  brigade,  was  about  six 
teen  hundred,  and  two  pieces  of  artillery.  The  men  were  badly  armed 
and  equipped  and  had  been  much  discouraged  by  their  late  reverses, 
but  reanimated  by  the  presence  of  their  leader,  whom  they  loved  all 
the  more  as  misfortune  befell  them,  they  were  anxious  for  battle. 

A  small  frame  house  on  the  left  side  of  the  road  leading  from 
Jonesborough  to  Greenville,  was  often  pointed  out  to  me  subse 
quently,  as  the  spot  where  General  Morgan  received  (as  he  rode  past 
the  column),  the  last  cheer  ever  given  him  by  his  men.  Reaching 
Greenville  about  4  p.  m.  on  the  3rd  of  September,  he  determined  to 
encamp  there  for  the  night  and  move  on  Bull's  Gap  the  next  day. 
The  troops  were  stationed  on  all  sides  of  the  place,  and  he  made  his 
headquarters  in  town,  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Williams.  The  younger 
Mrs.  Williams  left  Greenville,  riding  in  the  direction  of  Bull's  Gap  at 
the  first  rumors  of  the  approach  of  our  forces,  to  give,  we  have  always 
believed,  the  alarm  to  the  enemy. 

The  Tennesseeans  of  Vaughan's  brigade  (under  Colonel  Brad 
ford),  were  encamped  on  the  Bull's  Gap  road,  and  were  instructed  to 
picket  that  road  and  the  roads  to  the  left.  Clark's  battalion  of 
Colonel  Smith's  brigade  and  the  artillery  were  encamped  on  the 
Jonesborough  road,  about  five  hundred  yards  from  the  town.  The 
remainder  of  Colonel  Smith's  brigade  were  encamped  on  the 
Rogersville  road.  Colonel  Giltner's  command  was  also  stationed  in 
this  quarter,  and  the  two  picketed  all  the  roads  to  the  front  and  right 
flank.  The  town,  had  all  instructions  been  obeyed  and  the  pickets 


352  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

judiciously  placed,  would  have  been  perfectly  protected.  It  has 
been  stated,  I  know  not  how  correctly,  that  the  enemy  gained  admit 
tance^  to  the  town,  unchallenged,  through  an  unaccountable  error  in 
the  picketing  of  the  roads  on  the  left.  According  to  this  account,  the 
enemy,  who  left  Bull's  Gap  before  midnight,  quitted  the  main  road  ai 
Blue  Springs,  equi-distant  from  Greenville  and  Bull's  Gap,  and 


BRIG.  -GENL.       BASIL      W. 

DUKE,  JOHN  H.  MORGAls'S 

RIGHT  ARM  C.   S.   A. 

marched  by  the  Warrensburg  road-,  until  within  one  mile  and  a  half 
of  the  town. 

At  this  point  a  by-road  leads  from  Warrensburg  to  the  Newport 
road.  The  pickets  on  the  Warrensburg  road  were  not  stationed  in 
sight  at  this  point,  while  on  the  Newport  road  the  base  of  the  pick 
ets  was  beyond  the  point  where  the  by-road  enters,  and  there  were 
no  rear  videttes  between  the  base  and  town.  The  enemy  (it  is  stated) 
took  this  little  by-road,  and  turning  off  in  front  of  one  picket,  came  in 
behind  the  other.  At  any  rate  about  daylight,  a  body  perhaps  of  one 
hundred  cavalry  dashed-  into  Greenville  and  were  followed  in  a  short 
time  by  Gillem's  whole  force.  It  was  the  party  which  came  first  that 
killed  General  Morgan.  His  fate,  however,  is  still  involved  in  mys 
tery.  Major  Gassett,  of  the  staff,  states  that  they  left  the  house  to 
gether  and  sought  to  escape,  but  found  every  street  guarded.  They 
took  refuge  once  in  the  open  cellar  of  a  house,  expecting  that  some 
change  in  the  disposition  of  the  Federal  forces  would  leave  an  avenue 
of  escape,  or  that  they  would  be  rescued  by  a  charge  from  some  of  the 
troops  at  the  camps.  They  were  discovered  and  pointed  out  by  .a 
Union  woman.  Gassett  succeeded  in  effecting  his  escape.  General 
Morgan  made  his  way  back  to  the  garden  of  Mrs.  Williams'  house. 
Lieutenant  X.  Hawkins,  a  fearless  young  officer,  charged  into  the 
town  with  fifteen  men  and  strove  to  reach  the  point  where  he  sup 
posed  the  general  to  be,  but  he  was  forced  back.  General  Morgan  was 


THE  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  JOHN  H.  MORGAN. 


353 


killed    in   the   garden — shot   through    the   heart.      It   is   not   known 
whether  he  surrendered  or  was  offering  resistance. 

His  friends  have  always  believed  that  he  was  murd-ered  after  his 
surrender.  Certain  representations  by  the  parties  who  killed  him, 
their  ruffianly  character,  and  the  brutality  with  which  they  treated 
his  body,  induced  the  belief;  and  it  was  notorious  that  his  death,  if 


COLONEL  HENRY  L.   GILTNER,   4:TH  KENTUCKY 
CAVALRY,  GENERAL  JOHN   H.   MORGAN'S   COM 
MAND. 

again  captured,  had  been  sworn.  His  slayers  broke  down  the  paling 
around  the  garden,  dragged-  him  through,  and  while  he  was  tossing 
his  arms  in  his  dying  agonies,  threw  him  across  a  mule,  and  paraded 
his  body  about  the  town  shouting  and  screaming  in  savage  exulta 
tion.  No  effort  was  made  by  anyone  except  Lieutenant  Hawkins  to 
accomplish  his  rescue.  The  three  commands  demoralized  by  Gen 
eral  Morgan's  death,  became  separated  and  were  easily  driven  away. 
The  men  of  his  old  command  declared  their  desire  to  fight  and  avenge 
him  on  the  spot,  but  a  retreat  was  insisted  upon. 

Thus,  on  the  4th  of  September,  1864,  in  the  little  village  of  East 
Tennessee,  fell  the  greatest  partisan  leader  the  world  ever  saw,  unless 
it  were  the  Irishman,  Sarsfield.  But  not  only  was  the  light  of  genius 


354  BATTLES  ANI>  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

extinguished  then,  and  a  heroic  spirit  lost  to  earth,  as  kindly  and  as 
noble  a  heart  as  was  ever  warmed  by  the  constant  presence  of  gen 
erous  emotions  was  stilled  by  a  ruffian's  bullet. 

As  the  event  is  described,  the  feelings  it  excited  come  back  almost 
as  fresh  and  poignant  as  at  the  time.  How  hard  it  was  to  realize  that 
his  .time;  too,  had  come — that  so  much  life  had  been  quenched4.  Every 
trait  of  the  man  was  almost  worshipped,  recollections  of  incidents 
which  showed  his  superb  nature,  crowd  now,  as  they  crowded  then, 
upon  the  mind. 

When  he  died  the  glory  and  chivalry  seemed  gone  from  the  strug 
gle,  and  it  became  a  tedious  routine  enjoined  by  duty,  and  sustained 
only  by  sentiments  of  pride  and  hatred.  Surely  men  never  grieved 
for'  a  leader  as  Morgan's  men  sorrowed  for  him.  The  tears  which 
scalded  the  cheeks  of  hardy  and  rugged  veterans,  who  had  witnessed 
all  the  terrible  scenes  of  four  years  of  war,  attested  it,  and  the  sad 
faces  told  of  the  aching  hearts  within. 

His  body  was  taken  from  the  hands  which  defiled  it  by  General 
Gillam  as  soon  as  that  officer  arrived  at  Greenville,  and  sent  to  our 
lines,  under  flag  of  truce.  It  was  buried  first  at  Abingdon  then  re 
moved  to  the  cemetery  at  Richmond,  where  it  lies  now  surrounded 
by  kindred  heroic  ashes  awaiting  the  time  when  it  can  be  brought  to 
his  own  beloved  Kentucky — the  hour  when  there  is  no  longer  fear  that 
the  storm,  which  living  rebels  are  sworn  to  suppress,  shall  burst  out 
with  the  presence  of  the  dead  chieftain. 

The  troops  again  returned  to  Jonesborough,  the  enemy  returning 
after  a  short  pursuit  to  Bull's  Gap. 

ANOTHER  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  JOHN  H.   MORGAN, 
BY  THE  HON.   A.  B.   WILSON,   OF  GREENVILLE,  TENN. 

In  the  early  fall  of  1864,  East  Tennessee  between  Knoxville  and 
Bristol  was  disputed  territory  subject  to  raids  from  both  the  contend 
ing  forces.  The  distance  between  Knoxville  and  Bristol  is  131  miles 
and  between  these  points  are  two  rivers — the  Holston  and  the  Wa- 
tauga.  The  road  leads  over  hills  and  through  valleys,  some  of  it 
being  almost  mountainous.  The  Federal  headquarters  were  at  Knox 
ville  and  a  Federal  force  had1  been  thrown  out  as  far  as  Bull's  Gap, 
about  sixty  miles  east  of  Knoxville.  This  force  was  under  the  com 
mand  of  Brigadier-General  Alvin  Gillam  and  consisted  of  his  brigade 
composed  of  the  Eighth,  Ninth  and  Thirteenth  Federal  Tennessee 
cavalry,  one  light  battery  and  perhaps  some  scattered  forces  of  othei 
commands.  Bull's  Gap  was  directly  on  the  line  of  railroad  leading 
from  Knoxville  to  Bristol  and1  also  on  the  wagon  road  which  was  the 
main  road  between  these  points  before  the  railroad  was  built.  It  was 
only  a  little  over  a  mile  from  Rogersville  Junction  where  a  branch 
road  leads  to  Rogersville.  This  point  was  evidently  selected  because  it 
was  easy  to  defend — the  roads  being  through  a  mountainous  pass  of 
Bays  Mountain.  While  actually  a  strong  position  there  were  other 


THE  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  JOHN  H.  MORGAN.  355 

passes  through  the  mountain  through  which  an  attacking  force  might 
have  passed  and  reached  the  rear  of  this  force.  At  the  same  time  Gen 
eral  John  H.  Morgan  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bristol  about  seven 
ty-five  miles  distant  with  a  command  superior  in  numbers  to  that  un 
der  General  Gillam.  General  Morgan  determined  to  make  a  hasty 
march  and  surprise  the  forces  under  General  Gillam  and  probably 


\ 


HON.    A.    B.     WILSON,     GREENVILLE,     TENN. 

to  flank  then  and  cut  them  off  from  their  base  at  Knoxville  In  addi 
tion  to  his  cavalry  force  General  Morgan  had  under  his  command 
one  battery  of  light  field  artillery  consisting  of  seven  pieces.  The 
march  to  Greenville  was  made  by  General  Morgan  with  his  command 
in  less  than  two  days  and  early  in  the  afternoon  of  September  the  3rd* 
he  arrived  and  established  his  headquarters  at  the  residence  of  Mrs. 
Catherine  D.  Williams.  This  house  was  nearly  in  the  center  of  the 
town.  He  had  with  him  a  body  guard  which  was  used  in  establish 
ing  pickets  around  the  building  and  in  front.  His  command  as  they 
arrived  went  into  camp  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east  of  Greenville 
except  one  regiment  or  a  portion  of  a  brigade  commanded  by  Colonel 
Vaughan,  which  was  sent  down  the  Knoxville  road  and'  went  into 
camp  near  the  residence  of  James  Park,  two  miles  west  of  Green 
ville.  The  distance  from  Greenville  to  Bull's  Gap  was  about  four 
teen  miles  and  the  purpose  of  General  Morgan  was  to  push  on  the 
next  day  and  attack  General  Gillam's  forces  and  probably  to  send 


356  BATTLES  ANt)  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

some  of  his  forces  to  Gillam's  rear  to  cut  off  his  retreat.  In  the  after 
noon  of  the  day  on  which  General  Morgan  arrived  in  Greenville  there 
was  a  very  hard  rain.  When  it  commenced  a  portion  of  his  command 
had  not  yet  arrived  at  their  camping  place  while  some  were  going 
into  camp.  The  rain  continued  almost  unabated  during  the  night 
with  much  thunder  and  lightning. 

In  relation  to  the  defeat  and;  death  of  General  Morgan  many 
sensational  and  improbable  stories  have  been  published.  The  prin 
ciple  of  these  may  be  given  under  the  following  heads : 

First.  That  he  was  betrayed  by  Mrs.  Lucy  Williams,  a  daughter- 
in-law  of  Mrs.  Catherine  D.  Williams,  who  left  the  house  after  the 
arrival  of  General  Morgan  and  proceeding  to  the  Federal  camp  in 
formed  General  Gillam  as  to  the  position  of  General  Morgan  and 
the  disposition  of  his  forces. 

Second.  That  General  Morgan  was  murdered,  having  been  shot 
wilfully  after  he  had  surrendered. 

Third.  That  after  being  killed,  and  as  some  writers  have 
stated,  before  he  was  in  fact  dead  the  body  of  General  Morgan  was 
placed  on  a  horse  before  a  Federal  soldier  and  was  paraded  up  and 
down  the  streets  of  the  town.  As  to  all  these  matters  the  true  facts 
as  evidenced  by  eye-witnesses  will  be  given. 

Mrs.  Catherine  D.  Williams  of  Greenville  was  an  aged  lady,  the 
widow  of  Dr.  Alexander  Williams  who  was  a  brother  of  Senator 
John  Williams  and  Chancellor  Thomas  L.  Williams  men  of  promi 
nence  in  the  earlier  history  of  the  State.  Mrs.  Williams  was  herselfthe 
only  daughter  of  William  Dickson  one  of  the  earlier  settlers  of  Green 
ville  who  in  the  mercantile  business  amassed'  a  handsome  fortune,  all 
of  which  was  given  to  Mrs.  Williams,  his  child.  The  family  of  Mrs. 
Williams  consisted  originally  of  Mrs.  Sneed,  the  mother  of  Judge 
Joseph  W.  Sneed  of  Knoxville,  William  D.  Williams,  Thomas  L. 
Williams  and  Joseph  A.  Williams.  Thomas  L.  Williams  who  has 
since  died  was  a  captain  in  the  Confederate  army.  William  D.  Williams 
who  is  still  living,  although  old  and  very  feeble,  was  a  volunteer  mem 
ber  of  General  Morgan's  command  and  came  with  him  and  his  com 
mand  to  Greenville.  At  that  time  Joseph  A.  Willams,  differing  from  his 
brothers,  adhered  to  the  Union  cause  and  was  then  probably  at  Knox 
ville.  Mrs.  Lucy  Williams,  wife  of  Joseph  A.  Williams,  was  living 
with  Mrs.  Catherine  D.  Williams,  her  husband's  mother.  She  was 
previous  to  her  marriage  a  Rumbough  of  a  prominent  Virginia  fam 
ily  and  she  had  one  brother,  a  captain  in  the  Confederate  army  and 
another,  probably  a  major  in  the  quartermaster's  service  of  the  Con 
federacy.  It  was  generally  understood  that  she  strongly  sympa 
thized  with  the  Confederate  cause  in  which  her  brothers  were  serv 
ing.  She  and  Joseph  A.  Williams  are  still  living  though  after  the  war 
they  were  divorced  and  both  remarried1. 

The  Williams  residence  was  situated  in  almost  the  central  part 
of  the  town.  It  was  a  very  large  brick  building  standing  near  Irish 
street  and  the  grounds  embraced  more  than  three-fourths  of  an  entire 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


square  bounded  by  Irish,  Depot,  Church  and  Main  streets.  On  this 
square  and  fronting  on  Main  street  were  two  old  hotel  buildings 
known  as  the  Mason  House  and  the  Fry  Hotel  separated  by  one  old 
store  building.  The  grounds  once  occupied  by  these  buildings  are 
now  covered  by  the  present  Mason  House  and  Grand  Central  Hotel 
buildings.  In  addition  to  these  buildings  an  Episcopal  church  stood 
on  the  lot  fronting  on  Church  street.  A  small  hous*  stood  on  Depot 
street  used  as  a  tenement  house  and  other  small  houses  including  an 
ice  house  and  negro  quarters  stood  near  the  corner  of  Irish  and  De 
pot  streets.  Around  the  house  was  a  grove  of  shade  trees  and  from 
the  door  facing  the  lawn  a  walk  led  through  the  grounds  to  a  gate 
opening  on  Main  street.  This  walk  was  bordered  by  boxwoods  and 
shade  trees.  Much  of  the  grounds  was  devoted  to  flowers,  especially 
roses  of  the  finest  varieties.  On  the  side  next  to  Church  street  a  por 
tion  of  the  grounds  was  devoted  to  vegetables,  but  on  the  side  front 
ing  Depot  street  there  was  a  vineyard  with  a  great  variety  of  grapes, 
the  most  of  them  confined  to  stakes  but  some  of  them  running  on  ar 
bors.  At  one  place  on  the  walk  leading  to  Main  street  there  was  a 
summer  house  covered  with  vines  and  furnished  with  rustic  seats. 
These  grounds  previous  to  the  civil  war  were  a  great  place  of  resort 
by  the  people  of  the  town.  The  stable  was  situated  on  another  lot 
and  to  reach  which  it  was  necessary  to  cross  Depot  street.  At  that 
time  the  Williams  family  at  home  consisted  of  the  old-  lady,  her 
.daughter-in-law  Lucy  Williams  and  a  sister  of  the  latter  —  a  Miss 
Rumbough,  who  was  a  visitor. 

Mrs.  Williams  was  the  owner  of  a  very  large  farm  situated  about 
three  or  four  miles  south  of  Greenville,  containing  more  than  1,000 
acres.  It  was  known  as  "the  College  farm"  and  acquired  this  name 
from  the  fact  tjhat  the  Greenville  College,  the  first  college  chartered 
by  the  Legislature  for  the  territory  south  of  the  Ohio  river,  was  situ 
ated  on  this  farm.  From  this  farm  Mrs.  Williams  drew  her  supplies; 
it  being  occupied  by  renters,  one  of  whom  named  Hartley  resided  in 
the  best  house  on  the  farm.  Adjoining  this  farm  was  that  of  Isaac 
Brannon,  a  well-known  citizen  of  the  county.  The  road  leading  to  this 
,farm  did  not  lead  in  the  direction  of  Bull's  Gap  but  led  off  at  right 
angles  to  the  Bull's  Gap  road. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  day  when  General  Morgan  and  staff 
arrived  at  the  Williams  mansion  Mrs.  Lucy  Williams  left  the  house 
"not  on  horseback  as  has  been  often  stated  but  in  a  buggy  and  with 
a  small  boy.  From  this  fact  and  perhaps  from  other  circumstances 
it  was  assumed  that  young  Mrs.  Williams  proceeded  all  the  way  to 
:Bull's  Gap  and  as  a  traitor  informed  General  Gillam  as  to  Morgan's 
position  and  surroundings.  Instead  of  doing  so  she  went  to  the  Col 
lege  farm  and  to  the  home  of  Mr.  Isaac  Brannon  where  she  procured 
a  lot  of  watermelons  and  placed  them  in  the  buggy  with  the  evident 
intention  of  returning  that  evening  and  furnishing  the  melons  as  n 
i  treat  for  their  distinguished  guests.  As  before  shown  there  was 
'that  afternoon  a  very  hard  rain  and  on  account  of  the  rain  she  could 


THE  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  JOHN  H.   MORGAN.  359 

not  return  but  spent  the  night  at  the  farm  house  occupied  by  Bartley, 
returned  to  the  town  the  next  morning  and  was  conducted  in  by  the 
Federal  pickets  which  added  to  the  suspicion  that  she  was  the  traitor. 
It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  she  encouraged  this  belief  and  in  her  con 
duct  sought  to  ingratiate  herself  with  the  Federal  officers  to  a  de 
gree  that  subjected  her  to  serious  censure.  But  the  facts  here  stated 
have  been  substantiated  by  the  witnesses  who  saw  her  and  as  to  these 
facts  there  can  be  no  question.  Besides,  a  dispatch  was  sent  by  Gen 
eral  Gillam  to  Secretary  Stanton  stating  that  he  did  not  receive  from 
Mrs.  Williams  or  any  other  woman  any  information  which  in  any  way 
led  to  the  defeat  and  death  of  General  John  H.  Morgan.  This  dis 
patch  may  have  been  called  for  by  a  claim  on  her  part  for  consider 
ation  based  on  a  pretence  that  she  had  rendered  the  Federals  a  valu 
able  service. 

A  large  majority  of  the  people  of  Greenville  were  "Union"  in 
sentiment  and  General  Morgan  conld  not  move  his  cavalry  and  artil 
lery  fast  enough  to  prevent  the  fact  of  his  approach  being  heraldei 
ahead  of  him.  Although  there  were  few  if  any  men  in  the  town 
subject  to  military  duty  this  led  to  some  zealous  Union  people  leav 
ing  through  fear  of  injury  or  bad  treatment.  One  o<f  these  was  Ed- 
mond  B.  Miller  a  man  of  intelligence  and  high  standing  who  pre- 
viouslv  had  been  a  colonel  of  the  militia.  He  did  not  wait  for  General 
Morgan's  arrival  but  left  on  learning  of  the  approach  of  Morgan's 
force.  His  intimate  knowledge  of  every  place  and  every  road  was 
a  great  aid  to  General  Gillam,  and  his  widow  has  heretofore  at 
tempted,  but  without  success,  to  secure  a  pension  based  on  his  valu 
able  services.  The  persoin  who  actually  did  give  the  information  as 
to  the  position  of  General  Morgan's  forces  and  where  he  was  quar 
tered,  was  a  boy  named  James  Leady  whose  father  resided  in  Green 
ville.  The  following  account  is  given  as  to  his  adventures  and  escape 
but  they  are  not  vouched  for  as  being  absolutely  authentic.  He 
started  down  the  road-  on  an  old  gray  horse  after  General  Morgan's 
arrival  and  being  halted  by  the  pickets  and  asked  where  he  was  going, 
said  he  was  going  to  mill.  It  appears  that  he  had  a  sack  under  him 
on  the  horse.  There  was  a  mill  on  the  road  as  was  known  to  the 
pickets  and  he  was  permitted  to  pass  but  was  watched  until  he  was 
seen  to  go  beyond  the  mill.  He  was  followed  and  asked  further  about 
where  he  was  going  and  said  that  he  had  to  go  to  the  house  of  his 
uncle  near  Blue  Spring  more  than  half  way  to  Bull's  Gap.  He  was 
near  that  point  and  was  informed  that  he  must  be  placed  under  arrest 
but  begged  that  at  least  he  be  permitted  to  go  to  his  uncle's  house. 
The  guards  agreed  to  go  with  him  and  await  his  coming  out  of  the 
house,  keeping  charge  of  his  horse.  It  was  then  growing  dark  and  he 
hastily  went  into  the  house  of  his  uncle  but  passed  immediately 
through  the  house  into  a  corn  field  in  which  he  mad-e  his  escape  and 
went  on  foot  from  there  to  Bull's  Gap.  From  what  he  told  and 
explained  by  Colonel  Edwin  B.  Miller,  General  Gillam  and  his  officers, 
several  of  whom  were  perfectly  well  acquainted  with  Greenville  and 


360  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

its  surroundings,  a  good  idea  was  easily  formed  as  to  the  position 
of  General  Morgan  and  his  forces. 

To  the  Federals  it  appeared  that  the  time  had  come  for  action. 
It  is  claimed  by  some  that  General  Gillam  opposed1  the  move  on  ac 
count  of  the  condition  of  the  weather  as  it  was  then  raining  quite 
hard  and^hat  he  was  induced  to  consent  to  it  by  the  urgent  demand 
of  his  colonels.  It  should  have  been  stated  that  as  a  reward  for  his 
services,  the  boy  Leady  was  afterwards  sent  to  school  as  the  protege 
of  General  Gillam. 

It  was  well  in  the  night  when  General  Gillam  broke  camp  and 
started  on  his  daring  expedition.  Those  who  were  along  say  that 
the  night  was  extremely  dark  and  that  it  rained  all  the  way  with  much 
thunder  and  lightning  and  but  for  the  constant  flashes  of  light 
ning  they  could-  scarcely  have  found  their  way.  From  Green 
ville  to  Bull's  Gap  the  direction  is  nearly  due  west  and  conse 
quently  they  were  marching  nearly  due  east.  In  the  edge  of  the  town 
the  road  forks  and  from  the  Knoxville  road  to  the  Warensburg  road 
turns  off  in  a  southwest  direction  extending  for  several  miles  at  no 
great  distance.  It  was  anticipated  that  the  main  road  leading  to  Bull's 
Gap  and  to  Knoxville  would  be  strongly  guarded,  consequently  at  a 
point  probably  six  miles  from  Greeneville,  a  detachment  consisting 
of  scarcely  more  than  one  hundred  men  was  sent  across  to  reach  and 
approach  Greeneville  by  the  Warrensburg  road  and  to  make  a  dash 
into  Greeneville.  This  plan  was  successful  as  on  that  road  there  were 
but  few  guards  and  they  being  tired  and  worn  out  were  easily  cap 
tured  without  making  any  alarm.  This  detachment  dashed]  into 
Greeneville  just  after  daylight  when  General  Morgan  and  the  mem 
bers  of  his  staff  were  in  bed  at  the  Williams  residence. 

It  is  stated  that  during  the  night  Lieutenant  Wilbur  Carter  re 
ported  to  General  A.  A.  Withen  at  headquarters  that  the  Federals 
were  advancing  on  the  Warrensburg  road.  This  appeared;  so  im 
probable  that  it  was  not  believed.  It  was  remarked  by  one  of  the 
officers  that  no  force  would  advance  on  such  a  night  as  that  was; 
that  General  Morgan  was  tired  and  needed  rest  and  there  was  no  use 
in  disturbing  him  with  such  an  improbable  tale.  In  the  morning  when 
the  firing  commenced  on  the  streets  it  was  believed  by  some  of  Gen 
eral  Morgan's  staff  that  it  was  only  the  soldiers  firing  off  their  guns 
on  account  of  the  rain  the  previous  day,  for  the  purposes  of  reloading 
that  they  might  be  sure  that  their  charges  were  all  right. 

It  seems  that  it  was  Miss  Rumbough  that  first  informed  General 
Morgan  that  the  Federals  were  in  the  town  and  all  around  the  square. 
He  immediately  got  up  and  hastily  putting  on  his  pants,  socks  and 
his  pistol  belt  with  his  pistols  but  without  his  other  clothing  he  went 
out  of  the  door  leading  into  the  garden.  He  went  in  the  direction  of 
Main  street  hoping  to  escape  that  way,  but  about  this  time  the  Fed 
erals  appeared  on  Main  street  and  he  turned  back.  According  to  the 
best  traditions  some  woman  on  the  porch  of  the  Fry  Hotel  hallooed 
apparently  to  the  Federals,  "There  he  goes."  This  is  supposed  to 


THE  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  JOHN  H.  MORGAN.  361 

have  been  Mrs.  Fry  the  wife  of  Colonel  David  Fry  who  kept  the  ho 
tel  in  the  absence  of  her  husband.  Colonel  David  Fry  had  organized 
a  regiment  of  what  was  called  "hundred  days  men,"  many  of  whom 
were  deserters  from  the  Confederate  army.  They  did  not  stand  well 
even  among  the  regular  Federal  soldiers  and  many  of  them  were  guilty 
of  acts  which  were  strongly  condemned  by  the  regular  Tennessee  sol 
diers  of  the  Federal  army. 

General  Morgan  then  turned  back  in  the  direction  of  the  vineyard 
apparently  with  the  idea  that  after  the  passage  of  the  forces  along 
that  street  he  could  cross  the  street  and  secure  his  horse,  then  in  the 
Williams  stable,  and  escape.  He  was  in  the  vineyard  about  fifty  yard-? 
from  Depot  street  when  another  squad  came  along  and  seeing  him 
the  firing  commenced,  he  also  shooting  with  his  pistols.  He  was  shot 
and  instantly  killed  by  one  James  Campbell  a  member  of  the  Thir 
teenth  Tennessee  cavalry,  a  soldier  of  fortune  who  had  deserted  from 
the  Confederate  army  and  who  it  appears  knew  General  Morgan  per 
sonally.  At  the  time  he  was  killed  General  Morgan  had  two  pistols 
on  his  person  and  of  one  four  chambers  were  empty.  He  evidently 
fired  these  from  the  place  where  he  was  killed  and  those  in  the  party 
with  Campbell  saw  him  shooting  at  them.  Previous  to  this  Captain 
Clay  came  down  from  his  room  and  meeting  Miss  Rumbough  she 
handed  him  General  Morgan's  jacket,  asking  him  to  give  it  to  the 
owner  but  seeing  that  he  could  not  safely  go  in  that  direction  he 
turned  to  a  negro  house  where  one  of  the  slaves  promising  to  pro 
tect  him,  hid  him  in  a  potato  hole  where  he  was  afterwards  captured 
One  or  two  members  of  General  Morgan's  staff  made  their  escape 
but  the  others  were  captured.  William  D.  Williams  being  at  home 
and  knowing  the  premises  found  a  place  of  concealment  in  the  base 
ment  and  escaped  capture. 

Up  to  this  time  no  Federal  troops  had  entered  Greeneville  ex 
cept  the  detachment  referred  to.  The  main  body  of  General  Gillam's 
forces  was  advancing  slowly  on  the  Knoxville  road.  About  this 
time  the  head  of  this  column  had  reached  Park's  Gap  about  two  and 
a  half  miles  from  Greeneville.  There  they  came  in  view  of  a  Con 
federate  force  that  had  been  thrown  out  in  that  dirction  under  Colonel 
Vaughn.  One  or  two  of  the  guns  in  the  Federal  battery  were  hastily 
placed  in  position  and  a  few  shots  were  fired.  At  the  same  time  the 
Confederate  forces  heard  the  firing  in  their  rear  in  Greeneville  and 
made  a  hasty  retreat,  passing  not  in  the  direction  of  Greenville  but 
on  the  north  side.  The  main  force  continued*  to  advance  until  they 
were  within  one  mile  of  Greeneville  when  they  were  rejoined  by 
the  detachment  that  had  raided  the  town.  Campbell  after  killing  Gen 
eral  Morgan  threw  his  body  on  a  horse  in  front  of  him  and  carried 
it  back  with  him  to  the  main  force  where  it  was  thrown  or  laid  off 
on  the  ground.  This  was  certainly  an  unjustified  and  unwarranted 
indignity  but  he  did  not  parade  the  body  up  and  down  the  street  on 
his  horse  as  stated  by  some  writers,  and  in  fact  had  no  time  to  do  so, 
for  they  were  close  to  the  main  force  of  the  Confederates  and  it  was 


362  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

necessary  for  them  to  retreat  as  soon  as  possible.  It  seems  that  the 
object  of  Campbell  was  to  let  it  be  known  certainly  that  he  was  the 
man  that  killed  General  Morgan  in  the  hope  of  a  reward  by  promo 
tion.  He  was  given  a  lieutenancy  in  the  Federal  army. 

While  this  small  force  of  Federals  was  in  Greeneville  the  Confed 
erate  forces  were  hastily  prepared  for  action  and  the  battery  com 
menced  to  shell  the  town  but  the  captain  or  commander  was  notified 
that  this  would  not  do  as  they  would  kill  their  own  men  and  for  this 
reason  it  appears  the  shelling  was  stopped. 

When  the  body  of  General  Morgan  was  identified  after  delivery 
at  the  main  force  of  the  Federals  it  was  ordered  to  be  placed  in  an 
ambulance  and-  returned  to  Greeneville  where  by  order  of  General 
Gillam  it  was  washed  and  dressed  and  a  burial  case  was  ordered  to 
be  made  for  it  which  was  done  by  J.  J.  Mitchell  after  which  it  was 
turned  over  under  a  flag  of  truce  to  his  friends. 

Ascertaining  that  their  leader  had:  been  killed  the  Confederate 
forces  prepared  to  retreat.  They  were  attacked  by  the  main  force  of 
General  Gillam's  command  but  only  showed  resistance  long  enough 
to  secure  a  safe  retreat.  They  were  pursued  ten  or  twelve  miles  and 
lost  one  piece  of  artillery  shot  down  two  miles  east  of  Greeneville  and 
some  caissons.  A  flanking  movement  was  planned  to  cut  off  the 
retreat  of  Morgan's  forces  but  was  not  executed  in  time  to  accomplish 
that  purpose. 


DRIVING  THE  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN  OUT  OP  ATLANTA. 

Headquarters  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi,     ,     iu   ' 

In  the  Field1,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  September  7,  1864 
General  Hood,  Commanding  the  Confederate  Army. 

General: — I  have  deemed  it  to  the  interest  of  the  United  States 
that  the  citizens  now  residing  in  Atlanta  should  remove,  those  who 
prefer  it  to  go  South  and-  the  rest  North.  For  the  latter  I  can  provide 
food  and  transportation  to  points  of  their  election  in  Tennessee,  Ken 
tucky  and  farther  North.  For  the  former  I  can  provide  transporta 
tion  by  cars  as  far  as  Rough  and  Ready  and  also  wagons;  but  that 
their  removal  may  be  made  with  as  little  discomfort  as  possible  it 
will  be  necesary  for  you  to  help  the  families  from  Rough  and  Ready 
to  the  cars  at  Lovejoy's.  If  you  consent  I  will  undertake  to  remove 
all  families  in  Atlanta  who  prefer  to*  go  South  to  Rough  and  Ready, 
with  all  their  movable  effects  viz.y  clothing,  trunks,  reasonable  furni 
ture,  bedding,  etc.,  with  their  servants,  white  and  black,  with  the  pro 
viso  that  no  force  shall  be  used  toward  the  blacks  one  way  or  the 
other.  If  they  want  to  go  with  their  masters  and  mistresses  they  may 
do  so,  otherwise  they  will  be  sent  away  unless  they  be  men,  when  they 
may  be  employed  by  our  quartermaster.  Atlanta  is  no  place  for  fam 
ilies  or  non-combatants  and  I  have  no  desire  to  send  them  North  If 
you  will  assist  in  conveying  them  South.  If  this  proposition  meets 
your  views  I  will  consent  to  a  truce  in  the  neighborhood  of  Rough  and 
Ready,  stipulating  that  any  wagons,  horses  or  animals  or  persons  sent 
there  for  the  purposes  herein  stated  shall  in  no  manner  be  harmed 
or  molested,  you  in  your  turn  agreeing  that  any  cars,  wagons,  car 
riages,  persons  or  animals  sent  to  the  same  point  shall  not  be  inter 
fered  with.  Each  of  us  might  send  a  guard  of  say  100  men  to  main 
tain  order  and  limit  the  truce  to  say  two  days  after  a  certain  time 
appointed.  I  have  authorized  the  mayor  to  choose  two  citizens  to 
convey  to  you  this  letter  and  such  documents  as  the  mayor  may  for 
ward  in  explanation  and  shall  await  your  reply. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 
Major-General  Commanding. 

Sent  by  Messrs.  Ball  and  Crew. 

REPORT  OF  MAJOR  WILLIAM  CLARE,  ASSISTANT  INSPECTOR-GENERAL,  UP 
ON  THE  REMOVAL  OF  CITIZENS  FROM  ATLANTA,     '; 

Inspector-General's  Office,  Army  of  Tennessee, 

September  22nd,  1864.   .    ;. 
Colonel:— I,  have  the  honor, to  make  the  following  report  in  refer- 


364  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

ence  to  the  removal  of  the  families  from  Atlanta  under  Major-General 
Sherman's  (Federal  army)  order  of  expulsion: 

Receiving  verbal  orders  from  General  Hood  on  the  evening  of 
the  nth  to  conduct  the  truce  agreed  upon  between  himself  and  Major- 
General  Sherman,  I  started  as  soon  as  possible  reaching  Rough  and 
Ready  at  7:30  on  the  morning  of  the  I2th  of  September.  Shortly 
after  reaching  there  I  met  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Federal 
guard  and  soon  afterward  Colonel  Warner  of  General  Sherman':; 
staff,  the  Federal  truce  officer.  Having  established  with  these  officers 
the  preliminaries  of  the  truce  and  the  manner  in  which  it  should  be  car 
ried  out  and  made  arangements  in  regard  to  the  guards,  I  awaited 
the  arrival  of  the  trains  from  Atlanta.  (The  inclosed  report  of  the 
names  of  the  families  arriving,  their  number  and  the  date  of  their 
arrival  will  give  all  the  information  on  these  points.)  Some  delays 
and  irregularities  in  regard  to  the  arrival  of  the  trains  having  occurred 
I  demanded  of  the  Federal  officer  in  charge  the  reason  thereof  and 
their  correction.  He  informed  me  that  every  means  of  transportation 
were  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  citizens  for  the  purpose  of  removing 
their  families  and  effects.  On  sending  for  Major  Calhoun  and  the 
committee  of  citizens  charged  with  removing  the  people  of  Atlanta, 
I  ascertained  that  his  statement  was  correct.  I  had  then  only  to  urge 
upon  the  people  through  the  mayor,  to  come  during  the  early  days 
of  tne  truce  to  guard  against  the  accident  of  having  too  little  trans 
portation  when  the  truce  was  about  to  close.  This  advice  they  disre 
garded  and  the  consequence  was  suffering  and  inconvenience.  This 
was,  however,  to  no  great  extent.  From  Rough  and  Ready  to  Love- 
joy  Station,  I  think  I  can  safely  say  under  my  orders,  were  moved  as 
comfortably  and  safely  as  possible  the  unfortunate  people  who  were 
driven  from  their  homes. 

Receiving  information  from  you  that  the  Government  was  being 
embarrassed  by  the  heavy  demands  made  upon  the  acting  commissary 
of  subsistence  at  Lovejoy's,  I  arranged-  with  the  Federal  authorities 
to  supply  the  exiles  with  five  days'  rations  on  their  application  to 
Colonel  LeDuc,  quartermaster  Twentieth  Army  corps,  at  Atlanta. 
This  I  was  informed  was  done.  The  apportionment  of  tranportation 
among  the  different  corps  was  made  as  you  directed.  On  receiving 
your  orders  I  sent  for  Major  Mason,  the  quartermaster  in  charge  of 
the  transportation  reporting  to  me  and  read-  the  first  as  well  as  the 
supplemental  order  to  him  and  directed  him  to  carry  it  out  literally. 
This  he,  as  well  as  Captain  John  McLaughlin  his  assistant,  informed 
me  had  been  done. 

Having  been  informed  that  six  teamsters  belonging  to  Captain 
Clark's  train  had  deserted  while  the  train  was  at  Rough  and  Ready 
I  made  a  formal  demand  for  them  of  the  Federal  flag  of  truce  officer. 
He  assured  me  that  they  should  be  returned  if  found  at  the  same  time 
stating  to  me  that  thirteen  of  the  Federal  guard  and  teamsters  had 
deserted  to  our  lines. 

Too  much  praise  cannot  be  bestowed  upon  Colonel  Armstrong 


DRIVING  THE  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN  OUT  OF  ATLANTA. 

in  command  of  the  guard  from  our  army  on  duty  at  Rough  and  Ready, 
for  the  rigid  discipline  he  at  all  times  maintained. 

W.  CLARE, 

Major  and  Assistant  Inspector  General. 
Colonel  E.  J.  Harvie,  Inspector-General. 


GENERAL  W.  T.  SHERMAN'S  REPORT  OF  THE  DALTON- 
ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN. 

Headquarters  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi. 

Atlanta,  Ga.,  September   I5th,   1864. 

General : — I  have  heretofore  from  day  to  d-ay  by  telegraph  kept 
the  War  Department  and  General-in-Chief  advised  of  the  progress 
of  events,  but  now  it  becomes  necessary  to  review  the  whole  campaign 
which  has  resulted  in  the  capture  and  occupation  of  the  city  of  Atlanta. 

On  the  I4th  day  of  March,  1864,  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  I  received 
notice  from  General  Grant  at  Nashville,  that  he  had  been  commmis-- 
sioned  Lieutenant-General  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Armies  of 
the  United  States  which  would  compel  him  to  go  East  and  that  I  had 
been  appointed  to  succeed  him  as  Commander  of  the  Division  of  the 
Mississippi.  He  summoned  me  to  Nashville  for  a  conference  and  I 
took  my  departure  the  same  day  and  reached  Nashville  via  Cairo  on 
the  I /th,  and  accompanied  him  on  his  journey  eastward  as  far  as 
Cincinnati.  We  had  a  full  and  complete  understanding  of  the  policy 
and  plans  of  the  ensuing  campaign  covering  a  vast  area  of  country, 
my  part  of  which  extended  from  Chattanooga  to  Vicksburg.  I 
returned-  to  Nashville  and  on  the  25th  began  a  tour  of  inspection 
visiting  Athens,  Decatur,  Huntsville  and  Larkin's  Ferry,  Ala.;  Chatta 
nooga,  London  and  Knoxville,  Tenn.  During  this  visit  I  had  inter 
views  with  General  McPherson,  commanding  the  Army  of  the  Ten 
nessee  at  Huntsville,  Major-General  Thomas,  commanding  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland,  at  Chattanooga,  and  General  Schofield,  command 
ing  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  at  Knoxville.  We  arranged  in  general 
terms  the  lines  of  comunication  to  be  guarded,  the  strength  of  the 
several  columns  and  garrisons  and  fixed-  the  first  day  of  May  as  the 
time  when  all  things  should  be  ready. 

Leaving  these  officers  to  complete  the  details  of  organization  and 
preparation,!  returned  again  to  Nashville  on  the  2nd  of  April  and  gave 
my  personal  attention  to  the  question  of  supplies.  I  found  the  depots 
at  Nashville  abundantly  supplied  and  the  railroads  in  very  fair  order 
and  that  steps  had  already  been  taken  to  supply  cars  and  locomotives 
to  fill  the  new  increased  demand  of  the  service  but  the  impoverished 
condition  of  the  inhabitants  of  East  Tennessee  more  especially  in  the 
region  around  about  Chattanooga,  had  forced  the  commanding  officers 
of  the  posts  to  issue  food  to  the  people.  I  was  compelled  to  stop  this 
for  a  simple  calculation  showed  that  a  single  railroad  could  not  feed 
the  armies  and  the  people  too,  and  of  course  the  army  had  the  prefer 
ence,  but  I  endeavored  to  point  the  people  to  new  channels  of  supply. 


REPORT  o$  THE  WALTON- ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN. 


At  first  my  orders  operated  very  hard  but  the  prolific  soil  soon  afforded 
early  vegetables  and  ox-wagons  hauled  meat  and  bread  from  Ken 
tucky  so  that  no  actual  suffering  resulted  and  I  trust  that  those  who 
clamored  at  the  cruelty  and  hardships  of  the  day  have  already  seen 
in  the  results  a  perfect  justification  of  my  course.  At  once  the  store 
houses  at  Chattanooga  began  to  fill  so  that  by  the  1st  of  May  a  very 


MAJOR-GENERAL  WM.   T.   SHERMAN,  U.   S.   A. 

respectable  quantity  of  food  and  forage  had  been  accumulated  there, 
and  from  that  day  to  this  stores  have  been  brought  forward  in  won 
derful  abundance,  with  a  surplus  that  has  enabled  me  to  feed  the  army 
well  during  the  whole  period  of  time,  although  the  enemy  has  suc 
ceeded  more  than  once  in  breaking  our  road  for  many  miles  at  different 
points. 

.During  the  month  of  April  I  received  from  Lieutenant-General 
Grant  a  map  with  a  letter  of  instructions  which  is  now  at  Nashville 
but  a  copy  will  be  procured  and  made  a  part  of  this  report.  Subse 
quently  I  received  from  him  notice  that  he  would-  move  from  his  camp 


368  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  6$  TENNESSEE. 

about  Culpepper,  Va.,  on  the  5th  of  May,  and  he  wanted  me  to  do  the 
same  from  Chattanooga.  My  troops  were  still  dispersed  and  the 
cavalry  so  necessary  to  our  success,  was  yet  collecting  horses  at 
Nicholasville,  Ky.,  and  at  Columbia,  Tenn. 

On  the*27th  of  April  I  put  all  the  troops  in  motion  toward  Chat 
tanooga  and  on  the  next  day  went  there  in  person.  My  aim  and  pur 
pose  was  to  make  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  50,000  men,  that  of 
the  Tennessee  35,000,  and  that  of  the  Ohio  15,000.  These  figures 
were  approximated  but  never  reached,  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee 
failing  to  receive  certain  divisions  that  were  still  kept  on  the  Missis 
sippi  river,  resulting  from  the  unfavorable  issues  of  the  Red  river 
expedition.  But  on  the  1st  of  May  the  effective  strength  of  the  sev 
eral  armies  for  offensive  purposes  was  about  as  follows : 

Army  of  the  Cumberland,  Major-General  Thomas  commanding: 
Infantry,  22,437;  artillery,  1,404;  cavalry,  624;  total,  24,465. 
Guns,  96. 

Army  of  the  Ohio,  Major-General  Schoneld  commanding :     In 
fantry,  11,183;  artillery,  679;  cavalry,  1,697;  total,  13,559.     Guns,  28. 
Grand  aggregate:     Troops,  98,797;  guns,  254. 
About  these  figures  have  been  maintained  during  the  campaign, 
the  number  of  men  joining  from  furlough  and  hospitals  about  com 
pensating  for  the  loss  in  battle  and  from  sickness. 

These  armies  were  grouped  on  the  morning  of  May  the  6th  as 
follows : 

That  of  the  Cumberland  at  and  near  Ringgold ;  that  of  the  Ten 
nessee  at  Gordon's  Mills  on  the  Chickamauga ;  arid  that  of  the  Ohio 
near  Red  Clay  on  the  Georgia  line  north  of  Dalton.  The  enemy  lay 
in  and  about  Dalton,  superior  to  me  in  cavalry  (Wheeler's),  and  with 
three  corps  of  infantry  and  artillery,  viz :  Hardee's,  Hood's  and 
Folk's,  the  whole  commanded  by  General  Joe  Johnston  of  the  Confed 
erate  Army.  I  estimated  the  cavalry  under  Wheeler  at  about  10,000 
and  the  infantry  and  artillery  about  45,000  to  50,000  men.  To  strike 
Dalton  in  front  was  impracticable  as  it  was  covered  by  an  inaccessible 
ridge  known  as  the  Rocky  Face,  through  which  was  a  pass  between 
Tunnel  Hill  and  Dalton  known  as  the  Buzzard  Roost,  through  which 
lay  the  railroad  and  wagon  road.  It  was  narrow,  well  obstructed  by 
abattis  and  flooded  by  water  caused  by  dams  across  Mill  Creek.  Bat 
teries  also  commanded  it  in  its  whole  length  from  the  spurs  on  either 
side,  and  more  especially  from  a  ridge  at  the  farther  end  like  a  traverse 
directly  across  its  debouche.  It  was  therefore  necessary  to  turn  it. 
On  its  north  front  the  enemy  had  a  strong  line  of  works  behind  Mill 
Creek  so  that  my  attention  was  at  once  directed  to  the  south.  In  that 
direction  I  found  Snake  Creek  Gap  afforded  me  a  good  practical  way 
to  reach  Resaca,  a  point  of  the  enemy's  railroad  line  of  communica 
tion  eighteen  miles  below  Dalton.  Accordingly  I  ordered  General  Mc- 
Pherson  to  move  rapidly  from  the  position  at  Gordon's  Mill  via  Ship's 
Gap,  Villanow  and  Snake  Creek  Gap  directly  on  Resaca  or  the  rail 
road  at  any  point  below  Dalton  and  to  make  a  bold  attack.  After 


REPOKT  OF  THE  DALTON-ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN.  369 

breaking  the  railroad  well  he  was  ordered  to  fall  back  to  a  strong 
defensive  position  near  Snake  Creek  and  stand  ready  to  fall  on  the 
enemy's  flank  when  he  retreated,  as  I  judged  he  would.  During  the 
movement  General  Thomas  was  to  make  a  strong  feint  of  attack  in 
front  while  General  Scho<field  pressed  down  from  the  north.  General 
Thomas  moved  from  Ringgold  on  the  7th,  occupying  Tunnel  Hill 
facing  the  Buzzard  Roost  Gap,  meeting  with  little  opposition  and  push 
ing  the  enemy's  cavalry  well  through  the  Gap.  General  McPherson 
reached  Snake  Creek  Gap  on  the  8th,  completely  surprising  a  brigade 
of  cavalry  which  was  coming  to  watch  and  hold  it,  and  on  the  Qth 
General  Schofield  pushed  down  close  on  Dalton  from  the  north  while 
General  Thomas  renewed  his  demonstration  against  Buzzard  Roost 
and  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  pushing  it  almost  to  a  battle.  One  division 
(General  Newton's)  of  the  Fourth  corps  (General  Howard's)  car 
ried  the  ridge  and  turning  south  toward  Dalton  found  the  crest  too 
narrow  and  too  well  protected  by  rock  epaulets  to  enable  him  to  reach 
the  gorge  or  pass.  Another  division  (General  Geary's)  of  the  Twen 
tieth  corps  (General  Hooker's)  also  made  a  bold  push  for  the  summit 
to  the  south  of  the  pass  but  the  narrow  road  as  it  approached  the  sum 
mit  was  too  strongly  held  by  the  enemy  to  be  carried.  This  however 
was  only  designed  as  a  demonstration  and  worked  well  for  General 
McPherson  was  thereby  enabled  to  march  within  a  mile  of  Resaca 
almost  unopposed.  He  found  Resaca  too  strong  to  be  carried  by 
assault ;  and  although  there  were  many  good  roads  leading  from  north 
to  south  endangering  his  left  flank  from  the  direction  of  Dalton,  he 
could  find  no  road  by  which  he  could  rapidly  cross  over  to  the  rail 
road,  and  accordingly  he  fell  back  and  took  strong  position  near  the 
east  end  of  Snake  Creek  Gap.  I  was  somewhat  disappointed  at  the 
result  still  appreciated  the  advantage  gained,  and  on  the  loth  ordered 
General  Thomas  to  send  General  Hooker's  corps  to  Snake  Creek  Gap 
in  support  of  General  McPherson  and  to  follow  with  another  corps, 
the  Fourteenth  (General  Palmer's),  leaving  General  Howard  with  the 
Fourth  corps  to  continue  to  threaten  Dalton  in  front  while  the  rest 
of  the  army  moved  rapidly  through  Snake  Creek  Gap. 

On  the  same  day  General  Schofield  was  ordered  to  follow  by  the 
same  route,  and  on  the  nth  the  whole  army  excepting  General  How 
ard's  corps  and  some  cavalry  left  to  watch  Dalton  was  in  motion  on 
the  west  side  of  Rocky  Face  Ridge  for  Snake  Creek  Gap  and  Resaca. 
The  next  day  we  moved  against  Resaca,  General  McPhenson  on  the 
direct  road,  preceded  by  General  Kilpatrick's  cavalry,  General  Thomas 
to  come  up  on  his  left,  and  General  Schofield  on  his.  General  Kil- 
patrick  met  and  drove  the  enemy's  cavalry  from  a  cross-road  within 
two  miles  of  Resaca  but  received  a  wound  which  disabled  him  and 
gave  the  command  of  his  brigade  to  Colonel  Murray  who  according 
to  his  orders,  wheeled  out  of  the  road  leaving  General  McPherson  to 
pass.  General  McPherson"  struck  the  enemy's  infantry  pickets  near 
Resaca,  drove  them  within  their  fortified  lines  and  occupied  a  ridp-e 
of  bald  hills,  his  right  on  the  Oostenaula  about  two  miles  below  the 


370  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

railroad  bridge,  and  his  left  abreast  the  town.  General  Thomas  came 
up  on  his  left  facing-  Camp  creek,  and  General  Schofield  broke  his 
way  through  the  dense  forest  to  General  Thomas'  left.  Johnston  had 
left  Dalton  and  General  Howard  entered  it  and  passed  his  rear. 
Nothing  saved  Johnston's  army  at  Resaca  but  the  impracticable  nature 
of  the  country  which  made  the  passage  of  troops  across  the  valley 
almost  impossible.  This  fact  enabled  his  army  to  reach  Resaca  from 
Dalton  along  the  comparatively  good  road  constructed  beforehand 
partly  from  the  topographical  nature  of  the  country  and  partly  from 
the  foresight  of  the  Rebel  chief.  At  all  events,  on  the  I4th  of  May 
we  found  the  Rebel  army  in  a  strong  position  behind  Camp  creek 
occupying  the  forts  at  Resaca  with  his  right  on  some  high  chestnut 
hills  to  the  north  of  the  town.  I  at  once  ordered  a  pontoon  bridge, 
to  be  laid  across  the  Oostenaula  at  Lay's  Ferry  in  the  direction  of 
Calhoun ;  a  division  of  the  Sixteenth  corps  commanded  by  General 
Sweeney,  to  cross  and  threaten  Calhoun;  also  the  cavalry  division  of 
General  Garrard  to  move  from  its  position  at  Villanow  down  toward 
Rome  to  cross  the  Oostenaula  and  break  the  railroad  below  Calhoun 
and  above  Kingston  if  possible,  and'  with  the  main  army  I  pressed 
against  Resaca  at  all  points.  General  McPherson  got  across  Camp 
creek  near  its  mouth,  and  made  a  lodgement  close  up  to  the  enemy's 
works  on  hills  that  commanded  with  short  rangfe  artillery,  the  rail 
road4  and  trestle  bridge.  General  Thomas  pressing  close  along  Camp 
creek  valley  threw  General  Hooker's  corps  across  the  heavl  of  the 
creek  to  the  main  Dalton  road  and  down  it  close  to  Resaca.  General 
Schofield  came  up  close  on  his  left  and  a  heavy  battle  ensued  the 
afternoon  and  evening  of  the  i.Sth,  during  which  General  Hooker 
drove  the  enemv  from  several  strong  hills  and  captured  a  four-gun 
battery  and  many  prisoners. 

That  night  Johnston  escaped,  retreating  south  across  the  Oosten 
aula,  and  the  next  morning  we  entered  the  town  in  time  to  save  the 
road  bridge  but  the  railroad  bridge  was  burned.  The  whole  army 
started  in  pursuit,  General  Thomas  directly  on  his  heels,  General  Mc 
Pherson  by  Lay's  Ferry  and  General  Schofield  by  obscure  roads  to 
the  left.  We  found  in  Resaca  another  four-gun  battery  and  a  good 
lot  of  stores. 

General  McPherson  during  the  i6th  got  across  at  Lay's  Ferry. 
General  Thomas  had  to  make  some  additional  bridges  at  Resaca  but 
General  Schofield  had  more  trouble  and  made  a  wide  circuit  to  the  left 
by  Fite's  and  Field's  Ferries  across  the  Conesauga  and  Coosawattee 
rivers  which  form  the  Oostenaula. 

On  the  1 7th  all  the  armies  moved-  south  by  as  many  different 
roads  as  we  could  find,  and  General  Thomas  had  sent  by  my  orders 
a  division  (General  Jeff  C.  Davis)  along  the  west  bank  of  the  Oosten 
aula  to  Rome.  Near  Adairsville  we  again  found  signs  of  the  Rebel 
army  and  of  a  purpose  to  fight,  and  about  sunset  of  that  day  General 
Newton's  division  in  the  advance  had  a  pretty  sharp  encounter  with 
his  rear  guard  but  the  next  morning  he  was  gone  and  we  pushed1  on 


REPORT  OF  THE  D  ALTON -ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN.  371 

through  Kingston  to  a  point  four  miles  beyond  where  we  found  him 
again  in  force  on  ground  comparatively  open  and  well  adapted  to  a 
grand  battle.  We  made  the  proper  dispositions,  General  Schofield 
approaching  Cassville  from  the  north,  to  which  point  General  Thomas 
had  also  directed  General  Hooker's  corps,  and  I  had  drawn  General 
McPherson's  army  from  Woodland  to  Kingston  to  be  in  close  support. 

On  the  iQth  the  enemy  was  in  force  about  Cassville  with  strong 
forts  but  as  our  troops  converged  on  him  he  again  retreated  in  the 
night  time  across  the  Etowah  river  burning  the  road  and  railroad 
bridges  near  Cartersville  but  leaving  us  in  complete  possession  of  the 
most  valuable  country  above  the  Etowah  river.  Holding  General 
Thomas'  army  about  Cassville,  General  McPherson's  about  Kingston, 
and  General  Schofield's  at  Cassville  Depot  and  toward  the  Etowah 
bridge,  I  gave  the  army  a  few  days'  rest  and  also  time  to  bring  forward 
supplies  for  the  next  stage  of  the  campaign. 

In  the  meantime  General  Jeff.  C.  Davis  had  got  possession  of 
Rome  with  his  forts  some  eight  or  ten  guns  of  heavy  caliber,  and  its 
valuable  mills  and  foundries.  We  also  secured  possession  of  two  good 
bridges  across  the  Etowah  river  near  Kingston,  giving  us  the  means 
of  crossing  toward  the  south.  Satisfied  that  the  enemy  could  and 
would-  hold  us  in  check  at  the  Allatoona  Pass,  I  resolved  without  even 
attempting  it  in  front,  to  turn  it  by  a  circuit  to  the  right  and  having 
supplied  our  wagons  for  twenty  days'  absence  from  our  railroad,  I 
left  a  garrison  at  Rome  and  Kingston  and  on  the  23rd  put  the  army 
into  motion  for  Dallas.  General  McPherson  crossed  the  Etowah  at 
the  mouth  of  Connasene  creek  near  Kingston,  and  moved  from  his 
position  to  the  south  of  Dallas  via  Van  Wert.  General  Davis's  division 
moved  directly  from  Rome  for  Dallas  via  Vajn  Wert.  General 
Thomas  took  the  road  via  Euharlee  and  Burnt  Hickory,  while  Gen 
eral  Schofield  moved  up  the  other  roads  more  to  the  east,  aiming 
to  come  upon  General  Thomas'  left.  General  Thomas'  head  of 
column  skirmished  with  the  enemy's  cavalry  about  Burnt  Hi  :kory  and 
captured-  a  courier  with  a  letter  of  General  Johnston's  showing  he  had 
directed  the  movement  and  was  preparing  to  meet  us  about  Dallas. 
The  country  was  very  rugged,  mountainous  and  densely  wooded,  with 
few  and  obscure  roads. 

On  the  25th  of  May  General  Thomas  was  moving  from  Burnt 
Hickory  for  Dallas,  his  troops  on  three  roads,  General  Hooker  having 
the  advance.  When  he  approached-  the  Pumpkin  Vine  creek  on  the 
main  Dallas  road,  he  found  a  respectable  force  of  the  enemy's  cavalry 
at  a  bridge  to  his  left.  He  rapidly  pushed  them  across  the  creek, 
saving  the  bridge,  though  on  fire,  and  followed  out  eastward  about  two 
miles  where  he  first  encountered  infantry  whose  pickets  he  drove 
some  distance  until  he  encountered4  the  enemy's  line  of  battle,  and  his 
leading  division,  General  Geary's,  had-  a  severe  encounter.  General 
Hooker's  two  other  divisions  were  on  other  roads  and  he  ordered 
them  in,  although  the  road  he  was  then  following  by  reason  of  the 
presence  of  the  enemy,  led  him  north  of  Dallas  about  four  miles. 


372  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

It  was  near  4  p.  m.  before  General  Hooker  got  his  whole  corps  well 
in  hand  when  he  deployed  two  divisions,  and  by  my  order  made  a 
bold  push  to  secure  possession  of  a  point  known  as  the  New  Hope 
Church,  where  three  road's  met  from  Acworth,  Marietta  and  Dallas. 
Here  a  hard  battle  was  fought  and  the  enemy  was  driven  back  to  New 
Hope  Church,  but  having  hastily  thrown  up  some  parapets  and  a 
stormy,  dark  night  having  set  in,  General  Hooker  was  unable  to  drive 
the  enemy  from  these  roads.  By  the  next  morning  we  found  the 
enemy  well  intrenched  substantially  in  front  of  the  road  leading  from 
Dallas  to  Marietta.  We  were  consequently  compelled  to  make  dis 
positions  on  a  larger  scale.  General  McPherson  was  moved  up  to 
Dallas,  General  Thomas  was  deployed  against  New  Hope  Church, 
and  General  Schofield  was  directed  toward  our  left  so  as  to  strike 
and  turn  the  enemy's  right.  General  Garrard's  cavalry  operated  with 
General  McPherson  and  General  Stoneman  with  General  Schofield. 
General  Cook  looked  to  our  rear.  Owing  to  the  difficult  nature  of  the 
ground  and  dense  forests  it  took  us  several  days  to  deploy  close  to  ths 
enemy,  when  I  resolved  gradually  to  work  toward  our  left,  and  when 
all  things  were  ready  to  push  forward  for  the  railroad  east  of  Alla- 
toona.  In  making  our  developments  before  the  enemy  at  New  Hope 
Church  many  severe,  sharp  encounters  occurred  between  parts  of  the 
army,  details  of  which  will  be  given  at  length  in  the  reports  of  sub 
ordinate  commanders. 

On  the  28th  General  McPherson  was  on  the  point  of  closing  to 
his  left  on  General  Thomas  in  front  of  New  Hope  Church,  to  enable 
me  with  the  rest  of  the  army  to  extend  still  more  to  the  left  and  to 
envelop  the  enemy's  right,  when  suddenly  the  enemy  made  a  bold 
and  daring  assault  on  him  at  Dallas.  Fortunately  our  men  had 
erected  good  breastworks  and  gave  the  enemy  a  terrible  and  bloody 
repulse.  After  a  few  days'  delay  for  effect,  I  renewed  my  orders  to 
General  McPherson  to  move  to  his  left  about  five  miles  and-  occupy 
General  Thomas'  position  in  front  of  New  Hope  Church,  and  Generals 
Thomas  and  Schofield  were  ordered  to  move  corresponding  distance  to 
their  left.  This  move  was  effected  with  ease  and  safety  on  the  ist 
of  June  and  by  pushing  our  left  well  around  we  occupied  the  roads 
leading  back  to  Allatoona  and  Acworth,  after  which  I  pushed  General 
Stoneman's  cavalry  rapidly  into  Allatoona  at  the  east  end-  of  the  pass 
and  General  Garrard's  cavalry  around  by  the  rear  of  the  west  end 
of  the  pass.  Both  of  these  commands  reached  the  points  designated 
without  trouble  and  we  thereby  accomplished  our  real  purpose  of 
turning  the  Allatoona  Pass.  Ordering  the  railroad  bridge  across 
the  Etowah  to  be  at  once  rebuilt,  I  continued  working  by  the  left, 
and  on  the  4th  of  June  had  resolved  to  leave  Johnston  in  his  intrenched 
position  at  New  Hope  Church  and  move  to  the  railroad  about  Acworth, 
when  he  abandoned  his  intrenchments,  after  which  we  moved  rapidly 
to  Acworth  and  reached  the  railroad  on  the  6th  of  June.  I  at  once 
examined  in  person  the  Allatoona  Pass  and  found  it  admirably  adapted 
to  our  use  as  a  secondary  base  and  gave  the  necessary  orders  for  its. 


REPORT  OF  THE  DALTON-ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN.  373 

defense  and  garrison  and  as  soon  as  the  railroad  bridge  was  finished 
across  the  Etowah,  our  stores  came  forward  to  our  camp  by  rail. 

At  Acworth,  General  Blair  overtook  us  on  the  8th  of  June  with 
two  divisions  of  the  Seventeenth  corps  that  had  been  on  furlough  and 
one  brigade  of  cavalry,  Colonel  Long's  of  Garrard's  division,  which 
had  been  awating  horses  at  Columbia.  This  accession  of  force 
about  compensated  for  our  losses  in  battle  and  the  detachments  left 
at  Resaca,  Rome,  Kingston  and  Allatoona.  On  the  9th  of  June  our 
communications  to  the  rear  being  secure  and  supplies  ample  we  moved 
forward  to  Big  Shanty.  Kenncsaw  and1  the  bold  and  striking  twin 
mountain  lay  before  us  with  a  high  range  of  chestnut  hills  trending 
off  to  the  northeast  terminating  to  our  view  in  another  peak  called 
Brush  mountain.  To  our  right  was  a  smaller  hill  called  Pine  Moun 
tain  and  beyond  it  in  the  distance  Lost  Mountain.  All  these  though 
linked  in  a  continuous  chain,  present  a  sharp  conical  appearance 
prominent  in  the  vast  landscape  that  presents  itself  from  any  of  the 
hills  that  abound  in  that  region.  Kennesaw,  Pine  Mountain  and  Lost 
Mountain  form  a  trinnglf.  Pin:  Mountain  the  apex,  and  Kennesaw 
and-  Lost  Mountain  the  base  covering  perfectly  the  town 
of  Marietta  and  the  railroad  back  to  the  Chattahoochee.  On 
each  of  these  peaks  the  .enemy  had  his  signal  stations.  The  summits 
were  crowned  with  batteries  and  the  spurs  were  alive  with  men  busy 
felling  trees,  digging  pits  and  preparing  for  the  grand  struggle  im 
pending.  The  scene  was  enchanting;  too  beautiful  to  be  disturbed 
by  the  harsh  clamor  of  war;  but  the  Chattahoochee  lay  beyond  and  I 
had  to  reach  it.  On  approaching  close  to  the  enemy,  I  found  him 
occupying  a  line  full  twelve  miles  long,  more  than  he  could  hold  with 
his  force.  General  McPherson  was  ordered  to  move  toward  Marietta, 
his  right  on  the  railroad,  General  Thomas  on  Kennesaw  and  Pine 
Monnta:n  a'xl  Gcneml  Schofield  off  toward  Lost  Mountain;  General 
Garrard's  cavalry  on  the  left  and  General  Stotieman  on  the  right  and 
General  McCook  looking  to  our  rear  and  communications.  Our 
depot  was  at  Big  Shanty. 

By  the  nth  of  June  our  lines  were  clo>se  up  and  we  made  dispo 
sitions  to  break  the  lines  between  Kennesaw  and  Pine  Mountains. 
General  Hooker  was  on  its  right  and  front,  General  Howard  on  its 
left  and  front,  and-  General  Palmer  between  it  and  the  railroad.  Dur 
ing  a  sharp  cannonading  from  General  Howard's  right  or  General 
Hooker's  left,  General  Polk  was  killed  on  the  I4th,  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  1 5th  Pine  Mountain  was  found  abandoned  by  the  enemy.  Gen 
erals  Thomas  and  Schofield  advanced  and  found  him  again  strongly 
intrenched  and  along  the  line  of  rugged  hills  connecting  Kennesaw  and 
Lost  Mountain.  At  the  same  time  General  McPherson  advanced  his 
line,  gaining  a  substantial  advantage  on  the  left.  Pushing  our  opera 
tions  on  the  center  as  vigorously  as  the  nature  of  the  ground  would 
permit,  I  had  again  ordered  an  assault  on  the  center  when  on  the 
1 7th,  the  enemy  abandoned  Lost  Mountain  and  the  long  line 
of  admirable  breastworks  connecting  it  with  Kennesaw.  We 


374  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

continued  to  press  at  all  points,  skirmishing  in  dense  forests 
of  timber  and  across  most  difficult  ravines,  until  we  found  him  again 
strongly  posted  and  intrenched  with  Kennesaw  as  his  salient,  his  right 
wing  thrown  back  so  as  to  cover  Marietta  and  his  left  behind  Noyes' 
creek,  covering  his  railroad  back  to  the  Chattahoochee.  This  enabled 
him  to  contract  his  lines  and  strengthen  them  accordingly.  From 
Kennesaw  he  could  look  down  upon  our  camps  and  observe  every 
movement  and  his  batteries  thundered  away  but  did  us  but  little  harm 
on  account  of  their  extreme  height — the  shot  and  shell  passing  harm 
lessly  over  our  heads  as  we  lay  close  up  against  this  mountain  town. 
During  our  operations  about  Kennesaw  the  weather  was  villainously 
bad,  the  rain  fell  almost  continuously  for  three  weeks  rendering  our 
narrow  wooded  roads  mere  mud  gullies  so  that  a  general  movement 
would  have  been  impossible,  but  our  men  daily  worked  closer  and 
closer  to  the  intrenched  foe  and  kept  up  an  incessant  picket  firing 
galling  to  him.  Every  opportunity  was  taken  to  advance  our  general 
lines  closer  and  closer  to  the  enemy— General  McPherson  watching 
the  enemy  on  Kennesaw  and  working  his  left  forward;  General 
Thoma  swinging  as  it  were  on  a  grand  left  wheel,  ihs  left  ™  Kenne 
saw  connecting  with  General  McPherson,  and  General  Schofield  all 
the  time  working  to  the  south  and  east,  along  the  Sandtown  road. 

On  the  22nd  as  General  Hooker  had  advanced  his  line  with  Gen 
eral  Schofield  on  his  right,  the  enemy  (Hood's  corps  with  detachments 
from  the  others)  suddenly  sallied  and  attacked.  The  blow  fell  mostly 
on  General  Williams'  division,  General  Hooker's  corps  and  a  brigade 
of  General  Hascall's  division  of  General  Schofield's  army.  The  ground 
was  compartively  open,  and  although  the  enemy  drove  in  the  skirmish 
line  and  an  advanced  regiment  of  General  Schofield  sent  out  purposely 
to  hold  him  in  check  until  some  preparations  c  >uM  be  completed  for 
his  reception,  yet  when  he  reached  our  line  of  battle  he  received 
a  terrible  repulse  leaving  his  dead,  wounded  ;.nd  many  prisoners  in 
our  hands.  This  is  known  as  the  affair  of  the  Kolb  house.  Although 
inviting  the  enemy  at  all  times  to  commit  such  mistakes  I  could  not 
hope  for  him  to  repeat  them  after  the  example  of  Dallas  and  the 
Kolb  House,  and  upon  studying  the  ground  I  had  no  alternative  in 
my  turn  but  to  assault  his  lines  or  turn  his  position.  Either  course 
had  its  difficulties  and  dangers  and  I  perceived  that  the  enemy  and 
our  own  officers  had  settled  down  into  a  conviction  that  I  would  not 
assault  fortified  lines.  All  looked  to  me  to  outflank. 

An  army  to  be  successful  must  not  look  to  a  single  mode  of 
offense  but  must  be  prepared  to  execute  any  plan  which  promises  suc 
cess.  I  wanted  therefore  for  the  moral  effect  to  make  a  successful 
assault  against  the  enemy  behind  his  breastworks  and  resolved  to  at 
tempt  it  at  that  point  where  success  would  give  the  largest  fruits  of 
victory.  The  general  point  selected  was  the  left  center  because  if  I 
could  thrust  a  strong  head  of  column  at  that  point  by  pushing  it  rap 
idly  two  and  one-half  miles,  it  would  reach  the  railroad  below  Marietta, 
cut  off  the  enemy's  right  and  center  from  its  line  of  retreat  and  then 


REPORT  OF  THE  DALTON-ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN1.  375 

by  turning  on  either  part  of  it  could  be  overwhelmed-  and  destroyed. 
Therefore  on  the  24th  of  June,  I  ordered  that  an  assault  be  made  at 
two  points  south  of  Kennesaw  on  the  27th,  giving  three  days'  notice 
for  preparation  and  reconnaisance,  one  to  be  made  near  Little  Kenne 
saw  by  General  McPherson's  troops  and  the  other  about  a  mile  farther 
south  by  General  Thomas'  troops.  The  hour  was  fixed  and  all  the  de 
tails  given  in  field  orders  No.  28,  of  June  24. 

On  the  27th  of  June  the  two  assaults  were  made  at  the  time  and 
in  the  manner  prescribed  and  both  failed,  costing  us  many  valuable 
lives,  among  them  those  of  Generals  Harker  and  McCook,  Colonel 
Rice  and  others  badly  wounded,  our  aggregate  loss  being  nearly 
3,000,  while  we  inflicted  comparatively  little  loss  to  the  enemy  who 
lay  behind  his  well-formed  breastworks.  Failure  as  it  was,  and  for 
which  I  assume  the  entire  responsibility,  I  yet  claim  it  produced  good 
fruits,  as  it  demonstrated  to  General  Johnston  that  I  would  assault  and 
that  boldly.  And  we  also  gained  and  held  ground  so  close  to  the  ene 
my's  parapets  that  he  could  not  show  a  head  above  them.  It  would  not 
do  to  rest  long  under  the  influence  of  a  mistake  or  a  failure  and 
accordingly  General  Schofield  was  working  strong  on  the  enemy's 
left  and  on  the  1st  of  July  I  ordered  General  McPherson  to  be  relieved 
by  General  Garrard's  cavalry  in  front  of  Kennesaw  and  rapidly  to 
throw  his  whole  army  by  the  right  down  to  and  threaten  Nickajack 
Creek  and  Turner's  Ferry  across  the  Chattahoochee,  and  I  also  pushed 
General  Stoneman's  cavalry  to  the  river  below  Turner's. 

General  McPherson  commenced  his  movement  on  the  night  of 
July  2nd,  and  the  effect  was  instaneous.  The  next  morning  Kenne 
saw  was  abandoned  and  with  the  first  dawn  of  day  I  saw  our  skirm 
ishers  appear  on  the  mountain  top.  General  Thomas'  whole  line  was 
then  moved  forward  to  the  railroad  an'd  turned  south  in  pursuit  toward 
the  Chattahoochee.  In  person  I  entered  Marietta  at  8 130  in  the  morn 
ing  just  as  the  enemy's  cavalry  vacated  the  place.  General  Logan's 
corps  of  General  McPherson's  army,  which  had  moved  far,  was 
ordered  back  into  Marietta  by  the  main  road  and  General  McPherson 
and  Schofield  were  instructed  to  cross  Nickajack  and  attack  the  enemy 
in  flank  and  rear,  and  if  possible  to  catch  him  in  the  confusion  of  cross 
ing  the  Chattahoochee.  But  Johnston  had  foreseen  and  provided 
against  all  this  and  had  covered  his  movements  well.  He  had  in 
trenched  a  strong  tete-de-pont  at  the  Chattahoochee  with  an  advanced 
intrenched  line  across  the  road  at  Smyrna  Camp-Meeting  Ground, 
five  miles  below  Marietta.  Here  General  Thomas  found  him,  in  front 
covered  by  a  good  parapet  and  his  flanks  behind  the  Nickajack  and 
Rottenwood  Creeks.  Ordering  a  garrison  for  Marietta  and  General 
Logan  to  join  his  own  army  near  the  mouth  of  the  Nickajack,  I 
overtook  General  Thomas  at  Smyrna. 

On  the  4th  of  July  we  pushed  a  strong  skirmish  line  down  the 
main  road  capturing  the  entire  line  of  the  enemy's  pits  and  made  strong 
demonstrations  along  Nickajack  creek  and  about  Turner's  Ferry. 
This  had  the  desired  effect  and  the  next  morning  the  enemy  was  gone 


376  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

and  the  army  moved  to  the  Chattahoochee.  General  Thomas'  left 
flank  resting  on  it  near  Pace's  Ferry,  General  McPherson's  right  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Nickajack  and  General  Schofield  in  reserve.  The 
enemy  lay  behind  a  line  of  unusual  strength  covering  the  railroad 
and  pontoon  bridges  and  beyond  the  Chattahoochee. 

Heavy  skirmishing  along  our  whole  front  during  the  5th  demon 
strated  the  strength  of  the  enemy's  position  which  could  alone  be 
turned  by  crossing  the  .main  Chattahoochee  river  a  rapid  and  deep 
stream  only  passable  at  that  stage  by  means  of  bridges,  except  at  one 
or  two  very  difficult  fords.  To  accomplish  this  result  I  judged  it 
would  be  more  easy  of  execution  before  the  enemy  had  made  more 
thorough  preparation  or  regained  full  confidence,  and  accordingly  I 
ordered  General  Schofield  across  from  his  position  on  the  Sandtown 
road  to  Smyrna  Camp  Ground  and  next  to  the  Chattahoochee  near 
the  mouth  of  Soap  creek,  and  to  effect  a  lodgment  on  the  east  bank. 
This  was  most  successfully  and  skillfully  accomplished  on  the  /th  of 
July,  General  Schofield  capturing  a  gun  completely  surprising  the 
guard,  laying  a  good  pontoon  bridge  and  a  trestle  bridge,  and  effect 
ing  a  strong  lodgment  on  high  and  commanding  ground  with  good 
roads  leading  to  the  east. 

At  the  same  time  General  Garrard  moved  rapidly  on  Roswell  and 
destroyed  the  factories  which  had  supplied  the  Rebel  armies  with 
cloth  for  years.  Over  one  of  these,  the  woolen  factory,  the  nominal 
owner  displayed  the  French  flag  which  was  not  respected  of  course. 
A  neutral  surely  is  no  better  than  one  of  our  own  citizens  and  we  do 
not  permit  our  own  citizens  to  fabricate  cloth  for  hostile  uses. 

General  Garrard  was  then  ordered  to  secure  the  shallow  ford  at 
Roswell  and  hold  it  until  he  could  be  relieved  by  infantry,  and  as  I 
contemplated  transferring  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  from  the  ex 
treme  right  to  the  left,  I  ordered  General  Thomas  to  send  a  division  of 
his  infantry  that  was  nearest  up  to  Roswell  to  hold  the  ford  until 
General  McPherson  could  send  up  a  corps  from  the  neighborhood 
of  Nickajack.  General  Newton's  division  was  sent  and  held  the  ford 
until  the  arrival  of  General  Dodge's  corps,  which  was  soon  followed 
by  General  McPherson's  whole  army.  About  the  same  time  General 
Howard  had  also  built  a  bridge  at  Powers'  Ferry  two  miles  below. 
General  Schofield  had  crossed  over  and  taken  position  on  his  right. 
Thus  during  the  ninth  we  had  secured  three  good  and  safe  points  of 
passage  over  the  Chattahoochee  above  the  enemy  with  good  roads 
leading  to  Atlanta,  and  Johnston  abandoned*  his  tete-de-pont,  burned 
his  bridge  and  left  us  undisputed  masters  north  and  west  of  the 
Chattahoochee  at  daylight  of  the  loth  of  July.  This  was  one  if  not  the 
chief,  object  of  the  campaign,  viz:  the  advancement  of  our  lines  from 
the  Tennessee  to  the  Chattahoochee;  but  Atlanta  lay  before  us  only 
eight  miles  distant  and  was  too  important  a  place  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy  to  be  left  undisturbed,  with  its  magazines,  stores,  arsenals, 
workshops,  foundries,  etc.,  and  more  especially  its  railroads  which 
converged  there  from  the  four  great  cardinal  points,  but  the  men  had 


REPORT  OF  THE  DALTON- ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN.  37Y 

worked  hard  and  needed  rest  and  we  accordingly  took  a  short  spell. 
But  in  anticipation  of  this  contingency  I  had  collected  a  well  appointed 
force  of  cavarly  about  2,000  strong,  at  Decatur,  Ala.,  with  orders  on 
receiving  notice  by  telegraph  to  push  rapidly  south,  cross  the  Coosa 
at  the  railroad-  bridge  or  the  Ten  Islands  and  thence  by  the  most  direct 
route  to  Opelika. 

There  had  been  one  stem  finished  railroad  connecting  the  chan 
nels  of  trade  and  travel  between  Georgia,  Alabama  and  Mississippi, 
which  runs  from  Montgomery  to  Opelika,  and  my  purpose  was  to 
break  up  effectually  and  thereby  cut  off  Johnston's  army  f^om  that 
source  of  supply  and  re-enforcements.  General  Rousseau  command 
ing  the  district  of  Tennessee,  asked  perimission  to  command  the  expe 
dition  and  received  it.  As  soon  as  Johnston  was  well  across  the  Chat- 
tahoochee,  and  as  I  had  begun  to  maneuver  on  Atlanta,  I  gave  the 
requisite  notice  and  General  Rouseau  started  punctually  to  the  very 
letter  whipping  the  Rebel  General  Clanton  en  route.  He  passed 
through  Talladega  and  reached'  the  railroad  on  the  i6th,  about 
twenty-five  miles  west  of  Opelika,  and  broke  it  well  up  to  that  place, 
also  three  miles  of  the  branch  up  toward  Columbus  and  two  toward 
West  Point.  He  then  turned  north  and  brought  his  command  safely 
to  Marietta,  arriving  on  the  22nd,  having  sustained  a  trifling  loss  not 
to  exceed  thirty  men. 

The  main  armies  remained  quiet  in  their  camps  on  the  Chatta- 
hoochee  until  the  i6th  of  July,  but  the  time  was  employed  in  collecting 
stores  at  Allatoona,  Marietta  and  Vining's  Station,  strengthening 
the  railroad  guards  and  garrisons  and  in  improving  the  pier  bridges 
and  roads  leading  across  the  river.  Generals  Stoneman's  and  Mc- 
Cooks  cavalry  had  scouted  well  down  the  river  to  draw  attention  in 
that  direction,  and  all  things  being  ready  for  a  general  advance,  I  or 
dered  it  to  commence  on  the  I7th,  General  Thomas  to  cross  at  Powers' 
and  Pace's  Ferry  bridges,  and  to  march  by  Buck  Head.  General  Scho- 
field  was  already  across  at  the  mouth  of  Soap  Creek  and  was  to  march 
by  Cross  Keys;  and  General  McPherson  to  direct  his  course  from 
Roswell  straight  against  the  Augusta  road  at  some  point  east  of 
Decatur  near  Stone  Mountain.  General  Garrarcr's  cavalry  acted  with 
General  McPherson,  and  General  Stoneman  and  McCook  watched  the 
river  and-  roads  below  the  railroads. 

On  the  1 7th  the  whole  army  advanced  from  their  camps  and 
formed  a  general  line  along  the  old  Peach  Tree  road.  Continuing  on 
a  general  right  wheel,  General  McPherson  rached  the  Augusta  rail 
road  on  the  1 8th,  at  a  point  seven  miles  east  of  Decatur,  and  with  Gen 
eral  Garrard's  cavalry  and  General  Morgan  Lw  Smith's  infantry 
division  of  the  Fifteenth  corps,  broke  up  a  section  of  about  four  miles, 
and  General  Schofield  reached  the  town  of  Decatur. 

On  the  igth  General  McPherson  turned  along  the  railroad  into 
Decatur  and  General  Schofield  followed  a  road  toward  Atlanta,  lead 
ing  off  by  Colonel  Howard's  house  and  the  distillery,  and  General 
Thomas  crossed  Peach  Tree  Creek  in  force  by  numerous  bridges  in 


378  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

the  face  of  the  enemy's  intrenched  line;  all  found  the  enemy  in  more 
or  less  force  and  skirmished  heavily. 

On  the  2oth  all  the  armies  had  closed  in,  converging  toward 
Atlanta,  but  as  a  gap  existed  between  Generals  Schofield  and  Thomas, 
two  divisions  of  General  Howard's  corps  of  General  Thomas'  army 
was  moved  to  the  left  to  connect  with  General  Schofield,  leaving  Gen 
eral  Newton's  division  of  the  same  corps  on  the  Buck  Head  road. 
During  the  afternoon  of  the  2Oth  about  4  p.  m.  the  enemy  sallied  from 
his  works  in  force  and  fell  in  line  of  battle  against  our  right  center 
composed  of  General  Newton's  division  of  General  Howard's  corps 
on  the  Main  Buck  Head  road,  of  General  Hooker's  corps  next  south, 
and  General  Johnston's  division  of  General  Palmer's  corps.  The  blow 
was  sudden  and-  somewhat  unexpected  but  General  Newton  had  hastily 
covered  his  front  by  a  line  of  rail  piles  which  enabled  him  to  meet 
and  repulse  the  attack  on  him.  General  Hooker's  whole  corps  was  un 
covered  and  had  to  fight  on  comparatively  open  ground,  and  it  too 
after  a  very  severe  battle,  drove  the  enemy  back  to  his  intrenchments, 
and  the  action  in  front  of  General  Johnston  was  comparatively  light, 
the  division  being  well  intrenched.  The  enemy  left  on  the  field  over 
500  dead,  about  1,000  wounded,  seven  stand  of  colors  and  many 
prisoners.  His  loss  could  not  have  fallen  short  of  5,000,  whereas  ours 
was  covered  by  1,500,  killed,  wounded,  and  missing.  The  greater 
loss  fell  on  General  Hooker's  corps  from  its  exposed  condition. 

On  the  2ist  we  'felt  the  enemy  in  his  intrenched  position  which  was 
found  to  crown  ttys  heights  overlooking  the  comparatively  open 
ground  of  the  valley  of  Peach  Tree  creek,  his  right  beyond  the 
Augusta  road  to  the  east,  and  his  left  well  toward  Turner's  Ferry  on 
the  Chattahoochee,  at  a  general  distance  from  Atlanta  of  about  four 
miles.  On  the  morning  of  the  22nd  somewhat  to  my  surprise  this 
whole  line  was  found  abandoned  and  I  confess  I  thought  the  enemy 
had  resolved  to  give  us  Atlanta  without  further  contest,  but  General 
Johnston  had  been  relieved  of  his  command  and  General  Hood  sub 
stituted.  A  new  policy  seemed  resolved  on,  of  which  the  bold  attack 
on  our  right  was  the  index.  Our  advancing  ranks  swept  across  the 
strong  and  well  finished  parapets  of  the  enemy  and  closed  in  upon 
Atlanta  until  we  occupied  a  line  in  the  form  of  a  general  circle  of  about 
two  miles  radius,  when  we  again  found  him  occupying  in  force  a  line 
of  finished  redoubts  which  had  been  prepared  for  more  than  a  year, 
covering  all  the  roads  that  lead  into  Atlanta,  and  we  found  him  busy 
also  in  connecting  those  redoubts  with  curtains  strengthened  by  rifle- 
trench  abattis  and  chevaux-de-frise. 

General  McPherson  who  had  advanced  from  Decatur,  continued 
to  follow  substantially  the  railroad  with  the  Fifteenth  corps,  General 
Logan ;  the  Seventeenth,  General  Blair  on  its  left ;  and  the  Sixteenth, 
General  Dodge  on  its  right,  but  as  the  general  advance  of  all  the 
armies  contracted  the  circle,  the  Sixteenth  corps,  General  Dodge,  was 
thrown  out  of  line  by  the  Fifteenth  connecting  on  its  right  with  Gen- 


oF  THE  DALTON-  ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN. 


eral  Schofield,  near  the  Howard  House.  General  McPherson  the 
night  before  had  gained  a  high  hill  to  the  south  and-  east  of  the  rail 
road,  where  the  Seventeenth  corps  had,  after  a  severe  fight,  driven 
the  enemy  and  it  gave  him  a  most  commanding  position  within  easy 
view  of  the  very  heart  of  the  city.  He  had  thrown  out  working 
parties  to  it  and  was  making  preparations  to  occupy  it  in  strength 
with  batteries.  The  Sixteenth  corps  General  Dodge's,  was  ordered 
from  right  to  left  to  occupy  this  position  and  make  it  a  strong  general 
left  flank.  General  Dodge  was  moving  by  a  diagonal  path  or  wagon 
track  leading  from  the  Decatur  road  in  the  direction  of  General  Blair's 
left  flank.  About  10  a.  m.  I  was  in  person  with  General  Schofield, 
examining  the  appearance  of  the  enemy's  line  opposite  the  distillery 
where  we  attracted  enough  of  the  enemy's  fire  of  artillery  and  mus 
ketry  to  satisfy  me  the  enemy  was  in  Atlanta  in  force  and  meant  to 
fight,  and  had  gone  to  a  large  dwelling  close  by,  known  as  the  Howard 
House,  where  General  McPherson  joined  me.  He  described  the  con 
dition  of  things  on  his  flank  and  the  disposition  of  his  troops.  I  ex 
plained  to  him  that  if  we  met  serious  resistance  in  Atlanta,  as  present 
appearances  indicated,  instead  of  operating  against  it  by  the  left,  I 
would  extend  to  the  right,  and  that  I  did  not  want  him  to  gain  much 
distance  to  the  left.  He  then  described  the  hill  occupied  by  General 
Liggett's  division  of  General  Blair's  corps,  as  essential  to  the  occu 
pation  of  any  ground  to  the  east  and  south  of  the  Augusta  railroad 
on  account  of  its  commanding  nature.  I  therefore  ratified  his  dispo 
sition  of  troops  and  modified  a  previous  order  I  had  sent  him  in  writing 
to  use  General  Dodge's  corps  thrown  somewhat  in  reserve  by  the 
closing  up  of  our  line  to  break  up  railroad,  and  I  sanctioned  its  going, 
as  already  ordered  by  General  McPherson,  to  his  left  to  hold  and 
fortify  that  position.  The  General  remained  with  me  until  near  noon 
when  some  reports  reached  us  that  indicated  a  movement  of  the  enemy 
on  that  flank  and  he  mounted  and  rode  away  with  his  staff. 

I  must  here  also  state  that  the  day  before,  I  had  detached  General 
Garrard's  cavalry  to  get  to  Covington  on  the  Augusta  road,  forty-two 
miles  east  of  Atlanta,  and  from  that  point  to  send  detachments  to  break 
the  two  important  bridges  across  the  Yellow  and  Ulcofauhachee 
rivers,  tributaries  of  the  Ocmulgee,  and  General  McPherson  had'  also 
left  his  wagon  train  at  Decatur,  under  a  guard  of  three  regiments, 
commanded  by  Colonel  (now  General)  Sprague.  Soon  after  General 
McPherson  had  left  me  at  the  Howard  home  as  before  described,  I 
heard  the  sound  of  musketry  to  our  left  rear,  at  first  mere  pattering 
shots  but  soon  they  grew  into  volume,  accompanied  with  artillery,  and 
about  the  same  time  the  sound  of  guns  was  heard  in  the  direction  of 
Decatur.  No  doubt  could-  longer  be  entertained  of  the  enemy's  plan 
of  action  which  was  to  throw  a  superior  force  on  our  left  flank  whil^ 
he  held  us  with  his  forts  in  front,  the  only  question  being  as  to  the 
amount  of  force  he  could  employ  at  that  point.  I  hastily  transmitted 
orders  to  all  points  of  our  center  and  right  to  press  forward  and  give 
full  employment  to  all  the  enemy  in  his  lines,  and  for  General  Scho- 


380  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AEMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

field  to  give  as  large  a  force  in  reserve  as  possible,  awaiting  develop 
ments. 

Not  more  than  half  an  hour  after  General  McPherson  had  left 
me,  viz.,  about  12:30  of  the  22nd,  his  adjutant-general,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Clark,  rode  up  and  reported  that  General  McPherson  was 
either  d-ead  or  a  prisoner;  that  he  had  ridden  from  me  to  General 
Dodge's  column  moving  as  heretofore  described,  and  had  sent  off 
nearly  all  of  his  staff  and  orderlies  on  various  errands  and  himself 
had  passed  into  a  narrow  path  or  road  that  led  to  the  left  and  rear  of 
General  Giles  A.  Smith's  division,  which  was  General  Blair's  extreme 
left ;  that  a  few  minutes  after  he  had  entered  the  woods  a  sharp  vollev 
was  heard  in  that  direction  and  his  horse  had  come  out  riderless, 
having  two  wounds.  The  suddenness  of  this  terrible  calamity,  would 
have  overwhelmed  me  with  grief,  but  the  living  demanded  my  whole 
thoughts.  I  instantly  dispatched  a  staff  officer  to  General  John  A. 
Logan  commanding  the  Fifteenth  corps,  to  tell  him  what  bad  hap 
pened  ;  that  he  must  assume  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee 
and1  hold  subbornly  the  ground  already  chosen,  more  especially  the 
hill  gained  by  General  Liggett  the  night  before.  Already  the  whole 
line  was  engaged  in  battle.  Hardee's  corps  had  sallied  from  Atlanta 
and  by  a  wide  circuit  to  the  east  had  struck  General  Blair's  left  flank, 
enveloped  it,  and  his  left  had  swung  around  until  it  hit  General  Dodge 
in  motion.  General  Blair's  line  was  substantially  along  the  old  line  of 
Rebel  trenches  but  it  was  fashioned  to  fight  outward.  A  space  of 
wooded  ground  of  near  half  a  mile  intervened  between  the  head  of 
General  Dodge's  column  and  General  Blair's  line  through  which  the 
enemy  had  poured,  but  the  last  order  ever  given  by  General  McPherson 
was  to  hurry  a  brigade  (Colonel  Wangelin's)  of  the  Fifteenth  corps 
across  from  the  railroad  to  occupy  the  gap.  It  came  across  on  the 
double-quick  and  checked-  the  enemy.  While  Hardee  attacked  in 
flank  Stewart's  corps  was  to  attack  in  front  directly  out  from  the 
main  works,  but  fortunately  their  attacks  were  not  simultaneous.  The 
enemy  swept  across  the  hill  which  our  men  were  then  fortifying  and 
captured  the  pioneer  company,  its  tools,  and  almost  the  entire  working 
party  and  bore  down  on  our  left  until  he  encountered  General  Giles 
A.  Smith's  division  of  the  Seventeenth  corps,  who  was  somewhat  in 
"air"  and  forced  to  fight  first  from  one  side  cf  the  old  rifle  parapets 
and  then  from  the  other,  gradually  withdrawing  regiment  by  regiment 
so  as  to  form  a  flank  to  General  Liggett's  division,  that  held  the  apex 
of  the  hill,  which  was  the  only  point  deemed  essential  to  our  future 
plans.  General  Dodge  had  caught  and  held  well  in  check  the  enemy's 
right  and  punished  him  severely,  capturing  many  prisoners.  General 
Giles  A.  Smith  had  gradually  given  up  the  extremity  of  his  line  and 
forced  a  new  one  whose  right  connected  with  General  Liggett  and  his 
left  refused,  facing  southeast.  On  this  ground  and  in  this  order  the 
men  fought  well  and  desperately  for  near  four  hours,  checking  and 
repulsing  all  the  enemy's  attacks.  The  execution  of  the  enemy's  ranks 
at  the  angle  was  terrible,  and  great  credit  is  due  both  Generals  Liggett 


REPORT  OF  THE  BALTON-ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN.  381 

and  Giles  A.  Smith  and  their  men  for  their  hard  and  stubborn  fight 
ing.  The  enemy  made  no  farther  progress  on  that  flank,  and  by  4 
p.  m.  had  almost  given  up  the  attempt. 

In  the  meantime  Wheeler's  cavalry,  unopposed  (for  General  Gar- 
rard  was  absent  at  Covington  by  my  order)  had  reached  Decatur  and 
attempted  to  capture  the  wagon  trains,  but  Colonel  (now  General) 
Sprague  covered  them  with  great  skill  and  success,  sending  them  to 
the  rear  of  General  Schofield  and  Thomas  and  not  drawing  back  from 
Decatur  until  every  wagon  was  safe  except  three,  which  the  teamsters 
had  left  carrying  off  the  mules.  On  our  extreme  left  the  enemy  had 
taken  a  complete  battery  of  six  guns  with  its  horses  (Mui ray's)  of 
the  regular  army  as  it  was  moving  along  unsupported  and  unappre 
hensive  of  danger  in  a  narrow  wooded-  road  in  that  unguarded  space 
between  the  head  of  General  Dodge's  column  and  the  line  of  battle 
on  the  ridge  above,  but  most  of  the  men  escaped  to  the  bushes ;  he  also 
got  two  other  guns  on  the  extreme  left  flank  that  were  left  on  the 
ground  as  General  Giles  A.  Smith  drew  off  his  men  in  the  manner 
heretofore  described. 

About  4  p.  m.  there  was  quite  a  lull  during  which  the  enemy  fell 
forward  on  the  railroad  and  main  Decatur  road  and  suddenly  assailed 
a  regiment  which,  with  a  section  of  guns,  had  been  thrown  forward 
as  a  kind  of  picket  and  captured  the  two  guns.  He  then  advanced 
rapidly  and  broke  through  our  lines  at  this  point,  which  had  been 
materially  weakened  by  the  withdrawal  of  Colonel  Martin's  brigade 
sent  by  General  Logan's  order  to  the  extreme  left.  The  other  brigade, 
General  Lightburn's,  which  held  this  part  of  the  line  fell  back  in  some 
disorder  about  400  yards  to  a  position  held  by  it  the  night  before, 
leaving  the  enemy  for  a  time  in  possession  of  two  batteries,  one  of 
which  a  twenty-pounder  Parrott  battery  of  four  guns  was  most 
valuable  to  us,  and  separating  General  Woods'  and  General  Harrow's 
division  of  the  Fifteenth  corps  that  were  on  the  right  and  left  of  the 
railroad.  Being  in  person  close  by  the  spot  and  appreciating  the 
vast  importance  of  the  connection  at  that  point,  I  ordered  certain 
batteries  of  General  Schofield's  to  be  moved  to  a  position  somewhat 
commanding  it  by  a  left  flank  fire,  and  ordered  an  incessant 
fire  of  shells  on  the  enemy  within  sight,  and  the  woods  beyond  to  pre 
vent  his  re-enforcing.  I  also  sent  orders  to  General  Logan  which 
he  had  already  anticipated,  to  make  the  Fifteenth  corps  regain  its 
lost  ground  at  any  cost  and  instructed  General  Woods  supported  by 
General  Schofield,  to  use  his  division  and  sweep  the  parapet  down  from 
where  he  held  it  until  he  saved-  the  batteries  and  regained  the  lost 
ground.  The  whole  was  executed  in  superb  style,  at  times  our  men 
and  the  enemy  fighting  across  the  narrow  parapet;  but  at  last  the 
enemy  gave  way  and  the  Fifteenth  corps  regained  its  position  and  all 
the  guns  excepting  the  two  advanced  ones,  which  were  out  of  view  and 
had  been  removed  by  the  enemy  within  his  main  works. 

With  this  terminated  the  battle  of  the  22nd,  which  cost  us  3,722 
killed,  wounded  and  prisoners.  But  among  the  dead  was  Major- 


382 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


General  McPherson  whose  body  was  recovered  and  brought  to  me 
in  the  heat  of  battle  and  I  had  sent  it  in  charge  of  his  personal  staff 
back  to  Marietta  on  its  way  to  his  Northern  home.  He  was  a  noble 
youth  of  striking  personal  appearance,  of  the  highest  professional  ca 
pacity  and  with  a  heart  abounding  in  kindness  that  drew  to  him  the 
affection  of  all  men.  His  sudden  death  devolved  the  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee  on  the  no  less  brave  and  gallant  General  Lo 
gan,  who  nobly  sustained  his  reputation  and  that  of  his  veteran 
army  and  avenged  the  death  of  his  comrade  and  commander. 

The  enemy  left  on  the  field  his  dead  and  wounded  and-  about  a 
thousand  well  prisoners.  His  dead  alone  are  computed  by  General 
Logan  at  3,240,  of  which  number  2,200  were  from  actual  count  and 
of  these  he  delivered  to  the  enemy  under  flag  of  truce  sent  in  by  him 
(the  enemy)  800  bodies.  I  entertain  no  doubt  that  in  the  battle  of 
July  22nd  the  enemy  sustained  an  aggregate  loss  of  fully  8,000  men. 

The  next  day  General  Garrard  returned  from  Covington,  having 
succeeded  perfectly  in  his  mission,  and  destroyed  the  bridge  of  Ulco- 
fauhachee  and  Yellow  Rivers,  besides  burning  a  train  of  cars,  a 
large  quantity  of  cotton  (2,000)  bales,  the  depot  of  stores  at  Covington 
and  Conyer's  stations  and  bringing  in  some  200  prisoners  and  some 
good  horses,  losing  but  two  men  one  of  whom  was  killed  by  accident. 
Having  therefore  sufficiently  crippled  the  Augusta  road  and  rendered 
it  useless  to  the  enemy,  I  then  addressed  myself  to  the  task  of  reaching 
the  Macon  road  over  which  of  necessity  came  the  stores  and  ammu 
nition  that  alone  maintained  the  rebel  army  in  Atlanta.  Generals 
Schofield  and  Thomas  had  closed  well  up,  holding  the  enemy  behind 
his  inner  intrenchments.  I  first  ordered  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee 
to  prepare  to  vacate  the  line,  and  to  shift  by  the  right  below  Proctor's 
creek,  and-  General  Schofield  to  extend  up  the  Augusta  road.  About 
the  same  time  General  Rousseau  had  arrived  from  the  expedition 
to  Opelika  bringing  me  about  2,000  good  cavalry  but  of  course 
fatigued  with  its  long  and  rapid  march.  And  ordering  it  to  relieve 
General  Stoneman  at  the  river  about  Sandtown,  I  shifted  General 
Stoneman  to  our  left  flank  and  ordered  all  my  cavalry  to  prepare  for 
a  blow  at  the  Macon  road  simultaneously  with  the  movement  of  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee  toward4  East  Point.  To  accomplish  this  I  gave 
General  Stoneman  the  command  of  his  own  and  General  Garrard's 
cavalry,  making  an  effective  force  of  full  five  thousand  men  and  to 
General  McCook  I  gave  his  own  and  the  new  cavalry  brought  by 
General  Rousseau  which  Was  commanded  by  Colonel  Harrison  of  the 
Eighth  Indiana  cavalry,  and  in  the  aggregate  about  4,000.  These 
two  well  appointed  bodies  were  to  move  in  concert,  the  former  by 
the  left  around  Atlanta  to  McDonough  and  the  latter  by  the  right 
to  Fayetteville,  and  on  a  certain  night,  viz.  July  28th,  they  were  to 
meet  on  the  Macon  road  near  Lovejoy's  and  destroy  it  in  the  most 
effectual  manner.  I  estimated -this  joint  cavalry  would  whip  all  of 
Wheeler's  cavalry  and  could  otherwise  accomplish  its  task,  and  I 
think  so  still.  I  had  the  officers  in  command  to  meet  me,  and 


REPORT  OF  THE  DALTON-ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN.  383 

explained  the  movement  perfectly,  and  they  entertained  not  a  doubt 
of  perfect  success.  At  the  very  moment  almost  of  starting  General 
Stoneman  addressed  me  a  note  asking-  permision,  after  fulfilling  his 
orders  and  breaking  the  road,  to  be  allowed  with  his  command  proper 
to  proceed  to  Macon  and  Andersonville  and  release  our  prisoners  of 
war  confined  at  those  points.  There  was  something  most  captivating 
in  this  idea  and  the  execution  was  within  the  bounds  of  probability  of 
success.  I  consented  that  after  the  defeat  of  Wheeler's  cavalry 
which  was  embraced  in  his  orders,  and  breaking  the  road  he  might 
attempt  it  with  his  cavalry  proper  sending  that  of  General  Garrard 
back  to  its  proper  flank  of  the  army. 

Both  cavalry  expeditions  started  at  the  time  appointed  I  have 
as  yet  no  report  from  General  Stoneman,  who  is  a  prisoner  of  war  at 
Macon,  but  I  know  he  dispatched-  General  Garrard's  cavalry  to  Flat 
Rock  for  the  purpose  of  covering  his  own  movements  to  McDonough, 
but  for  some  reason  unknown  to  me  he  went  off  toward  Covington 
and  did  not  again  communicate  with  General  Garrard  at  Flat  Rock. 
General  Garrard  remained  there  until  the  29th,  skirmishing  heavily 
with  a  part  of  Wheeler's  cavalry  and  occupying  their  attention,  but 
hearing  nothing  from  General  Stoneman  he  moved  back  to  Conyers 
where  learning  that  General  Stoneman  had  gone  to  Covington  and 
south  on  the  east  side  of  the  Ocmulgee,  he  returned  and  resumed  his 
position  on  our  left.  It  is  known  that  General  Stoneman  kept  to  the 
east  of  the  Ocmulgee  to  Clinton,  sending  detachments  off  to  the  east 
which  did  a  large  amount  of  damage  to  the  railroad,  burning  the 
bridges  of  Walnut  creek  and  Oconee,  and  destroying  a  large  number 
of  cars  and  locomotives,  and  with  his  main  force  appeared  before 
Macon.  He  did  not  succeed  in  crossing  the  Ocmulgee  at  Macon  nor 
in  approaching  Andersonville  but  retired  in  the  'direction  from  whence 
he  came,  followed  by  various  detachments  of  mounted  men  under  a 
General  Iverson.  He  seems  to  have  become  hemmed  in  and  gave 
consent  to  two-thirds  of  his  force  to  escape  back  while  he  held  the 
enemy  in  check  with  the  remainder,  about  700  men  and  a  section  of 
light  guns.  One  brigade,  Colonel  Adams,  came  in  almost  intact; 
another  commanded  by  Colonel  Capron,  was  surprised  on  the  way 
back  and  scattered.  Many  were  captured  and  killed  and  the  balance 
got  in,  most  of  them  unarmed  and  afoot  and  the  general  himself  sur 
rendered  his  small  command  and  is  now  a  prisoner  at  Macon.  His 
mistake  was  in  not  making  the  first  concentration  with  General  Mc- 
Cook  and  Garrard  near  Lovejoy's,  according  to  his  orders,  which  is 
yet  unexplained. 

General  McCook  in  the  execution  of  his  part  went  down  the 
west  branch  of  the  Chattahoochee  to  near  Rivertown  where  he  laid 
a  pontoon  bridge  with  which  he  was  provided,  crossed  his  command 
and  moved  rapidly  on  Palmetto  Station  of  the  West  Point  railroad 
where  he  tore  up  a  section  of  track,  leaving  a  regiment  to  create  a 
diversion  toward  Campbellton,  which  regiment  fulfilled  its  duty  and 
returned  to  camp  by  way  of  and  escorting  back  the  pontoon  bridge 


384  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

train.  General  McCook  then  rapidly  moved  to  Fayetteville  where  he 
found  a  large  number  of  the  wagons  belonging  to  the  Rebel  Army 
in  Atlanta.  These  he  burned  to  the  number  of  about  500,  killing  about 
800  mules  and  carrying  along  others  and  taking  250  prisoners,  mostly 
quartermasters  and  men  belonging  to  the  trains.  He  then  pushed  for 
the  railroad  reaching  it  at  Lovejoy's  Station  at  the  time  appointed. 
He  burned  the  depot,  tore  up  a  section  of  the  road  and  continued  to 
work  until  forced  to  leave  off  to  defend  himself  against  an  accumu 
lating  force  of  the  enemy.  He  could  hear  nothing  of  General  Stone- 
man,  and  finding  his  progress  east  too  strongly  opposed  he  moved 
south  and  west  and  reached  Newman  on  the  West  Point  road,  where 
he  encountered  an  infantry  force  coming  from  Mississippi  to  Atlanta, 
which  had  been  stopping  by  the  break  he  made  at  Palmetto.  This 
force  with  the  pursuing  cavalry  hemmed  him  in  and  forced  him  to 
fight.  He  was  compelled  to  drop  his  prisoners  and  captures  and  cut 
his  way  out,  losing  some  500  officers  and  men,  among  them  a  most 
valuable  officer  Colonel  Harrison,  who  when  fighting  his  men  as 
skirmishers  on  foot  was  overcome  and  made  prisoner  and  is  now  at 
Macon.  He  cut  his  way  out,  reached  the  Chattahoochee,  crossed  and 
got  to  Marietta  without  further  loss.  General  McCook  is  entitled 
to  much  credit  for  thus  saving  his  command  which  was  endangered 
by  the  failure  of  General  Stoneman  to  reach  Lovejoy's.  But  on  the 
whole  the  cavalry  raid  is  not  deemed  a  success  for  the  real  purpose 
was  to  break  the  enemy's  communications  which  though  done  was  on 
so  limited  a  scale  that  I  knew  the  damage  would-  soon  be  repaired. 

Pursuant  to  the  general  plan,  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  drew  out 
of  its  lines  near  the  Decatur  road  during  the  night  of  July  26th,  and 
on  the  27th  moved  behind  the  rest  of  the  army  to  Proctor's  creek 
and  south  to  prolong  our  line  due  south  and  facing  east.  On  that 
day,  by  appointment  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  Major- 
General  Howard  assumed  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee 
and  had  the  general  supervision  of  the  movement  which  was  made 
en  echelon,  General  Dodge's  corps  (Sixteenth)  on  the  left  nearest 
the  enemy,  General  Blair's  corps  (Seventeenth)  next  to  come  up  on 


REPORT  OF  THE  DALTON-ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN.  385 

its  right,  and  General  Logan's  corps  (Fifteenth)  to  come  up  on  its 
right  and  refused  as  a  flank,  the  whole  to  gain  as  much  ground  due 
south  from  the  flank  already  established  on  Proctor's  creek  as  was 
consistent  with  a  proper  strength.  General  Dodge's  men  got  into 
line  in  the  evening  of  the  27th,  and  General  Blair's  came  into  line  on 
his  right  early  in  the  morning  of  the  28th,  his  right  reaching  an  old 
meeting  house  called  Ezra  Church  near  some  large  open  fields  by  the 
poorhouse  on  a  road  known  as  the  Bell's  Ferry  road  or  Lick  Skillet 
road.  Here  the  Fifteenth  corps  (General  Logan's)  joined  on  and  re 
fused  along  a  ridge  well  wooded  which  partially  commanded  a  view 
over  the  main  fields.  About  10  a.  m.  all  the  army  was  in  position  and 
the  men  were  busy  throwing  up  the  accustomed  pile  of  rails  and  logs 
which  after  a  while  assumed  the  form  of  a  parapet.  The  skill  and- 
rapidity  with  which  our  men  construct  these  is  wonderful  and  is 
something  new  in  the  art  of  war.  I  rode  along  this  entire  line  about 
that  time  and  as  I  approached  Ezra  Church  there  was  considerable 
artillery  firing,  enfilading  the  road  in  which  I  was  riding,  killing  an 
orderly's  horse  just  behind  my  staff.  I  struck  across  an  open  field- 
to  where  General  Howard  was  standing  in  rear  of  the  Fifteenth  corps 
and  walked  up  to  the  ridge  with  General  Morgan  L.  Smith  to  see  if 
the  battery  which  enfiladed  the  main  road  and-  rail  piles  could  not  be 
disposed  of,  and  I  heard  General  Smith  give  the  necessary  orders  for 
the  deployment  of  one  regiment  forward  and  another  to  make  a  circuit 
to  the  right,  when  I  returned  to  where  General  Howard  was,  and 
remained  there  until  12  o'clock.  During  this  time  there  was  nothing 
to  indicate  serious  battle  save  the  shelling  by  one  or  at  most  two 
batteries  from  beyond  the  large  field  in  front  of  the  Fifteenth  corps. 

Wishing  to  be  well  prepared;  to  defeat  the  enemy  if  he  repeated 
his  game  of  the  22nd,  I  had  the  night  before  ordered  General  Davis' 
division  of  General  Palmer's  corps,  which  by  the  movement  of  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee  had  been  left  as  it  were  in  reserve,  to  move 
down  to  Turner's  Ferry  and  thence  toward  White  Hall  or  East  Point 
aiming  to  reach  the  flank  of  General  Howard's  new  line. 

Hoping  that  in  case  of  an  attack  this  division  would  in  turn  catch 
the  attacking  force  in  flank  or  rear  at  an  unexpected  moment,  I  ex 
plained  it  to  General  Howard  and  bade  him  to  expect  the  arrival  of 
such  a  force  in  case  of  battle.  Indeed  I  expected  to  hear  the  fire  of 
its  skirmishers  by  noon.  General  Davis  was  sick  that  day  and  Briga 
dier-General  Morgan  commanded  the  division  which  had  marched 
earlv  for  Turner's  Ferry  but  many  of  the  roads  laid  down  on  our  maps 
did  not  exist  at  all  and  General  Morgan  was  delayed  thereby.  I  rode 
back  to  make  more  particular  inquiries  as  to  this  division  and  had  just 
reached  General  Davis'  headquarters  at  Proctor's  creek  when  I  heard 
musketry  open  heavily  on  the  right.  The  enemy  had  come  out  of 
Atlanta  by  the  Bell's  Ferry  road  and  formed  his  masses  in  the  open 
fields  behind  a  swell  of  ground  and  after  the  artillery  firing  I  have 
described,  advanced  in  parallel  lines  directly  against  the  Fifteenth 
corps,  expecting  to  catch  the  flank  in  "air."  His  advance  was  mag- 


3§6  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

nificent,  but  founded  on  an  error  that  cost  him  sadly  for  our  men 
coolly  and  deliberately  cut  down  his  men  and  in  spite  of  the  efforts 
of  the  Rebel  officers  his  ranks  broke  and  fled.  But  they  were  rallied 
again  and  again  as  often  as  six  times  at  some  points,  and  a  few  of 
the  Rebel  officers  and  men  reached  our  line  of  rail  piles  only  to  be 
killed  or  hauled  over  as  prisoners.  These  assaults  occurred  from  noon 
until  about  4  p.  m.,  when  the  enemy  disappeared  leaving  his  dead  and 
wounded  in  our  hands.  As  many  as  642  dead  were  counted  and  buried 
and  still  others  are  known  to  have  been  buried  which  were  not  counted 
by  the  regularly  detailed  burial  parties.  General  Logan  on  this 
occasion  was  conspicuous  as  on  the  22nd,  his  corps  being  chiefly 
engaged,  but  General  Howard  had  drawn  from  the  other  corps  (Six 
teenth  and  Seventeenth)  certain  reserves  which  were  near  at  hand  but 
not  used.  Our  entire  loss  is  reported  at  less  than  600,  whereas  that 
of  the  enemy  was  in  killed  and  wounded  not  less  than  5,000. 

Had  General  Davis'  division  come  up  on  the  Bell's  Ferry  road 
as  I  calculated  at  any  time  before  4  o'clock,  what  was  simplv  a  com 
plete  repulse  would  have  been  a  disastrous  rout  to  the  enemy,  but  I 
cannot  attribute  the  failure  to  want  of  energy  or  intelligence,  and 
must  charge  it  like  many  other  things  in  the  campaign,  to  the  peculiar 
tangled  nature  of  the  forests  and  absence  of  roads  that  would  admit 
the  rapid  movement  of  troops. 

This  affair  terminated  all  efforts  of  the  enemy  to  check  our  ex 
tension  by  the  flank  which  afterward  proceeded  with  comparative  ease 
but  he  met  our  extensions  to  the  south  by  rapid  and  well  constructed 
forts  and  rifle  pits  built  between  us  and  the  railroad  to  and  below 
East  Point  remaining  perfectly  on  the  defensive.  Finding  that  the 
right  flank  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  did  not  reach,  I  was  forced 
to  shift  General  Schofield  to  that  flank  also,  and  afterward  General 
Palmer's  corps  of  General  Thomas'  army.  General  Schofield  moved 
from  the  left  on  the  first  of  August  and  General  Palmer's  corps  fol 
lowed  at  once  taking  a  line  below  Utoy  creek  and  General  Schofield 
prolonged  it  to  a  point  near  East  Point.  The  enemy  made  no 
offensive  opposition  but  watched  our  movement  and  extended  his 
lines  and  parapets  accordingly. 

About  this  time  several  changes  in  important  commands  occurred 
which  should  be  noted.  General  Hooke.'r  offended  that  General 
Howard  was  preferred  to  him  as  the  successor  of  General  McPherson, 
resigned  his  command  of  the  Twentieth  corps,  to  which  General  Slo- 
cum  was  appointed;  but  he  was  at  Vicksburg  and  until  he  joined,  the 
command  of  the  corps  devolved  upon  General  A.  S.  Williams  who 
handled  it  admirably.  General  Palmer  also  resigned  the  command  of 
the  Fourteenth  corps  and  General  Jeff.  C.  Davis  was  appointed  to 
his  place.  Major-General  D.  S.  Stanley  had  succeeded  General 
Howard  in  the  command  of  the  Fourth  corps. 

From  the  2nd  to  the  5th  we  continued  to  extend  to  the  right, 
demonstrating  strongly  on  the  left  and  along  our  whole  line.  General 
Reilly's  brigade  of  General  Cox's  division,  General  Schofield's  army 


REPORT  OF  THE  DALTON-ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN.  387 

on  the  5th  tried  to  break  through  the  enemy's  lines  about  a  mile  be 
low  Utoy  creek  but  failed  to  carry  the  position  losing  about  400  men 
who  were  caught  in  the  entanglements  and  abattis.  But  the  next  day 
the  position  was  turned  by  General  Hascall,  and  General  Schofield 
advanced  his  whole  line  close  up  to  and  facing  the  enemy  below  Utoy 
creek.  Still  he  did  not  gain  the  desired  foothold  on  either  the  West 
Point  or  Macon  road.  The  enemy's  line  at  that  time  must  have  been 
near  fifteen  miles  long,  extending  from  near  Decatur  to  below  East 
Point.  This  he  was  enabled  to  do  by  the  use  of  a  large  force  of  State 
militia  and  his  position  was  so  masked  by  the  shape  of  the  ground 
that  we  were  unable  to  discover  the  weak  parts. 

I  had  become  satisfied  that  to  reach  the  Macon  road  and  thereby 
control  the  supplies  for  Atlanta,  I  would  have  to  move  the  whole 
army.  But  before  beginning  I  ordered  down  from  Chattanooga  four 
4^2 -inch  rifled  guns  to  trv  their  effect.  These  arrived  on  the  loth 
and  were  put  to  work  night  and  day  and  did  execution  on  the  city, 
causing  frequent  fires  and  creating  confusion.  Yet  the  enemy  seemed 
determined  to  hold  his  forts  even  if  the  city  was  destroyed 

On  the  1 6th  of  August  I  made  my  Orders  No.  57,  prescribing 
the  mode  and  manner  of  executing  the  grand  movement  by  the  right 
flank  to  begin  on  the  i8th.  This  movement  contemplated  the  with 
drawal  of  the  Twentieth  corps,  General  Williams,  to  the  intrenched 
position  at  the  Chattahoochee  bridge  and  the  march  of  the  main  army 
to  the  West  Point  railroad  near  Fairburn,  and  afterward  to  the  Macon 
road,  at  or  near  Jonesborough,  with  our  wagons  loaded  with  provi 
sions  for  fifteen  days.  About  the  time  of  the  publication  of  these 
orders  I  learned  that  Wheeler  with  a  large  mounted  force  of  the 
enemy  variously  estimated  from  6,000  to  10,000  men,  had  passed 
round  by  the  east  and  north  and  had  made  his  appearance  on  our  line 
of  communication  near  Adairsville  and  had  succeeded  in  capturing 
900  of  our  beef  cattle  and  had  made  a  break  of  the  railroad  near  Cal- 
houn.  I  could  not  have  asked  for  anything  better,  for  I  had  provided- 
well  against  such  contingency  and  this  detachment  left  me  superior 
to  the  enemy  in  cavalry.  I  suspended  the  execution  of  my  orders 
for  the  time  being  and  ordered  General  Kilpatrick  to  make  up  a  well 
appointed  force  of  about  5,000  cavalry  and  to  move  from  his  camp 
about  Sandtown  during  the  night  of  the  i8th  to  the  West  Point 
road  and  break  it  good  near  Fairburn  then  to  proceed  across  to  the 
Macon  road  and  tear  it  up  thoroughly  but  to  avoid  as  far  as  possible 
the  enemy's  infantry  and  to  attack  any  cavalry  he  could  find.  I 
thought  this  cavalry  would  save  the  necessity  of  moving  the  main 
army  across,  and  that  in  case  of  his  success  it  would  leave  me  in  a 
better  position  to  take  full  advantage  of  the  result. 

General  Kilpatrick  got  off  at  the  time  appointed  and  broke  the 
West  Point  road  and  afterward  reached  the  Macon  road  at  Jones- 
borough  where  he  whipped  Ross'  cavalry  and  got  possession  of  the 
railroad  which  he  held  for  five  hours,  damaging  it  considerably,  but 
a  brigade  of  the  enemy's  infantry  which  had  been  dispatched  below 


388  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Jonesborough  in  cars,  was  run  back  and  disembarked  and  with  Jack 
son's  Rebel  cavalry  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  continue  his  work. 
He  drew  off  to  the  enst  and  made  a  circuit  and  struck  the  railroad 
about  Lovejoy's  Station,  but  was  again  threatened  by  the  enemy  who 
moved  on  shorter  lines,  when  he  charged  through  their  cavalry  taking 
many  prisoners  of  which  he  brought  in  seventy  and  captured  a  four- 
gun  battery  which  he  destroyed  except  one  gun  which  he  brought  in. 
He  estimated  the  damage  done  to  the  road  as  enough  to  interrupt  its 
use  for  ten  days,  after  which  he  returned  by  a  circuit  north  and  east, 
reaching  Decatur  on  the  22nd. 

After  an  interview  with  General  Kilpatrick  I  was  satisfied  that 
whatever  damage  he  had  done  would  not  produce  the  result  desired 
and  I  renewed  my  orders  for  the  movement  of  the  whole  army.  This 
involved  the  necessity  of  raising  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  taking  the  field 
with  our  main  force  and  using  it  against  the  communications  of  At 
lanta  instead  of  against  its  entrenchments.  All  the  army  commanders 
were  at  once  notified  to  send  their  surplus  wagons,  incumbrances  of  all 
kinds  and  sick  back  to  our  intrenched  position  at  the  bridge,  and  that 
the  movement  would  begin  during  the  night  of  the  25th.  Accordingly 
all  things  being  ready,  the  Fourth  corps  (General  Stanley)  drew  out 
of  its  lines  on  orr  extreme  left  and  marched  to  a  position  below  Proc 
tor's  creek.  The  Twentieth  corps  (General  Williams)  moved  back 
to  the  Chattahoochee.  This  movement  was  made  without  loss,  save 
a  few  things  left  in  our  camps  by  thoughtless  officers  and  men.  The 
night  of  the  26th  the  movement  continued  and  the  Army  of  the  Tennes 
see  drawing  out  and  moving  rapidly  by  a  circuit  well  toward  Sandtown 
and  across  Camp  creek;  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  below  Utoy 
creek  General  Schofield,  remaining  in  position.  This  was  effected 
with  the  loss  of  but  a  single  man  in  the  Army  of  Tennesse  wounded 
by  a  shell  from  the  enemy.  The  third  move  brought  the  Army  of  the 
Tennessee  on  the  West  Point  railroad  above  Fairburn,  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland  about  Red  Oak,  and  General  Schofield  close  in  near 
Diggs'  and  Minims'.  I  then  ordered  one  day's  work  to  be  expended 
in  destroying  the  road  and  it  was  done  with  a  will.  Twelve  and  one- 
half  miles  were  destroyed,  the  ties  burned  and  the  iron  rails  heated 
and  twisted  by  the  utmost  ingenuity  of  old  hands  at  the  work.  Several 
cuts  were  filled  up  by  the  trunks  of  trees,  logs,  rocks  and  earth,  inter 
mingled  with  loaded  shells  prepared  as  torpedoes  to  explode  in  case 
of  an  attempt  to  clear  them  out. 

Having  personally  inspected  this  work  and  satisfied  with  its  exe 
cution,  I  ordered  the  whole  army  to  move  the  next  day  eastward  by 
several  roads,  General  Howard  on  the  right  toward  Jonesborough, 
General  Thomas  the  center  by  Shoal  creek  church  to  Couch's,  on  the 
Decatur  and  Fayetteville  road,  and  General  Schofield  on  the  left,  about 
Morrow's  Mills.  An  inspection  of  the  map  will  show  a  strategic 
advantage  of  this  position.  The  railroad  from  Atlanta  to  Macon 
follows  substantially  the  ridge,  or  "divide"  between  the  waters  of  Flint 
and  Ocmulgee  rivers  and  from  East  Point  to  Jonesborough  makes 


REPORT  OF  THE  DALTON-ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN.  389 

a  wide  bend  to  the  east.  Therefore  the  position  I  have  described  which 
had  been  well  studied  on  paper,  was  my  first  objective.  It  gave  me 
"interior  lines,"  something  our  enemy  had  enjoyed  too  long,  and  I  was 
anxious  for  once  to  get  the  inside  track  and  therefore  my  haste  and 
desire  to  secure  it.  The  several  columns  moved  punctually  on  the 
morning  of  the  29th;  General  Thomas  on  the  center,  encountered 
little  opposition  or  difficulty  save  what  resulted  from  narrow  roads 
and  reached  his  position  at  Couch's  early  in  the  afternoon.  General 
Schofield  being  closer  to  the  enemy  who  still  clung  to  East  Point, 
moved  cautiously  on  a  small  circle  around  that  point  and  came  into 
position  toward  Rough  and  Ready,  and  General  Howard  having  the 
outer  circle,  had  a  greater  distance  to  move.  He  encountered  cavalry 
which  he  drove  rapidly  to  the  crossing  of  Shoal  creek,  where  the  enemy 
also  had  artillery.  Here  a  short  delay  occurred4  and  some  cannonading 
and  skirmishing,  but  General  Howard  started  them  again  and  kept 
them  moving,  passed  the  Renfroe  place  on  the  Decatur  road  which 
was  the  point  indicated  for  him  in  the  orders  of  that  day  but  he  wisely 
and  well  kept  on  and  pushed  on  toward  Jonesborough,  saved  the 
bridge  across  Flint  river  and  did  not  halt  until  darkness  compelled 
him  within  half  a  mile  of  Jonesborough.  Here  he  rested  for  the 
night  and  in  the  morning  of  August  3ist,  finding  himself  in  the  pres 
ence  of  a  heavy  force  of  the  enemy,  he  deployed  the  Fifteenth  corps 
and  disposd  the  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  on  its  flanks.  The  men 
covered  their  fronts  with  the  usual  parapets  and  soon  prepared  to 
act  offensively  or  defensively  as  the  case  called  for.  I  was  that  night 
with  General  Thomas  at  Couch's,  and  as  soon  as  I  learned  that  General 
Howard  had-  passed  Renfroe's,  I  directed  General  Thomas  to  send  to 
that  place  a  division  of  General  Jeff.  C.  Davis'  corps,  to  move  General 
Stanley's  corps  in  connection  with  General  Schofield  toward  Rough 
and  Ready,  and  then  to  send  forward  due  east  a  strong  detachment  of 
General  Davis'  corps  to  feel  for  the  railroad.  General  Schofield  was 
also  ordered  to  move  boldly  forward  and*  strike  the  railroad  near 
Rough  and  Ready. 

These  movements  were  progressing  during  the  3ist,  when  the 
enemy  came  out  of  his  works  at  Jonesborough  and1  attacked  General 
Howard  in  position,  as  described.  General  Howard  was  admirably 
situated  to  receive  him  and  repulsed  the  attack  thoroughly.  The 
enemy  attacked  with  Lee's  and  Hardee's  corps  and  after  a  contest 
of  over  two  hours  withdrew,  leaving  over  400  dead  on  the  ground  and 
his  wounded  of  which  about  300  were  left  in  Jonesborough,  could  not 
have  been  much  less  than  2,500.  Hearing  the  sounds  of  battle  at 
Jonesborough  about  noon,  orders  were  renewed  to  push  the  other  move 
ments  on  the  left  and  center  and  about  4  p.  m.  the  reports  arrived 
simultaneously  that  General  Howard  had  thoroughly  repulsed  the 
enemy  at  Jonesborough ;  that  General  Schofield'  had  reached  the  rail 
road  a  mile  below  Rough  and  Ready  and  was  working  up  the  road 
breaking  it  as  he  went;  that  General  Stanley  of  General  Thomas' 
army,  had  also  got  the  road  below  General  Schofield  and  was  destroy- 


390  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


ing  it,  working  south,  and  that  General  Baird  of  General  Davis' 
corps,  had  struck  it  still  further  down  within  four  miles  of  Jones- 
borough.  Orders  were  at  once  given  for  all  the  army  to  turn  on 
Jonesborough,  Geijeral  Howard  to  keep  the  enemy  busy  while  General 
Thomas  should  move  down  from  the  north,  with  General  Schofield  on 
the  left.  I  also  ordered  the  troops  as  they  moved  down  to  continue 
the  thorough  destruction  of  the  railroad  because  we  had  it  then,  an i 
I  did  not  know  but  that  events  might  divert  our  attention.  General 
Garrard's  cavalry  was  directed  to  watch  the  roads  to  our  rear  and 
north.  General  Kilpatrick  was  sent  south  down  the  west  bank  of 
the  Flint,  with  instructions  to  attack  or  threaten  the  railroad  below 
Jonesborough.  I  expected  the  whole  army  would  close  down  on 
Jonesborough  by  noon  of  the  1st  of  September.  General  Davis'  corps 
having  the  shortest  distance  to  travel  was  on  time  and  deployed  facing 
south,  his  right  in  connection  with  General  Howard  and  his  left  on  the 
railroad.  General  Stanley  and  General  Schofield  were  coming  down 
along  the  Rough  and  Ready  road  and  along  the  railroad,  breaking 
it  as  they  came.  When  General  Davis  joined  to  General  Howard,  Gen 
eral  Blair's  corps  on  General  Howard's  left,  was  thrown  in  reserve 
and  was  immediately  sent  well  to  the  right  below  Jonesborough  to  act 
against  that  flank  along  with  General  Kilpatrick's  cavalry.  About 
4  p.  m.  General  Davis  was  all  ready  and  assaulted  the  enemy's  lines 
across  open  fields,  carrying  them  very  handsomely  and  taking  as  pris 
oners  the  greater  part  of  Govan's  brigade  including  its  commander, 
with  two  four-gun  batteries. 

Repeated  orders  were  sent  to  Generals  Stanley  and  Schofield  to 
hurry  up  but  the  difficult  nature  of  the  country  and  the  absence  of 
roads  are  the  reasons  assigned  why  these  troops  did  not  get  well  into 
position  for  attack  before  night  rendered  further  operations  impos 
sible.  Of  course  the  next  morning  the  enemy  was  gone  and  had 
letreated  south. 

About  2  o'clock  that  night  the  sounds  of  heavy  explosions  were 
heard  in  the  'direction  of  Atlanta  distant  about  twenty  miles,  with  a 
succession  of  minor  explosions  and  what  seemed  like  the  rapid  firing 
of  cannon  and  musketry.  These  continued  about  an  hour,  and  again 
about  4  a.  m.  occurred  another  series  of  similar  discharges  apparently 
nearer  us,  and  these  sounds  could  be  accounted  for  on  no  other 
hypothesis  than  of  a  night  attack  on  Atlanta  by  General  Slocum  or 
the  blowing  up  of  the  enemy's  magazines.  Nevertheless  at  daybreak 
on  finding  the  enemy  gone  from  his  lines  at  Jonesborough,  I  ordered 
a  general  pursuit  south,  General  Thomas  following  to  the  left  of  the 
railroad,  General  Howard  on  its  right  and  General  Schofield  keeping 
off  about  two  miles  to  the  east.  We  overtook  the  enemy  again  near 
Lovejoy's  Station  in  a  strong  intrenched  position,  with  his  flanks  well 
protected  behind  a  branch  of  Walnut  creek  to  the  right  and  a  confluent 
of  the  Flint  river  to  his  left.  We  pushed  close  up  and  reconnoitered 
the  ground  and  found  he  had  evidently  halted  to  cover  communica 
tion  with  the  McDonough  and  Fayetteville  road.  Rumors  began  to 


REPORT  OF  THE  DALTON-ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN.  391 

arrive,  through  prisoners  captured,  that  Atlanta  had  been  abandoned 
during  the  night  of  September  ist;  that  Hood  had  blown  up  his  ammu 
nition  trains  which  accounted  for  the  sounds  so  plainly  heard  by  us 
and  which  were  yet  unexplained ;  that  Stewart's  corps  was  then  retreat 
ing  toward  McDonough  and  that  the  militia  had  gone  off  toward 
Covington.  It  was  then  too  late  to  interpose  and  prevent  their  escape 
and  I  was  satisfied  with  the  substantial  success  already  gained.  Ac 
cordingly  I  ordered  the  work  of  destroying  the  railroad  to  cease  and 
the  troops  to  be  held  in  hand  ready  for  any  movement  that  further 
information  from  Atlanta  might  warrant. 

General  Jeff.  C.  Davis'  corps  had  been  left  above  Jonesborough 
and  General  Garrard's  cavalry  was  still  farther  back  and  the  latter 
was  ordered  to  send*  back  to  Atlanta  and  ascertain  the  exact  truth  and 
the  real  situation  of  affairs.  But  the  same  night,  viz. :  September  4, 
a  courier  arrived  from  General  Slocum  reporting  the  fact  that  the 
enemy  had  evacuated  Atlanta ;  had  blown  up  seven  trains  of  cars  and 
had  retreated  on  the  McDonough  road.  General  Slocum  had  entered 
and  taken  possession  on  the  2nd  of  September.  The  object  of  my 
movement  against  the  railroad  was  therefore  already  reached  and- 
concluded  and  as  it  was  idle  to  pursue  our  enemy  in  the  wooded 
country  with  a  view  to  his  capture,  I  gave  orders  on  the  4th  for  the 
army  to  prepare  to  move  back  slowly  to  Atlanta.  On  the  5th  we 
drew  back  to  the  vicinity  of  Jonesborough  five  miles  where  we  re 
mained  a  day.  On  the  7th  we  moved  to  Rough  and  Ready  seven  miles 
and  the  next  'day  to  the  camps  selected,  viz:  the  Army  of  the  Cum 
berland  grouped  around  about  Atlanta,  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee 
about  East  Point  and  that  of  the  Ohio  at  Decatur,  where  the  men  now 
occupy  clean  and  healthy  camps. 

I  have  not  yet  received  full  or  satisfactory  accounts  of  Wheeler's 
operations  to  our  rear  further  than  that  he  broke  the  road  about 
Calhoun  and  then  made  his  appearance  at  Dalton  where  Colonel 
Laiboldt  held  him  in  check  until  General  Steedman  arrived  from  Chat 
tanooga  and  drove  him  off.  He  then  passed  up  into  East  Tennessee 
and  made  quite  a  stay  at  Athens  but  on  the  first  show  of  pursuit  he 
kept  on  north  across  the  Little  Tennessee  and  crossing  the  Holston 
near  Strawberry  Plains,  reached  the  Clinch  near  Clinton  and  passed 
over  toward  Sequatchie  and  McMinnville.  Thence  he  seems  to  have 
gone  to  Murfreesboro  and  Lebanon  and  across  to  Franklin.  He  may 
have  committed  damage  to  the  property  of  citizens  but  has  injured  us 
but  little,  the  railroads  being  repaired-  about  as  fast  as  he  broke  them. 
From  Franklin  he  has  been  pursued  toward  Florence  and  out  of  the 
State  by  Generals  Rousseau,  Steedman  and  Granger,  but  what  amount 
of  execution  they  have  done  to  him  has  not  been  reported. 

Our  roads  and  telegraphs  are  still  repaired  and  the  cars  run  with 
regularity  and  speed. 

It  is  proper  to  remark  in  this  place  that  during  the  operations  of 
this  campaign,  expeditions  were  sent  out  from  Memphis  and-  Vicks- 
burg  to  check  any  movements  of  the  enemy's  forces  in  Mississippi 


392  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

upon  our  communications.  The  manner  in  which  this  object  was 
accomplished  reflects  credit  upon  Generals  A.  J.  Smith,  Washburn, 
Slocum,  and  Mower,  and  although  General  Sturgis'  expedition  was 
less  successful  than  the  others,  it  assisted  in  the  main  object  to  be 
accomplished. 

I  must  bear  full  and  liberal  testimony  to  the  energetic  and  suc 
cessful  management  of  the  railroads  during  the  campaign.  No  matter 
when  or  where  a  break  has  been  made,  the  repair  train  seemed  on  the 
spot  and  the  damage  was  repaired  generally  before  I  knew  of  the 
break.  Bridges  have  been  built  with  surprising  rapidity,  and  the 
locomotive  whistle  was  heard  in  our  advanced  camps  almost  before 
the  echo  of  the  skirmish  fire  had  ceased.  Some  of  these  bridges — 
those  of  the  Oostenaula,  the  Etowah  and  Chattahoochee — are  fine 
substantial  structures  and  were  built  in  an  inconceivably  short  time 
almost  out  of  material  improvised  on  the  spot. 

Colonel  W.  W.  Wright,  who  has  charge  of  the  construction  and 
repairs,  is  not  only  a  most  skillful  but  a  wonderfully  ingenious,  indus 
trious  and  zealous  officer  and  I  can  hardly  do  him  justice.  In  like 
manner  the  officers  charged  with  running  the  trains  have  succeeded 
to  my  entire  satisfaction  and  have  worked  in  perfect  harmony  with 
the  quartermasters  and  commissaries,  bringing  forward  abundant 
supplies  with  such  regularity  that  at  no  time  have  we  wanted  for 
provisions,  forage,  ammunition  or  stores  of  any  essential  kjid. 

Colonel  L.  C.  Easton  chief  quartermaster,  and  Colonel  A.  Beck- 
with  chieif  commissary,  have  also  succeeded  in  a  manner  surprising 
to  all  of  us  in  getting  forward  supplies.  I  doubt  if  ever  an  army  was 
better  supplied  than  this  and  I  commend  them  most  highly  for  it 
because  I  know  that  more  solicitude  was  felt  by  the  lieutenant-general 
commanding  and  by  the  military  world  at  large,  on  this  than  any  other 
one  problem  involved  in  the  success  of  the  campaign.  Captain  T.  G. 
Baylor  chief  ordnance  officer,  has  in  like  manner  kept  the  aimy  sup 
plied  at  all  times  with  every  kind  of  ammunition.  To  Captain  O.  M. 
Poe  chief  engineer,  I  am  more  than  ordinarily  indebted  for  keeping 
me  supplied  with  maps  and  information  of  roads  and  topography  as 
well  as  in  the  more  important  branch  of  his  duties  in  selecting  lines 
and  military  positions. 

My  own  personal  staff  has  been  small  but  select.  Brigadier  - 
General  W.  F.  Barry,  an  officer  of  enlarged  capacity  and  great  expe 
rience,  has  filled  the  office  of  chief  of  artillery  to  perfection,  and  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  E.  D.  Kittoe  chief  medical  inspector,  has  done  every 
thing  possible  to  give  proper  aid  and  direction  to  the  operations  of 
that  important  department.  I  have  never  seen  the  wounded  moved 
from  the  fields  of  battle,  cared  for  and  afterwards  sent  to  proper 
hospitals  in  the  rear  with  more  promptness,  system,  care  and  success 
than  during  this  whole  campaign,  covering  over  100  davs  of  actual 
battle  and  skirmish.  My  aides-de-camp,  Major  J.  C.  McCoy,  Captain 
L.  M.  Dayton  and  Captain  J.  C.  Audenried  have  been  over  zealous  and 
most  efficient,  carrying  my  orders  day  and  night  to  distant  parts  of 


REPORT  OF  THE  DALTON-ATLANTA  CAMPAIGN.  393 

our  extended  lines  with  an  intelligence  and  zeal  that  insured  the  proper 
working-  of  machinery  covering  from  ten  to  twenty-five  miles  of 
ground  when  the  least  error  in  the  delivery  and  explanation  of  an 
order  would  have  produced  confusion ;  whereas  in  a  great  measure 
owing  to  the  intelligence  of  these  officers,  orders  have  been  made  so 
Clear  that  these  vast  armies  have  moved  side  by  side,  sometimes  cross 
ing  each  other's  tracks,  through  a  difficult  country  of  138  miles  in 
length,  without  confusion  or  trouble.  Captain  Dayton  has  also  filled 
the  duties  of  my  adjutant-general  making  all  orders  and  carrying  on 
the  official  correspondence.  Three  inspectors-general  completed  my 
staff:  Brigadier-General  J.  M.  Corse  who  has  since  been  assigned 
the  command  of  a  division  of  the  Sixteenth  corps  at  the  request  of 
General  Dodge;  Lieutenant-Colonel  W.  Warner  of  the  Seventy-sixth 
Ohio  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Charles  Ewing,  inspector-general  of  the 
Fifteenth  corps  and  captain  Thirteenth  U.  S.  regulars.  These  officers 
of  singular  energy  and  intelligence  have  been  of  immense  assistance 
to  me  in  handling  these  large  armies. 

My  three  armies  in  the  field  were  commanded  by  able  officers 
my  equals  in  rank  and  experience — Major-General  George  H.  Thomas, 
Major-General  J.  M.  Schofield  and  Major-General  O.  O.  Howard. 
With  such  commanders,  I  had  only  to  indicate  the  object  desired  and 
they  accomplished  it.  I  cannot  overestimate  their  service  to  the  coun 
try  and  must  express  my  deep  and  heartfelt  thanks  that  coming  to 
gether  from  different  fields  with  different  interests  they  have  co 
operated  with  a  harmony  that  has  been  productive  of  the  greatest 
amount  of  success  and  good  feeling.  A  more  harmonious  army  does 
not  exist. 

I  now  enclose  their  reports  and  those  of  the  corps,  division  and 
brigade  commanders,  a  perusal  of  which  will  fill  up  the  sketch  which 
I  have  endeavored  to  make.  I  also  submit  tabular  statements  of  our 
losses  in  battle  by  wounds  and  sickness;  also  a  list  of  prisoners  cap 
tured,  sent  to  the  rear  and  exchanged;  also  of  the  guns  and  material 
of  war  captured,  besides  the  important  country  towns  and  arsenals 
of  the  enemy  that  we  now  occupy  and  hold. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 
Major-General  Commanding. 

Major-General  H.  W.  Halleck, 

Chief  of  Staff,  Washington,  D.  C. 

To  which  should  be  added  the  casualties  for  September  i  to  15  in 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  2,567,  making  aggregate  37,081. 

Reports  of  the  Armies  of  the  Tennessee  and  the  Ohio  include  the 
whole  campaign. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 
Major-General,  U.  S.  Army,  Commanding. 


394  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Headquarters  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi. 

In  the  Field,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  September  15,  1864. 
To  which  add  the  prisoners  and  deserters  in  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland  September  ist  to  2oth,  3,065,  making  a  total  aggregate 
of  12,983. 

Reports  from  the  Armies  of  the  Tennessee  and  the  Ohio  include 
the  whole  campaign. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 

Major-General,  U.   S.   Army,  Commanding. 
Headquarters  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi, 
In  the  Field,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  Sept.  15,  1864, 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ALLATOONA. 


Report  of  Major-General  Samuel  G.  French,  C.  S.  Army  Com 
manding  Division,  Stewart's  Corps. 

Headquarters  French's  Division, 
On  the  March,  October  8th,  1864. 

General: — Pursuant  to  the  orders  received  on  the  4th  instant  I 
moved  with  my  division  from  Big  Shanty,  to  fill  up  the  railroad  cut 
at  Allatoona.  Before  leaving  Big  Shanty,  it  was  reported  that  the 
cut  at  the  depot  was  fortified  and  held  by  the  enemy  with  three  regi 
ments  guarding  stores  of  the  enemy  accumulated  there.  I  arrived 
near  the  cut  on  the  following  morning  about  3  a.  m.,  left  one  regiment 
and  one  piece  of  artillery  at  Allatoona  creek  to  capture  the  garrison 
there  and  to  burn  the  bridge,  placed  the  eleven  guns  in  position,  sup 
ported  by  two  regiments,  and  moved  on  with  the  remainder  of  the 
division  to  surround  the  enemy's  works.  Owing  to  the  darkness  and 
the  immense  rugged  hills,  and  the  guide  getting  lost,  had  to  halt  until 
daylight.  Got  the  troops  in  position  about  9  a.  m.  and1  at  10  com 
menced  the  attack.  At  12:15  was  informed  that  the  enemy's  infantry 
was  moving  on  the  railroad  and  entering  Big  Shanty  at  9  a.  m.,  and 
that  his  cavalry  was  moving  up  on  the  east  side  of  the  railroad.  Am 
munition,  too,  being  nearly  exhausted,  and  knowing  it  could  not  be 
supplied  under  two  hours,  I  resolved  to  withdraw  my  forces,  knowing 
the  enemy  would  reach  the  Dallas  and  Sand-town  road  before  I  could. 
Before  withdrawing  I  ordered  that  the  stores  be  burned  at  the  depot. 
Parties  were  sent,  but  all  efforts  they  could  make,  failed  to  procure 
fire.  The  matches  furnished  would  not  ignite  and  no  fire  could  be 
procured.  The  enemy's  fire  concentrated  to  protect  their  stores  was 
heavy  and  incessant  all  the  time.  The  troops  were  withdrawn  and1 
formed  in  a  line  of  battle  about  3  p.  m.  The  conduct  of  the  troops 
was  beyond  all  praise.  Works  after  works  were  carried  by  hand-to- 
hand  conflict  until  the  enemy  was  forced  into  his  strong  center  redoubt 
on  the  west  of  the  railroad.  My  losses  were  in  Ector's  brigade — 43 
killed;  147  wounded;  missing,  n;  total,  201.  Cockrell's  brigade — 
killed,  42;  wounded,  182;  missing,  22;  total,  246.  Sear's  brigade — 
killed,  37;  wounded,  114;  missing,  200;  total,  351.  Total  loss  in 
division,  798;  and  one  of  my  staff.  The  cavalry  sent  to  cut  the  rail 
road  failed  to  accomplish  their  work.  The  enemy  was  heavily  re- 
enforced  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  without  my  knowledge,  and  the 
prisoners  report  their  force  over  2,000.  I  know  they  had  from  seven 
to  ten  regiments  and  were  in  force  about  equal  to  my  own.  The  enemy 


396  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

lost  two.  flags,  one  U.  S.  flag  and  the  banner  of  the  Ninety-third 
Illinois  which  we  have  with  us;  and  his  loss  in  men,  including  the 
206  prisoners  brought  away,  must  have  been  equal  to  our  own.  This 
is  a  mere  preliminary  report.  A  more  detailed  one  will  be  submitted 
a3  soon  as  practicable. 

S.  G.  FRENCH, 
Major-General  Commanding. 
Lieutenant-General  A.  P.  Stewart,  Commanding,  etc. 


Headquarters  French's  Division, 
Tuscumbia,  Ala.,  November  5th,  1864. 

General : — Sometime  since  I  had  the  honor  to  submit  to  you  a 
brief  preliminary  report  of  the  battle  of  Allatoona.  As  the  reports  of 
the  brigade  commanders  are  now  in,  I  have  the  honor  to  forward 
one  embracing  some  of  the  details  of  the  battle :  About  noon  on  the 
4th  of  October,  when  at  Big  Shanty,  the  following  order  was  handed 
me  by  Lieutenant-General  Stewart,  it  being  a  copy  of  one  to  him : 


''Headquarters  Army  of  Tennessee, 

October  4th,  1864,  7:30  a.  m. 
Lieutenant-General  A.  P.  Stewart,  Commanding  Corps. 

General : — General  Hood:  directs  that  later  in  the  evening  you 
move  Stevenson  back  to  Davis'  Cross-Roads,  and  that  you  bring  two 
of  your  divisions  back  to  Adams'  and  between  Adams'  and  Davis' 
Cross-Roads,  placing  them  in  such  a  way  as  to  cover  the  position  at 
Adams'  now  occupied  by  Stevenson,  and  that  your  third  division  (say 
French's)  shall  move  up  the  railroad  and  fill  up  the  deep  cut  at  Alla 
toona  with  logs,  brush,  rails,  dirt,  etc.  To-morrow  morning  at  day 
light,  he  desires  Stevenson  to  be  moved  to  Lieutenant-General  Lee's 
actual  left,  and  that  two  of  your  divisions,  at  that  time  at  Adams',  to 
draw  back,  with  your  left  in  the  neighborhood  of  Davis'  Cross-Roads, 
and  your  right  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lost  Mountain,  and  the 
division  that  will  have  gone  to  Allatoona,  to  march  thence  to  New 
Hope  Church  and  on  the  position  occupied  by  your  other  troops — 
that  is,  that  the  division  shall  rejoin  your  command  by  making  this 
march  out  from  the  railroad  via  New  Hope.  General  thinks  that  it 
is  probable  that  the  guard  at  the  railroad  bridge  on  the  Etowah  is 
small,  and  when  General  French  goes  to  Allatoona,  if  he  can  get 
such  information  as.  would  justify  him,  will,  if  possible,  move  to  that 
bridge  and  destroy  it.  General  Hood  considers  that  its  destruction 
would  be  of  great  advantage  to  the  army  and  the  country.  Should 
he  be  able  to  destroy  the  bridge,  in  coming  out  he  will  move  as  has 
been  heretofore  indicated,  via  New  Hope. 

Yours  respectfully, 

A.  P.  MASON, 
Assistant  Adjutant-General. 


BATTLE  OF  ALLATOOtfA. 


Soon  after  an  order  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy  was  sent  me : 

Headquarters  Army  of  Tennessee, 
Office  of  Chief  of  Staff,  October  4th,  1864,  11 130  a.  m. 
Lieutenant-General  Stewart,  Commanding. 

General : — General  Hood  directs  me  to  say  that  it  is  of  the  great 
est  importance  to  destroy  Etowah  railroad  bridge,  if  such  a  thing  is 


ALLATOONA, 
NEW  HOPE  CHURCH 

AND  VICINITY. 

I      'A     0  <  »  » 


possible.  From  the  best  information  we  now  have,  he  thinks  the 
enemy  cannot  disturb  us  before  to-morrow,  and  by  that  time  your  main 
body  will  be  near  the  remainder  of  our  army.  He  suggests  that  if 
is  considered  practicable  to  destroy  the  bridge  when  the  division  goes 
there  and  the  "artillery  is  placed  in  position,  let  the  commanding 
officer  call  for  volunteers  to  go  to  the  bridge  with  light  wood  and  other 
combustible  material  that  can  be  obtained  and  set  fire  to  it. 

Yours  respectfully, 

A.  P.  MASON, 
Major  and  Assistant  Adjutant-General, 


General   Stewart's  corps  had  struck  the   railroad  bridge  at  Big 
Shanty  on  the  evening  of  the  3rd,  and  all  three  of  his  divisions  had 


398 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


worked  all  night  in  destroying  the  railroad  from  near  Kennesaw  up  to 
Acworth  Station.  As  we  had  been  informed  at  Big  Shanty  that  the 
Allatoona  Pass  or  cut  was  fortified,  and  that  the  enemy  had  there  a 
garrison  of  three  regiments  and  had  accumulated  a  considerable 
amount  of  provisions,  it  was  considered  a  matter  of  importnace  that 
the  place  should  be  captured,  and  after  the  orders  were  handed  me 

This  is  the  resting  place  of  a  Confederate  soldier,  who  was 
buried  on  the  spot  where  he  fell.  A  neat  marble  headstone  has  been 
placed  over  the  grave,  with  the  following  inscription: 

AN 

UNKNOWN  HERO 
He  died  for  the  cause 
he  thought  was  right. 

The  track  hands  of  the  Western  &  Atlantic  R.  R.  have  this  grave 
under  their  special  charge,  and  have  made  attention  to  it  a  sacred  duty. 


THE  SOLDIER'S  GRAVE,  ON  THE  WESTERN  &  ATLANTIC 
R.  R.,\[N  ALLATOONA  PASS. 

General  Stewart  sent  me  with  Major  Myrick,  with  twelve  pieces  of 
artillery.  It  would  appear,  however,  that  the  general-in-chief  was 
not  aware  that  the  pass  was  fortified  and  garrisoned  that  I  was  sent 
to  have  filled  up.  Under  these  orders  I  left  Big  Shanty  about  3:30 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ALLATOONA. 


399 


p.  m.  and  I  marched  to  Acworth,  a  distance  of  six  miles,  arriving  there 
before  sunset.  There  I  was  detained  awaiting  the  arrival  of  rations, 
until  ii  o'clock  at  night.  As  I  knew  nothing  of  the  roads,  the  enemy's 
works,  or  position,  it  was  important  to  procure  a  guide,  and  at  last 
a  young  man  or  rather  a  boy,  was  found  who  knew  the  roads  and  had 
seen  the  position  of  the  fortifications  at  Allatoona,  he  being  a  member 


REV.  JAMES  BRADLEY. 

For  four  years  under  Cockrell,  of  Missouri,  and  General  French, 
in  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  as  a  private  soldier  he  faithfully  served 
his  country.  Since  the  war,  as  a  faithful  soldier  of  the  cross,  he 
has  been  equally  consistent;  residing-  at  Mexico,  Mo.,  where  he  holds 
the  affection  and  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 

of  a  cavalry  company.    At  Acworth,  Captain  Taylor  of  Pinson's  regi 
ment  of  cavalry,  with  twenty-five  men,  reported  to  me  for  duty.     He 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ALLATOONA.  401 

was  immediately  directed  to  send  fifteen  men  under  a  trusty  officer, 
to  strike  the  railroad  near  the  Etowah  railroad  bridge  as  possible, 
and  to  take  up  rails  and  hide  them  so  as  to  prevent  trains  from  reach 
ing  Allatoona  with  re-enforcements,  as  well  as  to  prevent  any  trains 
that  might  be  there  from  escaping.  From  an  eminence  near  Acworth 
the  enemy  could  be  seen  communicating  messages  by  their  night 
signals  from  Allatoona  with  the  station  at  Kennesaw,  while  to  the  ea'st 
of  us,  were  the  fires  of  a  large  encampment  of  the  Federals  apparently 
opposite  Moon's  Station.  Citizens  residing  here  informed  me  that 
there  was  a  block-house  with  a  garrison  of  about  100  men,  at  the  Alla 
toona  bridge;  that  at  Allatoona,  there  were  two  small  redoubts  with 
outworks,  defended  with  four  pieces  of  artillery  and  garrisoned  with 
three  and  a  half  regiments  of  infantry.  About  n  p.  m.  the  march 
was  resumed.  The  night  was  very  dark  and  the  roads  bad.  After 
crossing  Allatoona  creek,  Colonel  Adair  with  the  Fourth  regiment 
of  Mississippi  volunteers  and  one  piece  of  artillery,  was  left  near  the 
block-house  with  instructions  to  surround  it,  capture  the  garrison, 
and  destroy  the  bridge  over  the  creek.  Continuing  the  march,  the 
division  arrived  before  Allatoona  about  3  a.  m.  Nothing  could  be 
seen  but  one  or  two  twinkling  lights  on  the  opposite  heights,  and  noth 
ing  was  heard  except  the  occasional  interchange  of  shots  between 
our  advanced  guards  and  the  pickets  of  the  garrison  in  the  valley 
below.  All  was  darkness.  I  had  no  knowledge  of  the  place,  and  it 
was  important  to  attack  at  the  break  of  day.  Taking  the  guide  and 
lights,  I  placed  the  artillery  in  position  on  the  hills  south  and  east 
of  the  railroad,  and  the  Thirty-ninth  North  Carolina  regiment  under 
Colonel  Coleman,  and  the  Thirty-second  Texas,  were  left  as  a  sup 
porting  force,  both  under  command  of  Colonel  J.  A.  Andrews,  of  the 
latter  regiment.  This  being  done,  I  proceeded  with  the  guide  to  gain 
the  heights  or  ridge  crowned  by  works  of  the  enemy.  Without 
roads  or  paths  the  head  o<f  the  line  reached  the  railroad,  crossed  it 
and  began  the  ascending  and  descending  of  the  high,  steep  and  densely- 
timbered  spurs  of  the  mountains,  and  after  about  an  hour's  march  it 
was  found  we  were  directly  in  front  of  the  works,  and  not  on  the 
main  ridge.  The  guide  made  a  second  effort  to  gain  the  ridge  and 
failed,  so  dark  was  it  in  the  woods.  I  therefore  determined  to  rest 
where  we  were  and  await  daylight.  With  dawn  the  march  was  re 
sumed,  and  by  7 130  o'clock  the  head  of  the  column  was  on  the  ridge 
about  600  yards  west  of  the  fortification,  and  between  those  he  occu 
pied  and  an  abandoned  redoubt  on  our  left.  Here,  the  fortifications 
for  the  first  time  were  seen,  and  instead  of  two  redoubts,  there  were 
disclosed  to  us  three  redoubts  on  the  west  of  the  railroad  cut  and  a  star 
fort  on  the  east,  with  outer  works  and  the  approaches  defended  to  a 
great  distance  by  abatis,  and  near  the  works  by  stockades  and  other 
obstructions.  The  railroad  emerges  from  the  Allatoona  Mountain 
by  crossing  this  bridge  through  a  cut  sixty  feet  deep.  Dispositions  for 
the  assault  were  now  made  by  sending  General  Sears'  brigade  to  the 
north  side  or  rear  of  the  works.  General  F.  M.  Cockrell's  (Missouri) 


402  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AtuiY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


brigade  to  rest  with  center  on  the  ridge,  while  General  W.  H. 
Young,  with  the  four  Texas  regiments,  was  formed  in  rear  of  Gen 
eral  Cockrell.  Major  My  rick  had  opened  on  the  works  with  his 
artillery  and  was  ordered  to  continue  his  fire  until  the  attack 
ing  force  should  interfere,  or  until  he  heard  the  volley  of 
musketry.  General  Sears  was  to  commence  the  assault  on  the  rear, 
and  when  musketry  was  heard,  General  Cockrell  was  to  move  down 
the  ridge  supported  by  General  Young  and  carry  the  works  by  (as  it 
were)  a  flank  attack.  So  rugged  and  abrupt  were  the  hills,  that  the 
troops  could  not  be  got  in  position  until  about  9  a.  m.,  when  I  sent  a 
summons  to  surrender.  The  flag  was  met  by  a  Federal  staff  officer, 
and  he  was  allowed  seventeen  minutes  to  return  with  an  answer.  The 
time  expired  without  any  answer  being  received-,  whereupon  Major 
D.  W.  Sanders,  impatient  at  the  delay,  as  bearer  of  the  summons 
broke  off  the  interview  and  returned.  No  reply  being  sent  me,  the 
order  was  given  for  the  assault  by  directing  the  advance  of  Cockrell's 
briga'de.  Emerging  from  the  woods  and  passing  over  a  long  distance 
of  abatis  formed  of  felled  timber,  and  under  a  severe  fire  of  musketry 
and  artillery,  nobly  did  it  press  forward,  followed  by  the  gallant  Tex- 
ans.  The  enemy's  outor  line  and  one  redoubt  soon  fell.  Resting,  to 
gather  strength  and  to  survey  the  work  before  them,  again  tht-y  rushed 
forward  in  column,  and-  in  murderous  hand-to-hand  conflict  that  left 
the  ditches  filled  with  the  dead,  did  they  become  masters  of  the  second 
redoubt.  The  third  and  main  redoubt,  now  filled  with  those  driven 
from  the  captured  works  on  the  west  side  of  the  railroad,  was  further 
crowded  by  those  that  were  driven  out  of  the  fort  on  the  east  side  of 
the  road,  by  the  attack  made  by  General  Sears.  They  had  to  cross 
the  deep  cut  through  which  our  artillery  poured  a  steady  and  deadly 
fire.  The  Federal  forces  were  now  confined  to  one  redoubt,  and  we 
occupied  the  ditch  and  almost  silenced  their  fire  and  were  preparing 
for  the  final  attack.  Pending  the  progress  of  these  events  I  had  re 
ceived  a  note  from  General  F.  C.  Armstrong,  dated  7  a.  m.,  asking  me 
at  what  time  I  would  move  toward  New  Hope  and  pass  Acworth, 
informing  me  also  that  the  enemy  had  moved  up  east  of  the  railroad 
above  Kennesaw  and  encamped  there  last  night.  I  had  observed 
this  movement  when  at  Acworth,  but  at  12  p.  m.  I  received  another 
dispatch  from  him,  written  at  9  a.  m.  saying: 

"My  scouts  report  enemy's  infantry  advancing  up  the  railroad. 
They  are  now  entering  Big  Shanty.  They  have  a  .force  east  of  the 
railroad." 

On  the  receipt  of  this  second  note  from  General  Armstrong,  I 
took  my  guide  aside  and  particularly  asked  him,  if  after  the  capture 
of  the  place,  I  could  move  to  New  Hope  Church  by  any  other  route 
than  the  one  by  the  block-house  at  Allatoona  creek,  and  thence  by  the 
Sandtown  road  to  the  Acworth  and  Dallas  road,  and-  he  said  I  could 
not.  Here,  then  was  General  Sherman's  whole  army  close  behind  me 
and  the  advance  of  his  army  moving  on  Acworth,  which  changed 
the  whole  condition  of  affairs.  Ammunition  had  to  be  carried  from 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ALLATOONA.  403 

the  wagons  a  mile  distant,  at  the  base  of  the  hills  by  men  and  I  was 
satisfied  it  would  take  two  hours 'to  get  it  up  and  distribute  it  under 
fire,  before  the  final  assault.  I  had  learned  from  prisoners  that  before 
daylight  the  place  had  been  re-enforced  by  a  brigade  under 
General  Corse.  I  knew  the  enemy  was  in  Big  Shanty  at  9  a.  m.  By 
noon  he  could  reach  Acworth  and  be  within  two  miles  of  the  road, 
on  which  I  was  to  reach  New  Hope  Church.  I  knew  General  Stewart 
had  been  ordered  to  near  Lost  Mountain.  My  men  had-  marched  all 
day  on  the  3rd;  worked  all  the  night  of  the  3rd,  destroying  the  rail 
road;  they  had  worked  and  marched  all  day  on  the  4th;  marched 
to  Allatoona  on  the  night  of  the  4th ;  had  fought  up  to  the  afternoon 
of  the  5th;  and  could  they  pass  the  third  day  and  night  without  rest 
or  sleep,  if  we  remained  to  assault  the  remaining  works?  I  did  not 
doubt  that  the  enemy  would  endeavor  to  get  in  my  rear  to  intercept 
my  return.  He  was  in  the  morning  but  three  miles  distant,  and  had 
been  signaled  repeatedly  during  the  battle.  Under  these  circumstances 
I  determined  to  withdraw,  however  depressing  the  idea  of  not  cap 
turing  the  place  after  so  many  had  fallen,  and  when  in  all  probability 
we  could  force  a  surrender  before  night;  yet  however  desirous  I  was 
for  remaining  before  the  last  work  and  forcing  a  capitulation,  or  of 
carrying  the  work  by  assault,  I  deemed  it  of  more  importance  not  to 
permit  the  enemy  to  cut  my  diversion  off  from  the  army.  After 
deliberately  surveying  matters  as  they  presented  themselves  to  me,  I 
sent  word  to  General  Sears  to  withdraw  his  men  at  once,  moving  by 
the  route  he  went  in,  and  directed  General  Cockrell  to  withdraw  at 
1 130  p.  m. 

Before  the  action  commenced,  it  was  foreseen  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  carry  any  wounded  on  litters  to  the  road  where  the  am 
bulances  were  placed  owing  to  the  steepness  of  the  hills,  the  ravines 
and  the  dense  woods.  Accordingly,  the  wounded  were  brought  to 
the  springs  near  the  ridge.  All  that  could  be  moved  without  the  use 
of  litters  were  taken  to  the  ambulances.  The  others  were  left  in  charge 
of  surgeons  detailed  to  remain  with  them. 

The  troops  reformed  on  the  original  grounds  west  of  the  works 
and  marched  back  to  the  south  side  near  the  artillery,  and  at  3 130 
p.  m.  commenced  the  move  toward  New  Hope.  After  the  troops 
engaged  in  the  assault  had  left,  I  rode  on  down  to  Colonel  Andre's 
position  in  front  of  the  works,  and  directed  him  to  remain  until  5 
p.  m.,  and  then  withdraw  and  move  on  in  our  rear.  Before  I  had  de 
termined  to  withdraw  the  enemy  from  the  captured  works,  (but  after 
the  guide  said  I  would  have  to  return  by  the  way  I  came)  I  sent 
orders  to  Major  My  rick  to  send  two  of  his  batteries  and  his  caissons 
to  a  point  beyond  the  block-house  on  the  Sandtown  road,  to  act  in 
concert  with  the  troops  left  there.  Having  been  informed  by  Colonel 
Adair  that  the  block-house  at  the  Allatoona  bridge  had  not  been  cap 
tured,  I  directed  Captain  Kolb  with  his  battery  that  had  remained  with 
Colonel  Andrews  to  move  on  and  report  to  General  Cockrell,  for  the 
purpose  of  taking  the  block-house.  Shortly  after  4  p.  m.,  and  when  not 


404  BATTLES  ANb  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE'. 

a  person  could  be  seen  in  or  around  the  forts,  I  left  the  command  of 
Colonel  Andrews  and  overtook  the  division  near  the  block-house. 
Colonel  Adair  had  burnt  the  railroad  bridge  over  the  Allatoona  creek 
(over  200  feet  long)  and  the  duplicate  of  the  bridge,  already  formed  to 
replace  the  older  structure.  Under  an  increased  artillery  fire,  the 
garrison  of  the  block-house  surrendered. 

We  captured  250  prisoners,  one  U.  S.  flag,  and  the  colors  of  the 
Ninety-third  Illinois  regiment,  a  number  of  horses,  arms,  etc.,  and 
killed  and  wounded  750  of  the  enemy ;  being  with  the  garrison  of 
the  block-house,  over  1,000. 

History  will  record  the  battle  of  Allatoona  as  one  of  the  most 
sanguinary  conflicts  of  the  war;  and  when  it  is  remembered  that  the 
enemy  fought  from  within  the  strong  redoubts,  the  desperate  deeds  of 
daring  performed  by  our  troops  in  overcoming  so  many  of  the  foe, 
is  due  a  meed  of  praise  to  their  heroic  valor. 

The  artillery  opened  about  7  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  except 
when  the  flag  of  truce  was  sent  in,  continued  until  2  p.  m.  The  assault 
commenced  about  10,  continued  unremittingly  till  I  130  p.  m.,  and  the 
rattle  of  musketry  did  not  cease  entirely  until  near  3  p.  m.,  when  it  (Ked 
away  and  a  silence  like  the  pall  of  death  rested  over  the  scene,  con 
trasting  so  strangely  with  the  din  of  battle. 

I  cannot  do  justice  to  the  gallantry  of  the  troops.  No  one  fal 
tered  in  his  duty,  and  all  withdrew  from  the  place  with  the  regret 
that  General  Sherman's  movements — closing  up  behind  us — forbid 
our  remaining  longer  to  force  a  surrender  of  the  last  work. 

After  leaving  out  the  three  regiments  that  formed  no  part  of  the 
assaulting  force  I  had  but  a  little  over  2,000  men. 

My  entire  loss  in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing  was  799,  as 
follows : 

Killed.  Wounded.  Missing.  Captured. 

Cockrell's   brigade    42  182  22 

Sears'  brigade    37  114  200 

Ector's   brigade    43  147  1 1 

Staff i 

Total    122  443  233  i 

Among  the  killed  from  Sears'  brigade  is  Colonel  W.  H.  Clark, 
Forty-sixth  Mississippi.  He  fell  in  the  advance,  near  the  enemy's 
works,  with  the  battle  flag  in  his  hands.  He  was  an  excellent  and 
gallant  officer.  Also  were  killed  Captain  B.  Davidson  and  Lieuten 
ants  G.  C.  Edwards,  J.  R.  Henry  and  G.  D.  Davis. 

Colonel  F.  S.  Berry,  Thirty-fifth  Mississippi,  and  Major  Partin, 
Thirty-sixth  Mississippi,  were  wounded  together  with  Captains  R. 
G.  Yates  and  A.  J.  Farmer,  and  Lieutenants  J.  N.  McCoy,  G.  H. 
Bannerman,  J.  M.  Chadwick,  J.  Coopwood,  R.  E.  Jones,  E.  W.  Brown, 
G.  H.  Moore,  and  Ensigns  G.  W.  Cannon,  and  A.  Scarborough. 

Texas  will  mourn  the  death  of  some  of  her  bravest  and  best  men. 
Captain  Sommerville,  Thirty-second  Texas  was  killed  after  vainly 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ALLATOONA.  405 

endeavoring  to  enter  the  last  work,  where  his  conspicuous  gallantry 
had  carried  him  and  his  little  band.  Captains  Gibson,  Tenth  Texas; 
Bates,  Ninth  Texas ;  Conley,  Twenty-ninth  North  Carolina,  and  Ad 
jutant  Griffin,  Ninth  Texas;  Lieutenants  Alexander,  Twenty-ninth 
North  Carolina,  and  Dixon  E.  Wetzel,  Ninth  Texas,  were  killed  gal 
lantly  leading  their  men. 

Brigadier-General  W.  H.  Young,  commanding  brigade,  was 
wounded.  Most  gallantly  he  bore  his  part  in  action.  Colonel  Camp, 
commanding  Fourteenth  Texas,  one  of  the  best  officers  in  the  service, 
was  seriously  wounded.  Also  Majors  McReynolds,  Ninth  Texas, 
and  Purdy,  Fourteenth  Texas. 

Of  Captains  wounded  were  Wright,  Lyles,  Russell,  Vannoy,  and 
Ridley,  and  Lieutenants  Tunnell,  Haynes,  Gibbons,  Agee,  Morris, 
O'Brien,  Irwin,  Reeves  and  Robertson. 

In  the  Missouri  brigade  were  killed  or  mortally  wounded  Majors 
W.  F.  Carter  and  O.  A.  Waddell ;  Captains  A.  J.  Byrne,  A.  C.  Patton, 
and  John  S.  Holland ;  Lieutenants  Thomas  R.  Shelly,  Joel  F.  Yancey, 
G.  R.  Elliott,  R.  J.  Lamb,  G.  T.  Duvall,  and  W.  H.  Dunnica,  and-  En 
sign  H.  W.  Dejarrrett — men  who  had  behaved  well  and  nobly  during 
the  whole  campaign. 

Among  the  wounded  are  Major  R.  J. Williams,  Captains  Thomp 
son  Alvord,  G.  McChristian,  G.  W.  Covell,  and  A.  F.  Burns;  Lieu 
tenants  Joseph  Boyce,  Silas  H.  F.  Hornback,  J.  L.  Mitchell,  A.  H. 
Todd  and  H.  Y.  Anderson,  and  Ensign  William  A.  Byrd. 

I  have  named  the  killed  and-  wounded  officers  in  this  report.  The 
names  of  the  private  soldiers  who  fell  or  were  wounded  will  also  be 
filed  with  this  as  soon  as  they  are  received. 

It  is  due  to  the  dead,  it  is  just  to  the  living,  that  they  who  have 
no  hopes  of  being  heralded  by  fame,  and  who  have  but  little  incentive 
except  the  love  of  country  and  the  consciousness  of  a  just  cause  to 
impel  them  to  deeds  of  daring,  and  who  have  shed  their  blood  for  a 
just  cause,  should  have  this  little  tribute  paid  them  by  me. 

For  the  noble  dead  the  army  mourns — a  nation  mourns.  For  the 
living,  honor  and  respect  will  await  them  wherever  they  shall  be  known 
as  faithful  soldiers  who  have  for  their  dearest  rights  so  often  gone 
through  the  fires  of  battle  and  the  baptism  of  blood.  It  would  perhaps 
be  an  individius  distinction  to  name  individual  officers  or  men  for 
marked  or  special  services  or  distinguished  gallantry  where  all  behaved 
so  well,  for  earth  never  yielded  to  the  tread  of  nobler  soldiers. 

I  am  indebted  to  Generals  Cockrell,  Sears,  and  Young,  for  their 
bravery,  skill,  and  unflinching  firmness. 

To  Colonel  Earp,  on  whom  the  command  of  the  gallant  Texans 
devolved,  and  to  Colonel  Andrews,  who  commanded  on  the  south 
side,  and  Major  My  rick,  commanding  the  artillery,  I  return  my  thanks 
for  services. 

Major  D.  W.  Sanders,  assistant  adjutant-general;  Lieutenant  Wiley 
Abercrombe,  aide,  Captain  W.  H.  Cain,  volunteer  aide;  Captain  Por 
ter  and  Lieutenant  Mosby,  engineers,  were  zealous  in  the  perform- 


406  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

ance  of  their  duties  and  A.  T.  Freeman,  assistant  inspector-general, 
was  conspicuous  for  his  gallant  conduct.  I  commend  the  last  named 
to  government  for  promotion. 

Colonel  5.  Gates,  First  and  Third  Missouri ;  Major  E.  H.  Hamp 
ton,  Twenty-ninth  North  Carolina,  and  Adjutant  W.  J.  Sparks,  Tenth 
Texas,  and  Lieutenant  Cahal,  of  General  Stewart's  staff,  are  named 
for  gallant  services. 

Lieutenant  M.  W.  Armstrong,  Tenth  Texas,  seized  the  United 
States  standard  from  the  Federals,  and  after  a  struggle,  brought  it 
and  the  bearer  of  it  off  in  triumph. 

In  the  inclosed  reports  of  brigade  commanders  will  be  found 
the  names  of  many  officers  and  soldiers  that  I  know  are  entitled  to 
commendation  and  all  marks  of  distinction  that  the  Government  can 
award. 

The  cavalry  officer,  who  was  sent  to  cut  the  railroad  and  failed 
to  perform  the  duty  is,  in  my  opinion,  much  to  blame.  Had  he 
taken  up  the  rails — and  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  it — re-enforce 
ments  could  not  have  been  thrown  in  the  works,  and  the  result  woulj- 
have  been  different.  After  events  showed  that  a  cavalry  force  of  the 
enemy  arrived  at  Allatoona,  as  we  were  withdrawing. 

Very  respectfully, 
Major-General  Commanding. 
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL  A.  P.  STEWART, 

Commanding  Corps. 


"HOLD  THE  FORT"  AND  "PULL  FOR  THE  SHORE." 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  noted  battle  of  Allatoona  was  exceedingly 
stubborn  and  bloody.  It  marks  an  episode  in  French's  division  that 
is  pointed  to  with  pride  by  not  only  the  Division  Commander  and 
his  men,  but  the  Corps  Commander,  Lieutenant-  General  A.  P. 
Stewart.  General  Sherman's  signal  dispatches  to  General  Corse  from 
Kennesaw  Mountain,  "to  hold  the  fort  for  I  am  coming"  were  so  fre 
quent  and  persistent  that  it  became  a  world  wide  inspiration  in  the 
form  of  a  song  written  by  the  late  Evangelist  P.  P.  Bliss  after  the 
account  of  the  battle  of  Allatoona,  had  been  detailed  to  him,  and  after 
taking  in  the  surrounding  scenery  looking  to  Kennesaw.  He  sung  it 
first  at  the  Tabernacle  in  Chicago  and  the  divine  afflatus  through  his 
mellow  voice  and  facile  pen  electrified  the  congregation  until  others 
took  the  refrain,  and  to-day  it  is  a  standard4  Gospel  Lyric.  It  added 
to  P.  P.  Bliss'  fame,  and  made  the  battle  of  Allatoona  memorable  in 
the  Hood  campaign  to  Nashville. 

"Ho !  my  comrades  see  the  signal 
Waving  in  the  sky, 
Re-inforcements   now   appearing 
Victory  is  nigh. 

Chorus 

Hold  the  fort,  for  I  am  coming 
Jesus  signals  still ! 
Wave  the  answer  back  to  heaven 
By  thy  grace  we  will." 

There  was  another  touching  song  from  his  (Bliss')  ready  pen, 
suggested  by  a  scene  during  or  just  after  our  Civil  War.  Said  song 
is  almost  as  popular  as  "Hold  the  Fort."  It  went  hand  in  hand  with 
"Hold  the  Fort"  and  was  inspired  by  Mr.  Bliss'  reflections  upon  an 
unnamed  ship  which  went  down  in  the  storm  just  after  the 
life  boat  men  took  off  the  passengers  and  struggled-  to  reach  the 
shore.  It  is : 


"Light  in  the  darkness-Sail-or ;  day  is  at  hand! 
See  o'er  the  foaming  billows,  fair  Haven's  land, 
Drear  was  the  voyage  Sailer!  now  almost  o'er, 
Safe  within  the  life  boat  Sail-or,  pull  for  the  shore. 


408  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Chorus 

Pull  for  the  shore,  Sailor,  pull  for  the  shore! 
Heed  not  the  rolling  wave,  but  bend  to  the  oar, 
Safe  in  the  life  boat,  Sailor,  cling  to  self  no  more, 
Leave  the  poor  old  stranded  wreck,  and  pull  for  the  shore." 
These  songs  are  living  monuments  to  the  memory  of  '6i-'65  and 
to  the  Evangelist  P.  P.  Bliss,  who  lost  his  life  in  the  famous  Ash- 
tabula,  Ohio,  wreck  in  the  '705. 


HOOD'S  CAMPAIGN  IN  TENNESSEE. 

Mrs.  W.  D.  Gale  daughter  of  General  and  Bishop  Leonidas  Polk 
and  wife  of  Colonel  W.  D.  Gale  Assistant  Adjutant-General  of 
Stewart's  Corps  permits  me  to  copy  the  following: 

Headquarters   Stewart's  Corps,  near  Tupolo,  Jan.   I4th,   1865. 

I  wrote  you  a  short  account  of  our  battles  in  Middle  Tennessee 
and  our  flight  from  the  State.  I  now  give  you  some  of  the  particu 
lars  in  detail.  After  three  weeks'  preparation  at  Florence,  we  finally 
crossed  the  Tennessee  on  the  2oth  of  November  and  moved  forward 
toward  Mt.  Pleasant.  General  Thomas  at  that  time  had  his  army  at 
Pulaski.  When  we  got  to  Mt.  Pleasant  he  had  fallen  back  to  Colum 
bia.  We  got  to  Columbia  on  the  26th,  and  invested  it.  On  the 
night  of  the  2/th  it  was  evacuated.  On  the  28th,  this  and  Cheatham's 
corps  began  one  of  the  finest  moves  of  the  war — in  conception  worthy 
of  Stonewall  Jackson,  and  in  execution  feeble  and  disgraceful — to 
cross  Duck  river  above  Columbia,  and  by  a  forced  march  over  bad 
roads  and  through  the  woods  and  fields  to  strike  the  pike  at  Spring 
Hill,  and  cut  Schofield  off  from  Nashville  or  strike  him  in  the  flank. 
The  move  was  made  and  all  was  a  success  up  to  the  time  of  striking 
the  enemy.  We  struck  the  pike  at  Spring  Hill  just  as  the  retreating 
enemy  were  moving  by,  completely  surprising  them.  But  strange  to 
say,  we  remained  all  night  in  sound  of  the  voices  of  the  men  as  they  re 
treated  in  the  greatest  haste,  and  not  a  blow  was  struck,  though  or 
ders  were  sent  by  General  Hood  several  times  to  attack  at  once. 
One  time  Governor  Harris  himself  carried  the  order  to  General  John 
B.  Hood.  General  Lee  was  left  in  Columbia  to  cross  and  attack 
in  the  rear.  He  failed  to  come  up  also,  and  thus  Tennessee  was  lost. 
General  Stewart  was  ready  and  anxious  to  lead  his  corps  to  the 
attack,  but  was  not  ordered,  as  the  other  was  in  front.  The  next 
morning  we  pushed  forward  in  pursuit  of  the  flying  column,  the 
road  strewn  everywhere  with  the  wreck  of  a  flying  army.  Wagons, 
just  set  on  fire  and  abandoned,  were  saved  from  destruction.  When 
we  got  near  Franklin  we  found  the  enemy  in  line  across  the  road  two 
miles  from  town.  Preparations  were  made  to  turn  the  position  by  a 
flank  movement,  when  the  force  fell  back  to  their  entrenchments 
near  the  town.  Preparations  were  made  at  once  to  assault  the  town. 
Franklin  is  in  a  bend  of  the  Harpeth,  and  the  enemy's  line  was  a 
circle,  each  wing  resting  upon  the  river.  It  was  one  of  the  strongest 
places  in  the  world  to  defend.  Our  men  went  boldly  up  in  the  face 
of  20,000  muskets  and  at  least  70  pieces  of  artillery,  many  of  the  bands 


410  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

playing  our  favorite  pieces.  The  enemy  was  easily  driven  from 
the  front  line  and  sought  safety  behind-  the  inner  line,  where  his 
artillery  was.  Our  line  moved  forward  and  closed  around  the  enemy 
— Loring  on  the  right,  French  next,  then  Walthall,  then  Cleburne, 
then  Brown,  then  Bate,  Johnston's  division  the  only  one  of  Lee's 
corps  that  was  up — was  held  in  reseirve,  and  afterward  was  put  in 


GEN'L.  JOHN  B.  HOOD. 

where  Bate  and  Brown  were.  The  fight  was  furious,  and  the  carn 
age  awful  beyond  anything  I  ever  saw.  Our  men  were  mowed  down 
by  what  we  called  an  enfilade  and  reverse  fire,  i.  e.  in  the  side  and  rear, 
in  addition  to  that  in  front.  The  enemy  fought  with  great  despera 
tion.  Our  men  were  flushed  with  hope,  pride  and  ambition  as  they 
fought  for  Tennessee.  They  felt  that  the  eyes  of  our  men  and  women 
all  over  our  country,  as  well  as  Tennessee,  were  upon  them,  and  tht 
Yankee  Army  which  they  had  followed  so  long  was  before  them. 

Wave,  Munich !  all  thy  banners  wave, 

And  charge  with  all  thy  chivalry ! 

The  chivalry  of  the  South  did  charge  as  bravely  as  they  charged 
Agincourt  or  Cressy,  and  Marathon  and  Thermopylae  were  not  more 
grandly  fought  than  Franklin.  Charge  after  charge  was  made.  As 
fast  as  one  division  was  shattered  arid  recoiled,  another  bravely  went 
forward  into  the  very  jaws  of  death,  and  came  back  broken  and 
bloody,  again  rallying  quickly  with  their  heroic  officers,  and  again 
went  forward  to  do  what  seemed  impossible — or  die.  Such  men  as 
Loring,  Walthall,  Adams,  Cockrill,  Gates,  Featherstone,  Shelby,  Rey 
nolds,  Cleburne,  Strahl,  Gist,  and  others,  should  live  in  prose  and 
poetry  as  long  as  the  story  of  the  war  is  written  or  read.  No  pen 
can  do  justice  to  the  gallantry  of  the  men.  Walthall  had  two  horses 
shot  dead  under  him.  The  field  was  covered  with  the  wounded  and 
the  dead.  The  enemy's  line  had  been  crossed  in  one  or  two  places, 
but  no  man  who  went  over  was  ever  known  to  return.  Many  hundreds 
lay  all  night  in  the  ditch  separated  from  the  enenty  by  the  thickness 
of  the  embankment,  *  *  *  While  the  officers  were  collecting  the 


HOOD'S  CAMPAIGN  IN  TENNESSEE.  411 

scattered  and  broken  ranks  I  went  with  General  Stewart  to  General 
Hood's  headquarters.  He  had-  determined  to  renew  the  attack  in 
the  morning.  The  plan  was  that  all  our  artillery — 100  pieces — which 
had  been  brought  up,  was  to  open  on  them  at  daylight,  and  at  9 
the  whole  army  was  to  assault  the  works.  You  may  well  think  it 
was  a  bitter  prospect  for  our  poor  fellows.  We  rode  up  to  a  part 
of  the  enemy's  line  which  was  still  held,  to  place  Strahl's  brigade 
in  position,  when  I  was  struck  by  the  stillness  in  the  enemy's  works, 
and  asked  the  officer  nearest  me  if  the  enemy  had  not  gone.  He  said 
they  had,  as  some  of  his  men  had  been  down  and-  found  no  one  there. 
Further  examination  convinced  me  of  the  fact,  and  I  rode  back  to 
our  camp  fire,  and  just  as  day  was  dawning  I  dismounted,  wet, 
weary,  hungry  and  disheartened,  telling  General  Stewart  that  Scho- 
field  was  gone.  A  half  hour's  rest,  not  sleep,  on  the  wet  ground-  and 
I  got  up,  drank  a  cup  of  coffee  and  went  to  my  daily  work  I  rode 
over  the  field  early  in  the  day,  before  the  details  which  I  had  ordered, 
had  began  to  bury  the  dead.  It  was  awful !  The  ditch  at  the  en 
emy's  line — on  the  right  and  left  of  the  pike — was  literally  filled  with 
dead  bodies,  lying  across  each  other,  in  all  unseemly  deformity  of 
violent  death.  General  Adams  rode  his  horse  upon  the  breast-works 
and  both  horse  and  rider  fell  there.  Cleburne  was  thirty  yards  in 
front  of  his  division  when  he  fell,  shot  through  the  heart.  But  I 
am  tired  of  the  sickening  details  and  you  all  must  be,  too.  You  can 
see  our  dreadful  loss  from  published  accounts. 

I  have  now  one  more  scene  to  paint,  one  more  story  to  tell  you, 
and  I  am  done.  I  wish  I  had  a  pen  to  do  justice  to  the  subject,  for  in 
all  the  annals  of  the  war,  filled  as  it  is  with  the  great  and-  noble  deeds 
of  great  and  noble  men  and  women,  none  exceed  and  few  equal  in  true 
merit,  the  noble  sympathy  of  Mrs.  John  McGavock  (Miss  Winder). 
When  day  dawned  we  found  ourselves  near  her  house — in  her  lawn 
— which  was  in  the  rear  of  our  line.  The  house  is  one  of  the  large 
old  fashioned  country  houses  of  the  better  class  in  Tennessee,  two 
stories  high,  with  many  rooms  and  every  arrangement  for  comfort. 
This  was  taken  as  a  hospital,  and  the  wounded-  in  hundreds  were 
brought  to  it  during  the  battle,  and  all  the  night  after.  Every  room 
was  filled,  every  bed  haid  two  poor  bleeding  fellows,  every  spare  space 
niche  and  corner  under  the  stairs,  in  the  hall,  everywhere — but  one 
room  for  her  own  family.  And  when  the  noble  old  house  could 
hold  no  more,  the  yard  was  appropriated  until  the  wounded  and  dead 
filled  that,  and  all  were  not  yet  provided  for.  Our  doctors  were  de 
ficient  in  bandages,  and  she  began  by  giving  her  old  linen,  then  her 
towels  and  napkins,  then  her  sheets  and  table  cloths,  then  her  hus 
band's  shirts  and  her  own  und-er-garments.  During  all  this  time  the 
surgeons  plied  their  dreadful  work  amid  the  sighs  and  moans  and 
death-rattle.  Yet  amid  it  all,  this  noble  woman,  the  very  impersona 
tion  of  Divine  sympathy  and  tender  pity,  was  active  and  constantly 
at  work.  During  all  the  night  neither  she  nor  any  one  of  her  house 
hold  slept,  but  dispensed  tea  and  coffee  and  such  stimulants  as  she 


412  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

had,  and  that  too,  with  her  own  hands.  Unaffrighted  by  the  sight  of 
blood,  unawed  by  horrid  wounds,  unblanched  by  ghastly  death  she 
walked-  from  room  to  room,  from  man  to  man,  here  very  skirts  stained 
in  blood,  the  incarnation  of  pity  and  mercy.  Is  it  strange  that  all 
who  were  there  praise  her  and  call  her  blessed?  About  nine  in  the 
morning-  she  sent  for  us — General  and  Staff — and  gave  us  a  nice, 
warm  breakfast,  and  a  warmer  welcome.  The  brother  of  one  of  my 
clerks  (McReady)  was  very  badly  wounded,  and  then  in  her  house. 
I  bespoke  her  kind  attention,  which  she  gave  till  he  died. 

Many  years  ago  I  was  in  the  same  house  and  in  the  same  room, 
on  a  visit.  On  one  side  of  the  fire  sat  the  father  of  Mrs.  Mc- 
Gavock,  then  an  old  man.  He  seemed  particularly  glad  to  see  me, 
an,d  told  me  he  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  at  the  battle 
of  New  Orleans.  When  on  his  way  back  the  troops  maiched  by 
the  plantation  of  my  grandfather  Green,  below  Natchez,  and  his  regi 
ment  was  entertained  by  him  and  furnished  with  milk  in  great  quan 
tities.  He  spoke  of  the  gratitude  of  the  men.  There  were  beeves 
killed  also,  and  a  great  treat  given  them.  Is  it  not  strange  that  after 
fifty  years  a  descendant  of  that  generous  man  should  receive  hospi 
tality  on  a  bloody  field  of  battle  from  a  descendant  of  the  tired  and 
hungry  soldier? 

Not  a  drum  wrs  heard,  not  a  fvneral  note, 

As  his  corpse  to  the  ramparts  we  hurried; 

Not  a  soldier  fired  a  farewell  shot 

O'er  the  graves  of  the  heroes  we  buried. 
The  generals  were  buried  at  Ashwood  cemetery. 

CONFEDERATE  DISASTER  AT  ^ASHVILLE. 

Headquarters  Stewart's  Corps,  Tupelo,  Miss.,  January  19,  1865. 

I  now  resume  my  story  and  will  give  you  some  account  of  our 
doings  in  front  of  Nashville.  We  left  Franklin  on  the  second  day 
after  the  fight  and  move  on  toward  Nashville,  our  army  in  mourn 
ing.  When  we  got  to  John  Overton's  place  I  saw  some  ladies  by 
the  roadside  in  high  excitement,  and  on  riding  up  found  them  to  be 
Mary  Bradford,  Miss  Maxwell,  Miss  May,  Misses  Becky  Allison, 
Mary  Hadley  and  Buck  Correy.  Mary  Hadley  was  married  to  Ma 
jor  Clare,  of  the  Staff  of  General  Hood,  and  was  left  behind  after  her 
three  days'  honeymoon.  Our  corps  then  moved  across  to  the  Granny 
White  Pike,  through  Mr.  Lea's  place,  and  went  to  John's  house 
and-  established  headquarters  there.  Our  first  line  was  from  the 
Franklin  Pike,  near  Mr.  Vaulx's,  along  the  ridge  in  front  of  father's 
by  Montgomery's  house  (burned  some  time  ago),  across  to.  the  Hills- 
boro  Pike,  near  Mr.  Rains.'  This  corps  on  the  left,  Lee  in  center, 
and  Cheatham  on  the  right,  extending  over  toward  and  near  to  the 
Murfreesboro  Pike.  We  'remained  thus  for  two  days,  intrenching  and 
building  redoubts  on  our  left.  The  Yanks  were  in  line,  plain  in 


HOOD'S  CAMPAIGN  IN  ^TENNESSEE. 


view  along  the  high  ridge  just  back  of  Mr.  Lawrence's  and  in  front 
of  Mr.  Acklin's. 

There  was  a  force  under  Rousseau  holding  Murfresshcro  which 
General  Hood  was  anxious  to  capture.  He  detached4  the  most  of 
Forrest's  cavalry  and  Bate's  division  to  that  work,  but  they  failed. 
Bate  was  then  ordered  back,  leaving  Forrest.  Here  we  remained 
watching  each  other  and-  intrenched  as  hard  as  we  could  until  the 
morning  of  the  I5th  of  December.  On  that  morning  about  9  o'clock 
it  was  reported  to  me  that  the  enemy  were  advancing  in  heavy  force 
on  the  Hillsboro  Pike  and  in  front  of  General  Loring.  Generals 
French  and  Walthall  had  their  troops  in  bivouac  along  the  east  side 
of  the  Hillsboro  Pike  ready  to  move.  I  informed  General  Stewart, 
who  mounted  and  rode  to  that  point,  leaving  m'e  to  keep  my  office 
open  and  send  dispatches.  I  had  a  signal  station  and  sent  dispatches 
to  Generals  Hood,  Lee  and  Cheatham,  and  received  others.  In  a 
short  time  the  firing  began  and  grew  heavier  as  the  enemy  advanced. 
It  was  soon  perceiveid  that  his  main  attack  would  be  here,  as  his 
whole  army  appeared  to  be  in  our  front.  *  *  *  They  then 
stormed  and  took  redoubt  5,  our  forces  being  entirely  too  small  to 
keep  them  back.  The  re-inforcements  sent  to  us  did  not  arrive  in 
time.  Walthall's  troops  stationed  along  the  pike  in  front  of  these 
works,  were  then  driven  in  and  the  enemy  were  in  the  rear  of  General 
Loring,  which,  of  course,  compelled  him  to  fall  back,  as  did  the  whole 
of  our  line,  until,  dark.  I  remained  in  my  office  until  the  Yankees 
advanced  to  within  three  hundred  yards.  I  then  mounted  and  made 
my  escape  through  the  back  yard,  with  my  clerks,  and  jo:'ned  Gen 
eral  Stewart  in  front  of  Mr.  Planter's,  where  General  Sears  lost  his 
life  very  near  me.  *  *  *  As  our  men  fell  back  before  the  advanc 
ing  Yankees,  Mary  Bradford  ran  out  under  heavy  fire  and  did  all 
she  could  to  induce  the  men  to  stop  and  fight,  appealing  to  them 
and  begging  them,  but  in  vain  —  Dea's  brigade  was  here.  General 
Hood  told  me  yesterday  that  he  intended  to  mention  her  courageous 
conduct  in  his  report,  which  will  immortalize  her.  The  men  seemed 
utterly  lethargic  and  without  interest  in  the  battle.  I  never  witnessed 
such  want  of  enthusiasm  and  began  to  fear  for  to-morrow,  hop 
ing  that  General  Hood  would  retreat  during  the  night,  cross  Duck 
river,  and  then  stop  and  fight,  but  he  would  not  give  it  up.  How 
ever,  he  sent  all  his  wagons  to  Franklin,  which  prepared-  the  men 
still  more  for  the  stampede  of  the  next  day.  *  *  *  The  enemy 
adapted  their  line  to  ours,  and  about  9  a.  m.  began  the  attack  on 
Cheatham,  trying  all  day  to  turn  him  and  get  in  his  tear.  They 
succeeded  about  2  or  3  p.  m.  in  gaining  the  pike  behind  the  gap, 
and-  in  crossing,  got  in  the  rear  of  General  Stewart's  headquarters, 
which  were  on  the  side  of  the  Knob  looking  toward  Nashville.  We 
could  see  the  whole  line  in  our  front  —  every  move,  advance,  attack 
and  retreat.  It  was  magnificent.  What  a  grand  sight  it  was!  I 
could  see  the  Capitol  all  day,  and  the  churches.  The  Yanks  had 
three  lines  of  battle  everywhere  I  could  see,  and  the  parks  of  artil- 


414  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


lery  playing  upon  us  and  raining  shot  and  shell  for  eight  hours.  I 
could  see  nearly  every  piece  in  our  front,  even  the  gunners  at  work. 
They  made  several  heavy  assaults  upon  General  Lee's  line  near 
John  Thompson's,  and  one  in  .front  of  Mrs.  Mullins'.  At  length 
having  gained  our  rear,  about  4  p.  m.  they  made  a  vigorous  assault 
upon  the  whole  line  right  and;  left.  Bate  gave  way,  and  they  poured 
over  in  clouds  behind  Walthall,  which  of  course,  forced  him  to 
give  way,  and  then  by  brigades  the  wjhole  line  from  left  to  right. 
Lee  held  on  bravely  awhile  longer  than  the  center  and  left. 

Here  was  a  scene  which  I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe,  for  it  is 
impossible  to  give  you  any  idea  of  an  army  frightened  and  routed. 
Some  brave  effort  was  made  to  rally  the  men  and  make  a  stand, 
but  all  control  over  them  was  gone,  and  they  flatly  refused  to  stop, 
throwing  d-own  their  guns  and,  indeed,  everything  that  impeded 
their  flight,  and  every  man  fled  for  himself. 

Reynolds'  brigade  was  ordered  to  go  to  the  right  just  before 
the  rout  began,  and  got  to  where  I  was  when  I  halted  it  and  got 
the  General  to  form  it  in  line  across  the  point  of  the  knob  just  in 
the  path  of  the  flying  mass,  hoping  to  rally  some  men  on  this  and 
save  the  rest  by  gaining  time  for  all  to  come  out  of  the  valley. 
Not  a  man  would  stop!  The  First  Tennessee  came  by,  and  its  Col 
onel,  House,  was  the  only  man  who  could  stop  with  us,  and  rind 
ing  none  of  his  men  willing  to  stand,  he,  too,  went  on  his  way.  As 
soon  as  I  found  all  was  lost,  and  the  enemy  closing  in  around  us, 
I  sent  a  courier  to  General  Stewart,  who  had  gone  to  General 
Hood's  headquarters  in  the  rear  of  Lea's  house,  to  inform  him 
of  the  fact  that  he  might  save  himself.  This  courier  was  mortally 
wounded,  and  left  at  Franklin.  Finding  the  enemy  closing  in 
around  us,  and  all  indeed  gone,  I  ordered  the  couriers  and  clerks 
who  were  there  to  follow  me,  and  we  rode  as  we  could-  to  where 
I  thought  General  Stewart  and  General  Hood  were.  They  were 
gone  and  in  their  places  the  Yankees.  I  turned  my  horse's  head 
toward  the  steep  knobs  and  spurred  away.  It  was  the  only  chance 
of  escape  left.  The  first  place  I  struck  the  hill  was  too  steep  for 
my  horse  to  climb,  and  I  skirted  along  the  hills  hoping  to  find 
some  place  easier  of  ascent,  but  none  seemed  to  exist.  Finally  I 
reached  a  place  not  too  steep,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  thousand  re 
treating  soldiers  I  turned  my  horse's  head  for  the  ascent,  resolved 
to  try  it.  The  bullets  began  to  come  thick  and  (fast.  Now,  I  found 
my  saddle  nearly  off,  and  was  forced  to  get  down,  but  on  I  went 
on  foot.  All  alone,  the  poor,  frightened  fellows  were  crying  out 
to  me,  "Let  me  hold  on  to  your  stirrup,  for  God's  sake  "  "Give 
me  your  hand  and  help  me,  if  you  please."  Some  were  wounded 
and  many  exhausted  from  anxiety  and  over-exertion.  On  I  struggled 
until  I,  too,  became  exhausted  and  unable  to  move.  By  this  time 
the  enemy  had  gotten  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  and  were  firing  at 
us  freely.  What  was  I  to  do?  I  twisted  my  hands  in  my  horse's 
mane  and  was  borne  to  the  top  of  the  hill  by  the  noble  animal, 


HOOD^S  CAMPAIGN  IN  TENNESSEE.  415 

more  dead  than  alive.  I  was  safe,  though,  and  so  were  my  men. 
We  descended  the  southern  slope  and  entered  the  deep  valley,  whose 
shades  were  darkened  by  approaching  night.  The  woods  were 
filled  with  our  retreating  men.  I  joined  the  crowd  and  finally  made 
my  way  to  the  Franklin  Pike,  where  I  found  General  Stewart,  who 
was  much  relieved,  for  I  had:  been  reported  as  certainly  killed  or 
captured.  All  night  long  we  fled.  The  Harpeth  was  crossed  and 
a  few  hours  of  rest  allowed,  when  we  started  on  for  Columbia,  then 
Pulaski,  and  then  Bainbridge,  four  miles  above  Florence.  Every 
mind  was  haunted  by  the  apprehension  that  we  did  not  have  boats 
enough  to  make  a  bridge.  On  we  marched  through  ice  and  ian> 
and  snow,  sleeping  on  the  wet  ground  at  night.  Many  thousands 
were  bare-footed,  actually  leaving  the  prints  of  blood  upon  the 
ground,  as  the  enemy  pressed  us  in  the  rear.  When  we  left  the 
pike  at  Pulaski  we  had  an  awful  road,  strewn  with  dead  horses  and 
mules,  broken  wagons,  and  worse  than  all,  broken  pontoons.  We 
counted  as  we  passed  them,  one,  two,  three  to  fifteen. 

Thus  we  toiled  on  till  Christmas  day,  cold  drizzly  and-  muddy 
We  camped  on  the  bank  of  Shoal  creek,  and  our  corps  formed  line 
of  battle  to  protect  the  rear  and  let  all  cross,  if  the  bridge  could 
be  made.  Roddy  had  captured  the  enemy's  pontoons  at  Decatur, 
and  they  were  floated  down  over  the  shoals.  The  bridge  was  made 
and  the  crossing  began.  Then  began  the  fight  with  the  gun-boat£, 
which  tried  to  destroy  our  bridge.  They  were  driven  back  and 
we  crossed.  "All  is  well  that  ends  well."  Every  wagon,  every 
cannon,  every  horse,  every  mule,  the  hogs,  beeves,  cavalry,  infan 
try,  and  finally  every  scout  crossed  over.  The  retreat  continued  to 
this  place,  and  here  we  are,  daily  expecting  orders.  There  were 
many  things  in  this  memorable  campaign  never  to  be  forgotten. 
I  shall  never  forget  the  passage  of  Duck  river — Washington  cross 
ing  the  Deleware  was  insignificant. 

I  wish  I  could  send  you  something,  but  you  know  I  have 
no  means.  I  do  not  despair,  but  hope  to  send  you  and  the  little  fellows 
a  few  things  some  of  these  days. 

Generwal  Hood  has  been  relieved  and  Taylor  is  in  command. 
What  next? 


LIEUTENANT-GENERAL   A.    P.   STEWART'S   TRIBUTE  TO 
GENERAL  JOHN  ADAMS. 

It  is  well  understood  that  General  Hood  should  not  have  fought 
the  battle  of  Franklin,  but  should  have  crossed  the  Harpeth  river 
above  Franklin,  and  interposed  his  army  between  the  enemy  and 
Nashville.  It  has  been  charged  that  he  gave  the  order  to  attack 
at  Franklin  because  of  chagrin  at  his  failure  at  Spring  Hill.  This 
supposition  does  Hood  great  injustice.  A  Federal  courier  had  been 
captured  bearing  dispatches  between  Thomas  and  Schofield  of  the 
Federal  army.  The  tenor  of  the  dispatches  led  Hood  to  believe 
that  Franklin  was  not  in  a  defensible  position,  and  that  therefore, 
as  he  expressed  it,  he  thought  his  "time  to  fight  had  come." 

The  battle  was  one  of  the  bloodiest  of  the  war,  and  developed 
a  vast  amount  of  the  loftiest  heroism  in  the  Confederate  army. 
When  all  the  acts  of  real  genuine  heroism  performed  on  the  Con 
federate  side  during-  the  war,  and  the  names  of  the  men  who  per 
formed  them,  shall  have  been  gathered  up  bv  the  historian,  it  will  be 
found  that  the  grand  old  "Volunteer  State"  o'f  Tennessee  furnished 
her  full  quota. 

At  Franklin  there  was  not  a  more  natural  or  sublimer  display 
of  true  heroism  than  was  made  by  Brigadier-General  John  Adams, 
a  Tennesseean,  comjmanding  a  brigade  in  Loring's  division,  Stew 
art's  corps.  It  was  natural  because  it  emanated  spontaneously  from 
one  whose  very  nature  was  heroic  and  who,  consequently,  could 
not  act  otherwise  than  heroically. 

The  following  descriptions  are  by  Federal  officers  who  wit 
nessed  his  death  at  Franklin.  They  need  no  comment.  Notice 
that  General  Cox's  official  report  says:  "The  officers  showed  the 
most  heroic  example  and  self  sacrifice,"  and  what  was  true  of  the 
officers  was  true  of  the  men. 

General  Cox's  'report,  made  directly  after  the  battle  also  says : 
"On  reaching  the  osage  hedge  in  front  of  Stile's  left,  they  first  en 
deavored  to  force  their  way  through  it.  The  tough  airl  thorny 
shrub  foiled  them,  and  they  attempted  to  file  around  the  hedge  by 
flank  and  under  terrible  withering  fire  from  Stile's  and  Casement's 
brigades  and  the  batteries  on  the  flank. 

In  front  of  Stile's  right  and  Casement's  left,  the  obstructions 
being  fewer,  the  enemy  advanced  rapidly  and  in  fine  order  up  to 
the  breast-works  and  made  desperate  efforts  to  carry  them.  Their 
officers  showed  the  most  heroic  example  and  self  sacrifice,  riding  up 


GENERAL  STEWART'S  TRIBUTE  TO  GENERAL  JOHN  ADAMS 

to  our  lines  in  advance  of  their  mien,  cheering  them  on.  One  gen 
eral  officer  (Adams)  was  shot  down  upon  the  parapet  itself,  his 
horse  falling  dead  across  the  breast-works." 

General  Adams'  tragic  death  at  Franklin  is  described  in  the 
interesting  letters  of  two  Federal  officers,  written  some  years  ago. 
He  survived  only  a  few  minutes,  his  horse  being  killed  instantly 


CAPT.   THOMAS  GIBSON,  A.   A.   G. 

ON  STAtF  OFBKIG.-GEN'L.  JOHN 

ADAMS,     ARMY    OF    TENNESSEE. 

while  astride  the  works,  making  it  one  of  the  most  striking  pictures 
of  heroism  ever  seen. 

The  brigade  entered  the  fight  about  4  o'clock  from  the  rear 
and  east  of  Colonel  McGarock's  house.  General  Adams  was 
self-possessed,  vigilantly  watching  and  directing  the  movements  of 
about  ten  paces  in  front  of  his  line  of  battle,  and  thus  led  his  troops 
for  about  half  a  mile.  Captain  Thomas  Gibson,  his  cousin  and-  a 
member  of  his  staff,  who  was  with  him,  says  that  he  was  calm  and 
self-possessed,  vigilantly  directing  and  watching  the  movements  of 
of  his  men.  When  about  fifty  yards  from  the  enemy's  works  he 
rode  rapidly  from  near  the  right  of  his  brigade  to  near  the  left, 
then  directed  his  course  toward  the  enemy,  and  fell  on  their  works 
pierced  with  nine  bullets.  He  was  wounded  severely  in  his  right 
arm  near  the  shoulder  early  in  the  fight,  and  was  urged  to  leave 
the  field,  but  said:  "No;  I  am  going  to  see  my  men  through." 
The  brigade  suffered  terribly,  having  over  four  hundred  and  fifty 
killed  and  wounded,  many  field  and  line  officers  being  of  the  num 
ber.  After  Adams'  death  General  Robert  Lowry  command-ed  the 
brigade — afterward  governor  of  Mississippi. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Edward  Adams  Baker,  of  the  Sixty-fifth 
Indiana  infantry,  in  the  great  battle  of  Franklin,  Tennessee,  had 
an  experience  with  General  John  Adams,  of  the  Confederate 
Army,  which  induced  him,  years  after  the  war,  to  publish  a  desire 


418 


AND 


ARMV  OF  TENNESSEE. 


for  knowledge  of  his  family.     Having  secured  the  address  of  Mrs. 
Adams  in   St.  Louis,  he  wrote   from  Webb  City,  Missouri,  October 
25th,  1891 : 
Mrs.   General   Adams,    St.   Louis. 

Dear  Madam :  I  am  in  receipt  of  your  very  kind  letter  of  the 
2  ist  instant,  and  hasten  to  reply.  *  *  *  I  have  often  since  the 
great  battle  of  Franklin  asked  myself  the  question.,  who  was  General 


THE  FAMOUS  GIN  HOUSE  IN  FKANKLIN. 

Adams?  Has  he  a  wife  and  children?  And  if  so,  how  much  would 
they  give  to  know  just  how  he  died  and  all  the  facts  as  I  know 
them?  *  *  * 

The  battle  of  Franklin  was  one  of  the  most  desperate  contests 
of  the  war.  I  was  in  command'  of  the  skirmish  line  of  Cox's  divi 
sion.  General  Adams'  and  General  Brown's  brigades,  of  the  Con 
federate  Army,  were  massed  in  front  of  our  division.  We  had  dur 
ing  the  forenoon  thrown  up  breast-works  of  earth  some  ten  feet 
thick  and  five  feet  high,  behind  which  our  men  stood  protected ; 
while  the  enemy  came  up  in  an  open  field  and  charged  upon  us. 
They  had  no  protection,  and  were  mowe'd  down  like  grass  before 
the  scythe.  This  will  explain  to  you  how  desperate  was  the  under 
taking  to  dislodge  our  army  from  behind  this  impenetrable  breast 
work  and  the  sublime  heroism  of  the  men  who  undertook  the  peril 
ous  task  and  almost  succeeded. 

The  Confederates  came  on  with  bayonets  fixed  and  moving 
at  a  steady  walk.  My  skirmishers,  who  were  stationed  some  hun 
dred  yards  in  front  of  our  breast-works,  were  brushed  out  of  the 
way  and  rapidly  fell  back  to  the  main  line.  By  this  time  the 
enemy  was  within  a  few  paces  and  received  a  terrific  volley  from  our 
guns.  They  fell  by  thousands,  and  their  decimated  ranks  tell  back 
to  reform;  and  come  again.  In  this  way  nine  separate  and  distinct 
charges  were  made,  each  time  men  falling  in  every  direction  and 
each  time  being  repulsed.  I  doubt  that  if  in  the  history  of  the  world 


GENERAL  STEWART'S  TRIBUTE  to  GENERAL  joiiN  ADAMS 


a  single  instance  of  such  desperate  and  undaunted  valor  can  be  pro 
duced. 

In  one  of  these  charges,  more  desperate  than  any  that  fol 
lowed,  General  Adams  rode  up  to  our  wQtks  and  cheering  hiis 
men,  made  an  attempt  to  leap  his  horse  over  them.  The  horse  fell 
dead  upon  the  top  of  the  embankment  and  the  General  was  caught 


THE  CARTER  HOUSE,   BATTLE  OF  FRANKLIN. 

under  him,  pierced  with  bullets.  As  soon  as  the  charge  was  re 
pulsed  our  men  sprang  upon  the  works  and  lifted  the  horse,  while 
others  dragged  the  General  from  under  him.  He  was  perfectly 
conscious,  and  knew  his  fate.  He  asked  for  water,  as  all  dying  men 
do  in  battle,  as  the  life  blood  drips  from  the  body.  One  of  my 
men  gave  him  a  canteen  of  water,  while  another  brought  an  arm 
load  of  cotton  from  an  old  gin  near  by  and  made  him  a  pillow. 
The  General  gallantly  thanked*  them,  and,  in  answer  to  our  expres 
sions  of  sorrow  at  his  sad  fate,  he  said:  "It  is  the  fate  of  a  soldier 
to  die  for  his  country,"  and  expired. 

Robert  Baker,  one  of  my  men,  took  the  saddle  from  the  dead 
horse  and  threw  it  in  General  Casement's  ambulance,  who  expressed 
it  to  his  home  in  Ohio.  Some  three  years  ago  I  received  a  letter 
from  General  Casement,  in  which  he  wrote  me  that  he  had  the  sad 
dle  labeled  and  carefully  laid  away  as  a  trophy  of  war.  I  write  a 
letter  to-day  to  the  General,  asking  him,  to  send  the  saddle  -to  me, 
that  I  may  forward  it  to  you. 

I  am  also  glad  to  know  that  you  recovered  the  General's  watch, 
chain  and  ring,  and  will  say  that  if  your  sons — who,  you  infprm 
me,  are  connected  with  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railway— should  have 
business  on  this  branch  of  the  road,  I  would  be  glad  to  have  them 
call  at  my  office.  Mr.  Wilder,  the  agent  here,  knows  me,  and  would 
no  doubt  bring  them.  I  hope  that  my  imperfect  description  may  be 
of  some  interest  to  you. 


420  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


GENERAL  CASEMENT  WRITES  TO  MRS.   GENERAL  ADAMS. 


Painesville,  O.,  November  23,  1891. 
Mrs.  Georgia  McD.  Adams. 

Dear  Madam:  Major  Baker,  of  Webb  City,  Mo.,  informs  me 
that  you  have  expressed  a  desire  to  obtain  the  saddle  used  by  Gen 
eral  Adams  at  Franklin,  Tennessee,  in  his  last  and  fatal  ride  on 
the  unhappy  day  that  caused  so  many  hearts  to  bleed  on  both  sides 
cf  the  line.  It  was  my  fortune  to  stand  in  our  line  within  a  foot 
of  where  the  General  succeeded  in  getting  his  horse's  forelegs  over 
the  line.  The  poor  beast  died  there,  and  was  in  that  position 
when  we  returned  over  the  same  field  more  than  a  month  after  the 
battle.  The  saddle  was  taken  off  the  horse  and  presented  to  me 
before  the  charge  was  fairly  repulsed;  that  is  why  I  have  kept  it  all 
these  years.  It  is  the  only  trophy  I  have  of  the  great  war,  and  I 
am  only  too  happy  to  return  it  to  you.  It  has  never  been  used  since 
the  General  used  it.  It  has  hung  in  our  attic.  The  stirrups  were 
of  wood,  and  I  fear  that  my  boys  in  their  pony  days  must  have  taken 
them,  for  I  cannot  find  them.  I  am  very  sorry  for  it. 

General  Adams  fell  from  his  horse  from  the  position  in  which 
the  horse  died,  just  over  the  line  of  the  works,  which  were  part 
breast-works  and  part  ditch.  As  soon  as  the  charge  was  repulsed 
I  ha'd  him  brought  on  our  side  of  the  works,  and  did  what  we  could 
to  make  him  comfortable.  He  was  perfectly  calm  and  uncomplain 
ing.  He  begged  me  to  send  him  to  the  Confederate  line,  assuring 
me  that  the  men  that  would  take  him  there  would  return  safe.  I 
told  him  that  we  were  going  to  fall  back  as  soon  as  we  could  do 
it  safely,  and  that  he  would  soon  be  in  possession  of  his  friends. 
It  was  a  busy  time  with  me.  Our  line  was  broken  from  near  its 
center  up  to  where  I  stood  in  it,  and  in  restoring  it  and  repulsing 
other  charges  I  was  too  busy  to  again  see  the  General  until  after 
his  gallant  life  had  passed  away.  I  ha'd  his  ring  and  watch  taken 
care  of;  his  pistol  I  gave  to  one  of  the  Colonels  of  my  brigade,  and 
do  not  know  what  became  of  it. 

These  are  briefly  the  facts  connected  with  the  death  of  General 
Adams.  The  ring  and  watch  were  sent  to  you  through  a  flag  of 
truce  and  a  receipt  taken  for  them. 

The  saddle  will  be  expressed  to  you  to-morrow.  Would  that 
I  had  the  power  to  return  the  gallant  rider !  There  was  not  a  man 
in  my  command  that  witnessed-  the  gallant  ride  that  did  not  ex 
press  his  admiration  of  the  rider  and  wish  that  he  might  have  lived 
long  to  wear  the  honors  that  he  so  gallantly  won.  Wishing  you  and 
his  children  much  happiness,  I  am  yours  truly, 

J.    S.    CASEMENT. 


GENERAL  STRAHL  COMMANDED  GENERAL  STEWART'S  RRIGADE.  421 
GENERAL  O.  F.  STRAHL  COMMANDED  GENERAL  STEWART'S  OLD  BRIGADE. 


(By  S.  A.   Cunningham,  Editor  Confederate  Veteran.) 

Otho  French  Strahl,  a  native  of  Ohio,  had  removed  to  the  South 
and  was  practicing  law  at  Dyersburg,  Tenn.,  when  the  war  of  '6i-'6^ 


COL.  S.  A.  CUNNINGHAM," 
EDITOR  CONFEDERATE  VETERAN. 

began.  He  enlisted  promptly  in  the  Confederate  Army,  was  soon 
promoted  to  the  command  of  his  regiment,  the  Fourth  Tennessee 
infantry,  and  then  to  Brigadier-General,  holding  that  position  when 
killed  at  Franklin,  Nov.  30,  1864. 

General  Strahl  was  a  model  character,  and  it  was  said  of  him 
that  in  all  the  war  he  was  never  known  to  use  language  unsuited  to 
the  presence  of  ladies. 

The  editor  of  the  Veteran  was  a  boy  soldier  in  his  brigade — 
Forty-first  Tennessee — and  was  so  thrilled  with  his  noble  record 
on  that  last  eventful  day  and  night,  when  his  gallant  commander 
gave  his  life  for  the  Confederate  cause,  that  he  went  on  the  sacred* 
pilgrimage,  a  few  years  ago,  to  a  Kansas  ranch  to  see  a  sister,  Mrs. 
Sigler,  and  tell  her  of  his  last  hours. 

There  he  procured  the  photograph  herin  engraved,  and  he  saw 
a  memorandum  and  letters  from  the  General's  trunk.  Mr.  Sigler, 


422  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

although  a  Northwesterner,  manifested  much  interest,  and  with 
pride  produced  the  General's  beautiful  gray  uniform  coat,  with  its 
collar  decorated  in  wreathed*  stars. 

In  reply  to  a  remark  of  surprise  that  General  Strahl  should  have 
been  so  zealous  to  his  death  for  the  Confederacy,  his  sister  said  that 
both  of  his  grandmothers  were  Southern  women. 

The  correspondence  and  further  comment  will  be  read  with  in 
terest,  especially  by  all  who  were  familiar  with  the  awful  caniage  at 
Franklin. 

Bishop  Chas.  Todd  Quintard,  who  was  Chaplain  to  the  First 
Tennessee  infantry,  and  has  ever  been  zealous  in  behalf  of  South 
ern  people,  writes: 

I  am  glad  to  know  that  you  have  a  photograph  of  General  Strahl, 
and  pictures  of  the  cotton  gin  and  the  Carter  House.  I  have  a  table 
made  from  the  wood  of  the  cotton  gin. 

The  day  on  which  the  battle  of  Franklin  was  fought  General 
Strahl  presented  me  a  beautiful  mare,  named  Lady  Polk.  His  in 
spector,  Lieutenant  John  Marsh,  as  he  bade  me  adieu,  threw  his 
arms  about  me  and  gave  me  a  farewell  kiss.  My  intercourse  with 
these  two  men  was  of  a  most  sacred  character.  Marsh  had  been 
fearfully  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  I  had  watched 
over  him  on  the  field  and  in  the  hospital.  On  the  22nd  of  February 
I  had  baptized*  him  in  Gilmer  Hospital  near  Marietta;  and  he  was 
confirmed  by  Bishop  Elliott,  of  Georgia,  on  the  day  following.  To 
both  I  had  broken  that  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven.  John 
Marsh  was  knit  to  me  by  the  tenderest  ties  of  friendship.  There 
was  in  him  what  Shaftesbury  calls  the  "most  natural  beauty  in  the 
world."  Honesty  and  moral  truth — honesty  that  was  firm  and  up 
right.  "He  would  not  flatter  Neptune  for  his  trident,  or  Jove  for  his 
power  to  thunder." 

General  Strahl  I  baptized  on  the  2oth  of  April,  and  I  presented 
him  for  confirmation  to  the  Right  Rev.  Stephen  Elliott.  The  fol 
lowing  is  from  the  report  of  Bishop  Elliott,  to  his  convention  in 
1864: 

On  We'cPnesday,  April  2Oth,  services  were  held  in  the  Methodist 
Church,  Dalton,  upon  which  occasion  service  was  read  by  Dr.  Quin 
tard,  and  baptism  administered  to  General  Strahl,  ojf  Tennessee. 
After  service  a  class  was  presented  by  Dr.  Quintard,  among  whom 
were  four  Generals  of  the  Army  of  the  Confederate  States  These 
officers  were  Lieutenant-General  Hardee,  Brigadier-Generals  Strahl, 
Shoup  and  Govan. 

The  Bishop  adds :  The  day  of  Strahl's  death  was  to  me  a  most 
pathetic  one.  He  evidently  felt  that  the  approaching  battle  was  to 
be  his  last — with  many  tender  words  he  bade  me  farewell  I  kept 
the  mare  he  gave  me  through  the  war.  Afterwards  I  'sold  her  and 
with  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  I  erected  a  memorial  window  in  St. 


GENERAL  STRAHL  COMMANDED  GENERAL  STEWARDS  BRIGADE.     423 


James  Church,  Bolivar,  to  his  dear  memory  and  that  of  his  inspec 
tor,  John  Marsh.     I  need  not  say  how  sacred  these  memories  are. 

The  editor  of  the  Veteran  read  the  above  with  moistened  eyes. 
It  is  a  coincidence  like  special  providence  that  these  two  faces,  Strahl 
ami  Marsh,  were  indelibly  impressed  upon  him  in  that  awful  charge 
at  Franklin — his  position  being  right  guide  to  the  brigade,  he  was 


GEN  L.   OTHO  F.   STRAHL. 

near  Strahl  in  the  fatal  advance;  and  was  pained  at  the  extreme 
sadness  in  Strahl's  face.  He  was  surprised,  too,  that  his  General 
went  in  the  battle  on  foot.  Lieutenant  Marsh,  who  formerly  be 
longed  to  the  artillery,  and  with  a  stiff  arm  from  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga — he  always  wore  an  artillery  jacket — was  on  his  white 
horse  in  advance  of  the  line  of  battle  up  to  within  about  three  hundred 
yards  of  the  breast-works.  There  was  in  his  face  an  indescribable 
expression — while  animated  and  rather  playful,  there  was  mingled  in 
its  heroic  action  evidence  that  he  felt  he  was  on  the  brink  of  eternity. 
But  he  wavered  not  and  rode  on  and  on  until  rider  and  horse  lay 
dead  before  us,  terribly  mangled  with  bullets.  How  strange  that 
these  reminiscences  come  to  the  writer  to  be  recorded  for  the  entire 
Southland  so  many  years  after  the  event ! 


An    acount    of    personal    experience    in    the    battle    of    Franklin 


424 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


went  the  rounds  of  the  Southern  press  a  few  years  ago,  in  which 
the  following  occurred: 

I  was  near  General  Strahl,  who  stood  in  the  ditch  and  handted 
up  guns  to  those  posted  to  fire  them.  I  had  passed  to  him  my  short 
Enfield  (noted  in  the  regiment)  about  the  sixth  time.  The  man 
who  had  been  firing,  cocked  it  and  was  taking  deliberate  aim,  when 


BISHOP  CHAS.   T.   QUINTARD. 

he  was  shot  and  tumbled  down  dead  into  the  ditch  upon  those  killed 
before  him.  When  the  men  so  exposed  were  shot  down  ,their  places 
were  supplied  by  volunteers  until  these  were  exhausted,  and  it  was 
necessary  for  General  Strahl  to  call  for  others.  He  turned  to  me, 
and  though  I  was  several  feet  back  from  the  ditch,  I  rose  up  im 
mediately  ,and  walking  over  the  wounded  and  dead,  took  position 
with  one  foot  upon  the  pile  of  bodies  of  my  dead  fellows,  and  the 
other  upon  the  embankment,  and  fired  guns  which  the  General  him 
self  handed  up  to  me  until  he,  too,  was  shot  down.  One  other  man 


GENERAL  STRAHL    COMMANDED  GENERAL  STEWART'S  BRIGADE.     425 

had  position  on  my  right,  and  assisted  in  the  firing.  The  battle 
lasted  until  not  an  efficient  man  was  left  between  us  ami  the  Colum 
bia  Pike,  some  fifty  yards  to  our  right,  and  hardly  any  behind  us 
to  hand  up  guns.  Indeed  but  few  of  us  were  then  left  alive.  It  seemed 
as  if  we  had  no  choice  but  to  surrender  or  try  to  get  away ;  and  when 
I  asked  General  Strahl  for  counsel,  he  simply  answered,  "Keep  fir 
ing."  But  just  as  the  man  to  my  right  was  shot,  and  fell  against 
me  with  terrible  groans,  he,  too,  was  shot.  He  threw  up  his  hands, 
falling  on  his  face,  and  I  thought  him  dead,  but  in  asking  the  dy 
ing  man,  who  still  lay  against  my  shoulders  as  he  sank  forever,  how 
he  was  wounded,  the  General,  who  had  not  been  killed,  thinking  my 
question  was  to  him,  raised  up  saying  that  he  was  shot  in  the  neck, 
and  called  for  Colonel  Stafford  to  turn  over  his  command.  He 
crawled  over  the  dead,  the  ditch  being  three  deep,  about  twenty 
feet  to  where  Colonel  Stafford  was.  Staff  officers  arid  others  started 
to  carry  him  to  the  rear,  but  he  received  another  shot,  and  directly 
the  third,  which  killed  him  instantly.  Colonel  Stafford  was  dead 
in  the  pile,  as  the  morning  light  disclosed,  with  his  feet  wedged  in 
at  the  bottom,  other  dead  across  and  under  him  after  he  fell,  leaving 
his  bo!d;y  half  standing  as  if  ready  to  give  command  to  the  dead ! 

By  that  time  but  a  handful  of  us  were  left  on  that  part  of  tho 
line,  and  as  I  was  sure  that  our  condition  was  not  known,  I  ran 
to  the  rear  to  report  to  General  John  C.  Brown,  commanding  the 
division.  I  met  Major  Hampton  of  his  staff,  who  told  me  that  Gen 
eral  Brown  was  wounded,  and  that  General  Strahl  was  in  command. 
This  assured  me  that  those  in  command  did  not  know  the  real  sit 
uation,  so  I  went  on  the  hunt  for  General  Cheatham.  Ah,  the  loyalty 
of  faithful  comrades  in  such  a  struggle ! 

These  personal  recollections  are  all  that  I  can  give,  as  the  greater 
part  of  the  battle  was  fought  after  nightfall,  and  once  in  the  midst 
of  it,  with  but  the  light  of  the  flashing  guns,  I  could  only  see  what 
passed  directely  under  my  sight.  True,  the  moon  was  shining;  but 
the  dense  smoke  and  dust  so  filled  the  air  as  to  weaken  its  bene 
fits,  like  a  heavy  fog  before  the  rising  sun,  only  there  was  no  promise 
of  the  fog  disappearing.  Our  spirits  were  crushed.  It  was  indeed 
the  Valley  of  Death. 


BATTLES  OF  FRANKLIN  AND  NASHVILLE. 

Reports  of  Lieutenant  General  Alexander  P.  Stewart,  C.  S.  Army, 
commanding  Army  corps,  of  operations  November  29,  1864  to  Janu 
ary  20,  1865. 

Headquarters  Stewart's  Corps,  Army  of  Term., 

Near  Tupelo,  Miss.,  Jan.  20,  1865. 

Sir:      The    following    brief   outlines    of   the    operations    of    this 
corps  from  November  29,   1864,  to  the  close  of  the  campaign  is  re 
spectfully    submitted.      It    is    necessarily    an    imperfect    report,    being 
made  at  the  request  of  the  commanding  general,  without  the  aid  of 
the  report  of  subordinate  commariders. 

On  Tuesday,  November  29,  following  Cheatham's  corps,  we 
crossed  Duck  river  near  Columbia  and  arrived  near  sunset  at  Ruther 
ford  creek.  Crossing  it  I  moved  to  the  right  of  Cheatham's  corps, 
then  in  line  near  the  pike  from  Columbia  to  Franklin,  and  about  n 
p.  m.  bivouacked  in  rear  of  his  right. 

The  next  morning  (3Oth)  we  moved  at  daylight,  taking  the 
advance  in  pursuit  of  the  retreating  enemy.  About  midday  we  came 
in  sight  of  his  line  formed'  on  a  commanding  ridge  some  two  miles 
from  Franklin.  In  compliance  with  the  instructions  of  the  com 
mand-ing  general,  I  moved  to  the  right  toward  Harpeth  river  and 
formed  to  attack  the  enemy  who  fell  back  to  an  entrenched  line  around 
the  town.  Loring's  division  was  to  the  right,  Walthall's  in  the  center, 
French's  on  the  left.  Ector's  brigade,  of  the  last  named  division, 
marched  from  Florence  as  guard  to  the  pontoon  train  and  had  not 
rejoined.  Buford's  'division  of  cavalry  covered  the  space  between 
Loring's  right  and  the  river,  while  another  was  thrown  across  to 
the  other  bank.  In  the  meantime  Cheatham's  corps  was  formed  for 
attack,  and  the  two  corps  were  to  move  forward  simultaneously.  I 
had  one  battery  only,  the  pieces  of  which  were  distributed  to  the 
three  divisions.  About  4  p.  m.  a  staff  officer  from  the  command 
ing  general  brought  me  the  order  to  advance,  and4  the  word  forward 
was  given.  A  body  of  the  enemy's  cavalry  in  front  of  Loring  and 
the  division  on  his.  right  was  soon  routed,  and  the  cavalry  division 
(Buford's)  ceased  to  operate  with  us.  The  line  moved  forward 
in  fine  order,  the  men  in  high  spirits  drove  the  enemy  from  his  outer 
line  and  fiercely  assailed  the  second.  The  ground  over  wh.ch  Lor 
ing's  division  advanced  was  obstructed  by  a  deep  railroad  cut  and  an 
abatis  and  hedge  of  osage  orange.  With  these  exceptions  the  spaco 
in  front  of  the  enemy's  position  on  our  side  was  perfectly  open  and 


BATTLES  OF  ERANKLIN  AND  NASHVILLE.  427 

swept  by  a  terrible  and  destructive  cross-fire  of  artillery  from  the 
works  and  from  the  opposite  bank  of  the  narrow  stream — the  Har- 
peth.  The  men,  however,  pressed  forward  again  and  again  with 
dauntless  courage,  to  the  ditch  around  the  inner  line  of  the  work; 
which  they  failed  to  carry,  but  where  many  of  them  remained,  sep 
arated  from  the  enemy  only  by  the  parapet  until  the  Federal  Army 
withdrew., 

A  return  of  casualties  has  heretofore  been  made,  the  number 
reported  amounting  to  something  over  2,000  in  killed,  wounded, 
and  missing.  Among  them  were  many  of  our  best  officers  and 
bravest  men.  Brigadier-General  John  Adams  was  killed,  his  horse 
being  found  across  the  inner  line  of  the  enemy's  works.  Brigadier- 
General  Scott  was  paralyzed  by  the  explosion  near  him  of  a  shell. 
Brigadiier-Generals  Quarles  and  Cockrell  were  wouinded  severely, 
the  former  subsequently  becoming  a  prisoner.  Major  Geneial- Walt- 
hall  had  two  horses  killed  and  was  himself  severely  bruised.  Many 
field  and  staff  and  company  officers  were  either  killed  or  severely 
wounded ;  they  deserve  special  mention ;  but  not  yet  having  received 
reports  from  divisions,  brigades,  and  regiments,  it  is  nut  in  my 
power  to  give  all  their  names  or  to  do  justice  to  their  heroic  conduct. 

On  Friday,  December  2,  we  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Nashville, 
finally  taking  a  position  on  the  left  of  the  army  extending  across  the 
Granny  White  (or  middle  Franklin)  pike  to  a  hill  near  the  Hills- 
borough  pike.  This  line  was  entrenched,  was  just  a  mile  1'n  length, 
and  occupied  by  Loring's  division  alone.  To  protect  our  left  flank, 
works  were  conmmenced  on  four  other  hills  lying  along  near  to  and 
on  either  side  of  the  Hillsborough  pike  ,the  one  fartherest  in  real- 
being  some  mile  and  a  half  distant  from  the  left  of  the  f^ont  line. 
This  latter  line,  to  the  left  of  the  Hillsborough  pike,  was  prolonged 
toward  Cumberland  river  by  the  cavalry,  though  toward  the  last 
of  our  stay  there  Ector's  brigade,  undfer  Colonel  Coleman,  was  placed 
on  picket  on  the  Harding  pike,  having  Chalmer's  cavalry  on  his  right 
and  left. 

On  the  morning  of  December  I5th  information  was  received 
that  the  enemy  was  advancing  west  of  the  Hillsboro  pike.  Gen 
eral  Walthall,  whose  troops  were  in  bivouac,  excepting  the  working 
parties  engaged  on  the  flank  redoubts,  was  directed  to  place  his  men 
under  arms  and  man  the  redoubts.  General  French  having  received 
leave  of  absence,  his  division  which  was  small,  was  attached  to 
General  Walthall's.  Finding  the  enemy  were  advancing  in  force, 
and!  that  Ector's  brigade  and  the  cavalry  were  forced  to  retire,  all 
of  Walthall's  command  not  required  for  the  redoubts  was  placed 
behind  the  stone  fence  along  the  Hillsborough  pike  between  redoubc 
numbered  3  and  4  on  the  accompanying  map.  This  map  exhibits  the 
position  of  Loring's  division  in  the  front  line  of  the  five  hills  crowned 
with  unfinished  works,  and  of  Walthall's  command,  including  his  own 
and  French's  divisions.  Each  redoubt  contained  a  section  or  battery 
of  artillery,  and  from  100  to  150  infantry.  The  enemy  appeared 


428 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


in  force  along  the  entire  line  extending  around  redoubts  I,  2,  and  3, 
and  as  far  as  or  beyond  4  and  5.  My  own  line  was  stretched  to  its 
utmost  tension,  but  could  not  reach  far  enough  toward  4  and  5  with 
out  leaving  the  way  open  to  the  enemy  between  Loring's  left  and 
Walthall's  right.  The  commanding  general  who  was  notified  as 
soon  as  practicable  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  sent  me  as  re-en- 


MRS.  JOHN  MCGAVOCK. 


forcements,  first,  Manigault's  and  soon  after  Deas'  brigades  of 
Johnson's  division,  Lee's  corps,  and  later  the  two  remaining  brigades 
of  that  division,  and  I  was  informed  that  one  or  more  divisions 
from  Cheatham's  corps  (the  extreme  right)  had  been  ordered  to  the 
left.  As  the  object  of  the  enemy  seemed  to  be  to  turn  our  left  flank 
by  carrying  'the  redoubts  4  and  5,  Manigault's  brigade  on  coming 
up  was  moved  in  line  about  parallel  to  the  Hillsborough  Pike  and 
opposite  redoubt  4.  Major  General  Johnson  arriving  soon  after 
wards  was  directed  to  place  Deas'  brigade  on  Manigault's  right,  so 
as  to  connect  with  Walthall's  line.  By  this  time  the  enemy  had  car 
ried  redoubts  4  and  5  and  had  captured  many  of  the  men  and  all  the 


BATTLES  oF  FRANKLIN  AND  NASHVILLE.  429 

artillery  in  them,  besides  killing  and  wounding  many,  and  were  mak 
ing-  for  the  pike.  The  two  brigades  named,  making  but  feeble  re 
sistance,  fled,  and  the  enemy  crossed  the  pike,  passing  Walthall's 
left.  Loring's  line  being  not  yet  passed,  a  battery  had  beei*  ordered- 
from  it,  which,  arriving  just  at  this  moment,  was  placed  on  a  com 
manding  hill,  and  these  same  brigades  rallied  to  its  support.  They 


THE  OVERTON  HOME,  HEADQUARTERS  OF  GENER 
AL   J.   B.   HOOD,  UNTIL  THE  OPENING  OF 
THE  BATTLE  OF  NASHVILLE. 

again  fled,  however,  on  the  approach  of  the  enemy  abandoning  the 
battery  which  was  captured.  By  this  time  the  other  brigades  of 
Johnson's  division  had  come  up,  but  were  unable  to  check  the  pro 
gress  of  the  enemy  who  had  passed  the  Hillsborough  Pike  a  full 
half  mile,  completely  turning  our  flank  and  gaining  the  rear  of  both 
Walthall  and  Loring,  whose  situation  was  becoming  perilous  in  the 
extreme.  Their  positions  were  maintained  to  the  last  possible  mo 
ment,  in  the  hope  that  the  expected  succor  would  arrive  and  restore 
the  flight  on  the  left.  Deeming  it  absolutely  necessary  for  them  to 
fall  back,  orders  were  dispatched  to  that  effect,  when  it  was  found 
that  Walthall  had  already  ordered  his  line  to  retire  not  a  moment 
too  soon,  and  this  of  itself  made  it  necessary  for  Loring  to  with 
draw.  The  latter  was  directed  also  to  form  along  the  Granny  White 
Pike  (which  would  place  him  nearly  at  right  angles  to  his  former 
position)  to  check  the  anticipated  rush  of  the  enemy  from  his  and 
Walthall's  fronts.  This  was  gallantly  and  successfully  done  by  this 
fine  division,  the  corps  retiring  to  a  position  between  Granny  White 
and  Franklin  pikes  when  night  put  an  end  to  the  conflict. 

Brigadier-General   Sears  late  in  the  day  lost  a  leg,  and  subse- 


430 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


quently  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands.     All  the  artillery  in  the  redoubts, 
the  battery  above  mentioned  and  another  on  Loring's  line,  the  horses 


I 


BATTLES  OF  FRANKLIN  AND  NASHViLLFl. 


of  which  were  killed  or  wounded,  were  captured  by  the  enemy. 

In  the  meantime  one  or  two  divisions  from  Cheatharn's  corps 
had  come  up  on  the  left  where  the  commanding  general  was  in  per 
son,  but  being  separated  from  that  part  of  the  field  I  am  unable  to 
state  what  occurred.  Also  Ector's  brigade,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Coleman,  in  falling  back  from  its  position  on  the  Harding  Pike,  was 
thrown  over  on  the  left  and  beyond  my  personal  observation.  The 
report  of  Colonel  Coleman  is,  therefore,  referred  to  for  account  of 
its  operations,  which  I  have  been  told  were  characterized  by  the 
usual  intrepidity  of  this  small  but  firm  and  reliable  body  of  men. 

During  the  night  of  the  1  5th,  the  army  was  placed  in  position 
to  receive  the  attack  expected  at  an  early  hour  next  morning.  The 
map  shows  the  position  of  this  corps,  it  being  in  the  center,  Lee's 
corps  on  the  right,  Cheatharn's  on  the  left,  extending  from  the  hill 
occupied  by  Bate's  division,  Cheatharn's,  corps,  along  the  range 
of  hills  on  the  west  side  of  the  Granny  White  pike.  The  line  of  this 
corps  extended  from  the  side  of  the  hill  occupied  by  Bate  across 
the  pike,  along  a  stone  fence  on  the  east  side  of  the  pike.  In  rear  of  the 
line  and  some  half  mile  or  more  distant  a  high  ridge  lies  in  a  gen 
eral  east  and  west  direction,  through  the  gaps  of  which  run  the 
Franklin,  Granny  White,  and  other  pikes.  It  was  the  or  Jer  of  th^ 
commanding  general  that  in  case  of  disaster  Lee's  corps  should  hold 
the  Franklin  pike,  this  corps  retiring  by  that  pike  and  taking  up  posi 
tion  at  or  beyond  Brentwood,  so  as  to  permit  Lee  to  withdraw,  while 
Cheatham  was  to  move  out  on  the  Granny  White  pike.  Instructions 
accordingly  were  given  to  subordinate  commanders. 

At  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  the  enemy  approached,  placing 
artillery  in  position  and  opening  a  heavy  fire,  which  continued  almost 
incessantly  through  the  day.  They  confronted  us  everywhere  with 
a  force  double  or  treble  our  own.  Occasional  attacks  were  made  on  vari 
ous  parts  of  our  lines  and  repulsed,  through  their  chief  efforts  seemed 
to  be  directed  against  our  flanks  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  the  roads 
in  our  rear.  Every  attack  made  on  the  lines  occupied  by  this  corps 
to  the  last  was  repulsed  with  severe  loss  to  the  enemy. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning,  the  commanding  general  calling 
on  me  for  a  brigade  to  go  to  the  right  flank,  Ector's,  being  in  reserve 
was  dispatched.  It  was  finally  sent  to  the  hills  in  our  rear  and  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Granny  White  pike  to  drive  back  the  enemy  who 
had  passed  our  left,  crossed  to  the  east  side  of  the  pike,  and  held 
this  portion  of  the  ridge.  Later  in  the  day  Reynold's  (Arkansas) 
brigade  was  withdrawn  from  Walthall's  line  and  sent  to  the  assist 
ance  of  Ector's.  They  were  strong  enough  to  check  the  enemy,  but 
not  sufficiently  so  to  drive  him  back  and  regain  the  pass  by 
which  this  pike  crosses  the  ridge,  so  that  retreat  was  cut  off  in  that 
direction  and  greatly  endangered  even  by  the  Franklin  pike,  the  only 
route  now  left  open  for  the  entire  army.  At  one  time  the  enemy 
gained  the  spurs  on  the  west  side  of  the  Granny  White  pike  and 
occupied  by  Cheatharn's  men,  some  of  whom,  falling  back,  formed 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


parallel  to  Bate's  line,  on  the  south  side  of  the  hill  occupied  by  his 
division,  but  a  few  hundred  yards  from  his  line  and  fronting  in  the 
opposite  direction. 

The  situation  then,  briefly,  was  this:  The  left  flank  completely 
turned,  the  enemy  crossing  to  the  east  side  of  the  Granny  White  pike 
in  our  rear,  and  holding  the  ridge  on  that  side  and  the  pass  through 
which  this  road  runs.  The  ridge  was  high  and  steep  and  extended 
beyond)  the  Franklin  pike  to  the  east,  and  was  but  a  short  distance 
in  rear  of  our  line.  It  seemed  as  though  in  case  of  disaster  escape 
was  impossible.  There  was  no  reserve  force  that  could  be  brought 
up  to  restore  any  break  that  might  occur. 

About  two  or  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  command 
ing  general  sent  for  me,  and  while  in  conversation  with  him  an  officer 
of  his  staff  announced  that  the  line  had  given  way.  Not  being  pres 
ent  at  the  moment  this  took  place,  at  least  where  I  could  witness 
it,  and  not  yet  being  in  possession  of  the  official  reports  of  subordin 
ate  commanders,  I  do  not  deem  it  proper  to  decide  where  the  line 
first  yielded.  It  would  seem,  however,  that  when  once  broken  it 
very  soon  gave  way  everywhere,  and  the  whole  army  made  for  the 
Franklin  pike.  In  accordance  with  the  orders  of  the  commanding 
general  before  alluddd  to,  I  had  dispatched4  Major  Foster  of  the 
engineers,  to  find  a  suitable  position  beyond  Brentwood  for  holding 
this  road. 

On  reaching  Brentwoodl,  however,  about  dark  I  received  orders 
to  move  on  to  Franklin,  and  the  next  morning  to  move  toward  Spring 
Hill  and  Columbia.  Arriving  at  the  latter  place  on  the  morning  of 
the  1  8th,  this  corps  took  position  on  the  north  bank  of  Duck  river, 
covering  the  passage  of  the  entire  army,  and  crossing  about  day 
light  of  the  2Oth  ;  so  the  following  week  at  Tennessee  river,  Bain- 
bridge,  this  corps  covered  the  operations,  and  was  the  last  to  cross, 
which  it  did  on  the  moaning  of  December  28th.  At  Columbia,  a 
rear  guard!  composed  of  several  brigades  from  this  and  other  corps 
was  organized  and  placed  under  the  command  of  Major  General 
Walthall.  This  force,  in  connection  with  the  cavalry,  covered  the 
retreat  from  Columbia  to  Tennessee  river. 

It  is  due  to  the  officers  and  men  of  this  corps  that  I  should 
bear  testimony  of  their  patient  endurance  of  fatigue  and  privation, 
their  cheerfulness  and  alacrity  in  obeying  orders,  and  above  all,  their 
heroic  valor  as  displayed  on  many  occasions  since  I  have  had  the 
honor  to  command  them,  but  pre-eminently  at  Franklin. 

My  thanks  are  due  to  Major  Generals  Loring,  WaUhall,  and 
French  for  their  cordial  co-operation  and  skillful  management  of 
their  respective  divisions  and  to  the  several  members  of  my  staff 
who  have  uniformly  shown  themselves  competent,  faithful,  and  zeal 
ous  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties. 

I  have  omitted  to  state  in  its  proper  place  that  a  short  time  after 
our  advance  to  the  vicinity  of  Nashville,  Cockrill's  brigade  of  Mis- 


BATTLES  OF  FRANKLIN  AND  NASHVILLE. 


433 


sourians,  French's  division,  was  ordered  by  the  commanding  general 
to  the  mouth  of  Duck  river.  It  rejoined  at  Brainbridge  where  we 
re-crossed  the  Tennessee  river. 

Accompanying  this  report  are  maps  of  the  fields  of  Franklin 
and  Nashville,  as  accurate  as  it  is  possible  to  make  them. 

I  deem  it  proper  to  say  that  after  the  fall  of  Atlanta  the  con 
dition  of  the  army  and  other  considerations  rendered  it  necessary, 
in  my  judgment,  that  an  offensive  campaign  should  be  made  in  the 
enemy's  rear  and  on  his  line  of  communications.  It  is  not  my  pur 
pose,  nor  does  it  pertain  to  me,  to  explain  the  reasons  which  prompted 
the  campaign,  but  simply  to  express  my  concurrence  in  the  views 
which  determined  the  operations  of  the  army. 

I  am,  Colonel,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  P.  STEWART, 

Lieutenant-General. 
COL.  A.  P.  MASON, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

Headquarters  Army  of   Tennessee, 

Near  Smithfield  Depot,  N.  C,  April  3,  1865. 

Sir:  In  my  report  of  the  operations  of  my  corps  during 
the  campaign  made  by  General  Hood  in  Tennessee,  I  omitted  the  de 
tails  of  what  transpired  near  Spring  Hill  during  the  afternoon 
and  night  of  the  29th  of  November,  1864.  I  respectfully  submit  the 
following  statement  and  ask  that  it  be  filed  as  a  part  of  my  report. 

On  the  morning  of  November  2Qth  General  Hood  moved  with 
Cheatham's  corps,  and  mine  and  Johnson's  division  of  Lee's  corps, 
(the  latter  reported  to  me)  Cheatham's  corps  in  advance.  We  made 
a  forced  march  to  get  in  rear  of  the  enemy.  In  the  course  of  the 
afternoon  about  3  o'clock,  I  reached  Rutherford's  creek  as  Cheatham's 
rear  division  was  crossing.  I  received  orders  to  halt  and  form  on 
the  south  side  of  the  creek,  my  right  to  rest  on  or  near  the  creek 
so  as  to  move  down  the  creek  if  necessary.  Subsequently  I  received' 
an  order  to  send  a  division  across  the  creek,  and  finally,  between  sun 
set  and  dark,  an  order  was  received  to  cross  the  creek,  leading  a  di 
vision  on  the  south  side.  Johnson's  division  being  in  rear,  was  desig 
nated  to  remain.  Riding  in  advance  of  the  column,  about  dusk,  I 
found  General  Hood  some  half  mile  from  the  creek  and  about  as 
far  west  of  the  road  on  which  we  were  marching  and  vvhich  led 
to  Spring  Hill.  The  commanding  general  gave  me  a  young  man  of 
the  neighborhood  as  a  guide  and  told  me  to  move  on  and  place  my 
right  across  the  pike  beyond  Spring  Hill,  "your  left,"  he  added, 
"extending  down  this  way."  This  would  have  placed  my  line  in  rear 
of  Cheatham's,  except  that  my  right  would  have  extended  beyond  his. 
The  guide  informed  me  that  at  a  certain  point  the  road  made  a  sudden 
turn  to  the  left,  going  into  Spring  Hill;  that  from  this  bend  there 
used  to  be  a  road  leading  across  the  pike  meeting  it  at  the  toll-gate 
some  mile  and  a  half  beyond  Spring  Hill,  toward  Franklin.  I  told 


434 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


him  if  he  could  find  it,  that  was  the  right  road.     Arriving  at  the  bend 
of  the   road   we  passed   through   a  large  gateway,   taking  what  ap- 


1 


BATTLES  OF  FRANKLIN  AND  NASHVILLE.  435 

peared  in  the  darkness  to  be  an  indistinct  path.     Within  a  short  dis 
tance  I  found  General  Forrest's  headquarters  and  stopped  to  ascer 
tain  the  position  of  his  pickets  covering  Cheatham's  right  and*  of  the 
enemy.     He  informed  me  that  his  scouts  reported  the  enemy  leaving 
the  ,direct  pike — leading  from  Spring  Hill  to  Franklin  and  Nashville 
— and  taking  the  one  down   Carter's  creek.     While  in  conversation 
with  him  I  was  informed  that  a  staff  officer  from  General  Hood  had 
come  up  and  halted  the  column.    It  turned  out  to  be  a  staff  (engineer) 
officer  of  General  Cheatham's,  who  informed  me  that  General  Hood 
had  sent  him  to  place  me  in  position.     It  striking  me  as  strange  that 
the  commanding  general  should  send  an  officer  not  of  his  own  staff 
on  this  errand,  or  indeed  any  one,  as  he  had  given  directions  to  me 
in  person,   I   inquired   of  the  officer  if  he  had   seen   General   Hood 
since  I  had.     He  replied  that  he  had  just  come  from  General  Hood 
and  that  the  reason  why  he  was  sent  was  that  I  was  to  go  in  posi 
tion    on    General    Brown's    right    (the    right    of    Cheatham's    corps.) 
and  he  and  General  Brown  had  been  over  the  ground  by  daylight. 
Thinking    it    possible    the    commanding    general    had    changed    his 
mind  as  to  what  he  wished  me  to  do,  I  concluded  it  was  proper  to  be 
governed  by   the   directions   of  this   staff  officer,   and   therefore   re 
turned  to  the  road  and'  moved  on  toward  Spring  Hill.     Arriving  near 
the  line  of  Brown's  division,  General  Brown  explained  his  position, 
which  was  oblique  to  the  pike,  his  right  being  farther  from  it  than 
his  left.     It  was  evident  that  if  my  command  were  marched  up  and 
formed  on  his  right,  it  being  now  a  late  hour,  it  would  require  all 
night   to   accomplish   it,   and   the   line,    instead   of   extending   across 
the  pike,  would  bear  away  from  it.     Feeling  satisfied  there  was  a  mis 
take,  I  directed  the  troops  to  be  bivoucked,  while  I  rode  back  to  find 
the   commanding  general   to   explain   my   situation,   and   ge-t   further 
instructions.     On  arriving  at  his  quarters  I  inquired  of  him  if  he  had 
sent  this  officer  of  General  Cheatham's  staff  to  place  me  in  position. 
He  replied  that  he  had.     I  next  inquired  if  he  had  changed  his  mind 
as  to  what  he  wished  me  to  do.     He  replied  that  he  had,  "But,"  said 
he,   "the   fact  is,   General   Cheatham  has  been  here   and4  represented 
that   there  ought  to  be  somebody   on   Brown's   right."     I   explained 
to  him  that  in  the  uncertainty  I  was  in,  I  had  directed  the  troops, 
who  had  been  marching  rapidly  since  daylight,  and  it  was  now   n 
p.   m.   to  be   placed   in   bivouac,   and   had   come   to   report.      He   re 
marked,  in  substance,  that  it  was  not  material;  to  let  the  men  rest; 
and  directed  me  to  move  before  'daylight  in  the  morning,  taking  the 
advance  toward  Franklin.     Subsequently  General  Hood  made  to  me 
the  statement: 

"I   wish   you   and   your   people   to   understand   that   I   attach   no 
blame  to  you  for  the  failure  at  Spring  Hill ;  on  the  contrary    I  know 


436  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

if  I  had  had  you  there  the  attack  would  have  been  made." 

Very   respectfully,   general,   your   obedient   servant, 

ALEX.  P.  STEWART, 

Lieutenant-General. 
GENERAL  S.  COOPER, 

Adjutant  and  Inspector  General,  Richmond,  Va. 


ADDENDA. 


Chester,  S.  C,  April  9,   1865. 

My  Dear  General:  Before  leaving  for  Texas  I  desire  to  say 
I  am  sorry  to  know  that  some  of  your  friends  thought  that  I  in 
tended  some  slight  reflection  on  your  conduct  at  Spring  Hill.  You 
did  all  that  I  could  say  or  claim  that  I  'would  have  done  under 
similar  circumstances  myself.  That  great  opportunity  passed  with 
daylight.  Since  I  have  been  informed  that  your  friends  felt  that  my 
report  led-  to  uncertainty  as  to  yourself  and  troops,  I  regret  that  I  did 
not  make  myself  more  clear  in  my  report  by  going  more  into  de 
tail  about  the  staff  officer  of  General  Cheatham.  I  only  regret,  Gen 
eral,  that  I  did  not  have  you  with  your  corps  in  front  on  that  day. 
I  feel,  and  have  felt,  that  Tennessee  to-day  would  have  been  in  our 
possession.  Your  friend, 

J.    B.    HOOD. 


THE  SPRING  HILL  MYSTERY  SOLVED. 


The  following  communication,  written  by  Governor  ( afterward 
Senator)  Harris  of  Tennessee,  then  acting  as  aide  to  General  Hood, 
is  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  history  of  this  campaign.  It  is 
copied  from  Drake's  "Annals  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee,"  for  May, 
1877.  A  copy  was  furnished  to  General  Hood: 
Gov.  James  D.  Porter. 

Dear  Sir:  In  answer  to  yours  of  the  I2th  instant,  I  have  to 
say  that  on  the  night  that  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  under  command 
of  General  J.  B.  Hood,  halted  at  Spring  Hill  on  its  march  from  Co 
lumbia  to  Nashville,  General  Hood,  his  adjutant-general  Major  Ma 
son,  and  myself  occupied  the  same  room  at  the  residence  of  Captain 
Thompson,  near  the  village.  Late  at  night  we  were  aroused  by  a 
private  soldier,  who  reported  to  General  Hood  that  on  reaching  the 
camp  near  Spring  Hill,  he  found  himself  within  Federal  lines ;  that 
the  troops  were  in  great  confusion,  a  part  of  them  were  marching 
in  the  direction  of  Franklin,  others  had  turned  toward  Columbia, 
and  that  the  road1  was  blocked  with  baggage-wagons  and  gun  car 
riages,  rendering  it  impossible  to  move  in  order  in  either  direction. 
Upon  the  receipt  of  this  report,  General  Hood  directed  Major  Ma 
son  to  order  General  Cheatham  to  move  down  the  road  immediately 
and  attack  the  enemy.  General  Hood  and  myself  remained  in  bed. 
I  went  to  sleep,  and  I  suppose  that  General  Hood  did  the  same. 


BATTLES  OF  FRANKLIN  AND  NASHVILLE.  437 

At  daylight  on  the  following  morning  we  learned  that  the  Federal 
Army  had  left  Spring  Hill  and  was  being  concentrated  at  Franklin. 
On  the  march  to  Franklin,  General  Hood  spoke  to  me,  in  the 
presence  of  Major  Mason,  of  the  failure  of  General  Cheatham  to 
make  the  night  attack  at  Spring  Hill,  and  censured  him  in  severe 
terms  for  the  disobedience  of  orders.  Soon  after  this,  being  alone 
with  Major  Mason,  the  latter  remarked  that  "General  Cheatham  was 
not  to  blame  about  the  matter  last  night.  I  did  not  send  him  the 
order."  I  asked  if  he  had  communicated  the  fact  to  General  Hood. 
He  answered  that  he  had  not.  I  replied  that  it  is  due  to  General 
Cheatham  that  this  explanation  should  be  made.  Thereupon  Major 
Mason  joined  General  Hood  and  gave  him  the  information.  After 
wards  General  Hood  said  to  me  that  he  had  done  injustice  to  General 
Cheatham,  and  requested  me  to  inform  him  that  he  held  him  blame 
less  for  the  failure  at  Spring  Hill.  And,  on  the  day  following  the 
battle  of  Franklin,  I  was  informed  by  General  Hood  that  he  had 
addressed  a  note  to  General  Cheatham,  assuring  him  that  he  did  not 
censure  or  charge  him  with  the  failure  to  make  the  attack. 

Very  respectfully, 

ISHAM  G.  HARRIS. 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  May  20,  1877. 


HOOD'S  RETREAT. 


I  quote  from  Dr.  McMurray's  History  of  the  2Oth  Tennessee, 
giving  an  account  of  the  retreat  from  Nashville  to  Tupelo,  and  Hood's 
campaign  into  Tennessee. 

"When  the  Confederates  retreat  from  Nashville  General  Ste 
phen  D.  Lee  brought  up  the  rear  and  retained  command  of  the  rear 
guard  until'  dark,  although  wounded  in  the  foot.  The  next  day, 
the  i8th  of  December,  the  gallant  Major  General  C.  L.  Stevenson 
took  command  of  Lee's  corps,  gradually  made  his  way  back  to  Spring 
Hill  and  although  nearly  surrounded  by  the  enemy,  held  his  command 
intact,  fighting  and:  retreating  until  he  reached  Columbia,  across 
Duck  river. 

<rGeneral  Forrest,  who  was  in  command  of  all  the  Confederate 
cavalry  on  this  campaign,  was  at  Murfreesboro  with  a  portion  of 
his  cavalry,  two  brigades  of  infantry,  when  the  battle  of  Nash 
ville  was  fought;  so  Hood,  when  he  saw  the  battle  oif  Nashville 
was  lost,  sent  a  courier  at  once  to  General  Forrest  to  abandon  Mur 
freesboro  and  move  his  command  across  the  country  by  way  of 
Shelby ville  and  join  him  at  Columbia.  But  Forrest's  wagon  train 
with  the  sick  and  wounded  was  at  Triune,  only  twenty-two  miles 
from  Nashville,  on  the  Nolensville  pike.  He  ordered  these  to  meet 
his  command  at  Lillard's  Mills,  about  half  way  between  Columbia 
and  Shelbyville,  on  Duck  river.  Here  Forrest  crossed  over  a  portion 
of  his  command  when  the  river,  which  was  rising,  became  past  ford 
ing  and  he  was  compelled  to  push  his  way  down  the  north  bank 
to  Columbia,  where  he  arrived  on  the  evening  of  the  i8th,  and  next 
morning  crossed  his  command4  over  the  river. 

It  was  here  that  General  Hood  ordered  General  Forrest  to 
take  charge  of  the  rear  guard  in  connection  with  Major-General  E. 
C.  Walthall  of  Stewart's  corps,  who  was  to  organize  a  division  of 
infantry  to  assist  him.  The  brigades  of  Reynolds,  Ector,  and  Quarles 
were  selected  from  Walthall's  own  division,  Featherston  from  Lor- 
ing's  division,  Maney  and  Strahl  from  Cheatham's  old  division;  and 
Smith  from  Cleburne's  division.  These  seven  brigades  it  was  expected, 
would  make  about  3,000  men  but  they  only  numbered  i,6ci.  This 
little  band  with  Forrest's  cavalry  was  firm  and  undaunted  as  Hood's 
rear  guard,  and  did  their  full  duty  to  the  last. 

"The  army  retreated  by  way  of  Pulaski,  thence  to  Bainbridge  on 
the  Tennessee  river,  which  place  they  reached  on  December  the  25th 
(Christmas  d-ay)  and  crossed  over  on  pontoon  bridges  on  the  26th, 


HOOD^S  RETREAT.  439 


after  succeeding  in  an  artillery  duel  with  gun  boats.  This  rear  guard 
after  they  left  Columbia,  had  a  battLe  at  Richland  creek,  near  Pu- 
laski,  again  at  Pulaski  and  south  of  Pulaski  at  Sugar  creek. 

"The  Yankees  followed  with  three  corps  of  infantry  to  Pulaski, 
and  their  cavalry  pushed  on  to  the  Tennessee  river  where  Hood's 
rear  guard  finished  crossing  on  the  27th.  The  39th  North  Carolina 
regiment,  under  Colonel  D.  Coleman,  was  the  last  of  Hood's  in 
fantry  to  cross.  To  show  the  spirit,  wit  and  fun  there  was  in  the 
Confederate  soldier,  while  half  clad,  half  starved  and  bare-footed, 
and  righting  three  to  one  on  this  retreat,  near  Pulaski,  General  Hood 
and  staff  were  passing,  and-  about  to  crowd  an  old  soldier  out  of  the 
road,  he  struck  up  this  song,  where  General  Hood  could  hear  it, — 

"You  may  talk  about  your  dearest  maid, 
And  sing  of  Rosalie, 
But  the  gallant  Hood  of  Texas 
Played  hell  in  Tennessee." 

Dr.  McMurray  ought  to  have  given  the  first  part  of  that  parody, 
that  the  old  soldier  dwelt  on ;  as  follows : 

(Tune,    "Yellow    Rose   in    Texas.") 

"And  now  I'm  going  Southward, 
•  For  my  heart  is  full  of  woe, 

I'm  going  back  to  Georgia 

To  find  my  'Uncle  Joe." 

You  may  talk  about  your  dearest  maid, 

And   sing  of   Rosalie, 

But  the  gallant  Hood  of  Texas 

Played  hell  in  Tennessee." 

"We  sum  up  the  Hood  campaign  in  Tennessee  as  follows :  He 
crossed  the  Tennessee  river,  coming  in,  November  the  2ist  at  Tus- 
cumbia  and  Florence  with  an  army  of  about  26,000  of  all  arms.  He 
assaulted  Schofield's  works  at  Franklin  with  16,000  of  his  army,  and 
lost  4,500,  then  moved  on  to  Nashville  with  an  army  of  about  21,400. 
Bate's  division  of  about  1,600  which  he  sent  to  Murfreesboro,  left 
Hood  only  about  21,000  to  invest  Thomas  who  had*  inside  the  forts 
of  Nashville  an  army  of  30,000  and  that  army  soon  re-enforced  to 
60,000.  Before  the  battle  of  Nashville  General  Bate  had  only  three 
brigades  of  about  1,500  for  he  had  lost  about  a  hundred  at  Stewart's 
creek  and  the  others  at  Wilkinson  pike,  hence  two  other  brigades  were 
sent  from  Hood's  army  to  Murfreesboro  to  join  Bate,  this  left  Hood's 
army  to  fight  the  battle  of  Nashville  of  December  I5th  and  i6th 
with  not  more  than  20,000  infantry,  of  which  in  these  engagements 
he  lost,  killed,  wounded,  missing,  4,462,  leaving  him  with  less  than 
18,000  infantry  to  get  out  of  Tennessee  in  the  dead-  of  winter,  from 
an  arm/y  three  times  their  number,  well  clothed  and  fed.  The  cam 
paign  lasted  thirty-four  days.  The  army  after  crossing  at 


440 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


was  moved  via  Tuscumbia  and  luka  to  Tupelo,   Miss.,  where  they 
could  rest  and  re-organize. 

"The  official  returns  made'  January  20,  '65,  at  Tupelo,  showed 
an  effective  strength  present  of  16,913.  After  19  regiments  mostly 
raised  in  west  Tennessee  had  been  furloughed,  Hood  re-crossed  the 
Tennessee  river  with  an  army  of  infantry  18,813  strong.  Although 


X 


GENERAL   STEPHEN   D.    LEE. 


441 

having  lost  fifty  pieces  of  artillery,  he  had  fifty-nine  pieces  left. 
General  Forrest  captured  and  destroyed  sixteen  block-houses,  and 
stockades,  twenty  bridges,  four  locomotives,  a  hundred  cars,  ten 
miles  of  railroad,  took  1,600  prisoners,  several  hundred  head's  of 
horses,  mules  and  cattle. 

"On  January  25,,  1865,  at  Tupelo,  Mississippi,  General  Hood 
was  relieved  of  the  command  of  the  army  of  Tennessee  and  Lieu- 
tenant-General  Richard  Taylor,  a  son  of  General  Zachary  Taylor, 
was  assigned  to  the  command  and  in  a  few  days  the  corps  of  Lee, 
Stewart  and  Cheatham  in  the  order  named,  were  sent  via  Mobile, 
Montgomery,  Macon,  Augusta,  through  South  Carolina  to  intercept 
Sherman,  and  during  the  month  of  January,  the  Confederate  con 
gress  adopted  a  resolution  asking  President  Davis  to  appoint  Gen 
eral  Joseph  E.  Johnston  to  the  command  of  the  army  of  Tennessee, 
to  which  request,  the  President  did  not  respond,  but  General  R.  E. 
Lee,  after  he  had  been  made  General  in  chief  of  all  the  forces  did  on 
Feb.  22,  1865,  appoint  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  to  the  command 
of  the  army  of  Tennessee  and  all  Confederate  troops  in  the  states 
of  Florida/  Georgia  and  South  Carolina.  This  appointment  re 
vived  the  hopes  of  the  army  of  Tennessee  to  some  extent,  but  their 
experience  v.ith  Hood  at  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Franklin  and  Nash 
ville,  with  all  their  untold  horrors  and  mistakes,  had  nearly  con 
vinced  the  rank  and  file  that  the  cherished  hope  of  their  lives,  for 
which  they  had  suffered  and  borne  so  much,  was  unattainable,  but 
if  "Old  Joe"  said,  "Halt  boys,  and  give  them  battle"  it  was  all  right. 

"Cheatham  united  with  Johnston's  army  on  the  2ist  at  P>entonville, 
North  Carolina  and  all  troops  composing  the  infantry  of  the  army 
of  Tennessee  were  put  in  one  corps  under  command  of  General  A. 
P.  Stewart  and  numbered  8,731  effective  men,  which  said  force 
and  some  North  Carolina  troops  under  Bragg  and  a  force  under 
Lieutenant-General  Hardee,  numbering  in  all  15.000  men,  was  all 
that  General  Johnston  fought  the  battle  of  Bentonville  with. 


BRIEF  OUTLINE  AFTER  STARTING  FOR  TENNESSEE. 

Headquarters  Stewart's  Corps,  Army  of  Term. 

Sir:  The  following  brief  outlines  of  the  operations  of  the  corps 
from  September  29th,  1864,  to  the  close  of  the  campaign  is  respect 
fully  submitted-.  It  is  necessarily  an  imperfect  report,  being  made  at 
the  request  of  the  commanding  general  without  the  aid  of  reports  of 
subordinate  commanders : 

Crossing  the  Chattahoochee  at  Pumpkintown,  September  29,  we 
camped  the  night  of  October  2nd  within  a  few  miles  of  Lost  Moun 
tain.  The  next  morning  (Monday,  the  3d),  in  obedience  to  the 
orders  of  the  commanding  general,  we  marched  to  strike  the  rail 
road  at  Big  Shanty,  Armstrong's  brigade  of  cavalry  joining  us  at 
Lost  Mountain,  and  taking  post  between  Big  Shanty  and  Marietta 
to  cover  our  work  of  destroying  the  railroad.  Arriving  near  Big 
Shanty  in  the  afternoon,  Featherston's  brigade  of  Loring's  division, 
we  reformed  in  line,  with  skirmishers  in  front,  and  moved  forward 
on  the  village.  The  small  force  of  the  enemy  took  refuge  in  the 
depot  which  was  loop-holed.  After  the  exchange  of  a  few  shots 
and  a  small  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  they  surrender*  d — some 
loo  or  more.  Loring's  division  then  moved  direct  to  A.ckworth, 
where  a  few  hundred  prisoners  were  taken  next  morning  by  Adam's 
brigade.  Reynold's  brigade  of  Walthall's  division,  carried  Moore's 
Station,  between  Big  Shanty  and  Ackworth,  taking  some  hundred 
prisoners,  and  by  3  p.  m.  of  the  4th  the  railroad  was  effectually  torn 
up,  the  ties  burned  and  rails  bent  for  a  distance  of  ten  or  twelve 
miles.  This  work  ,the  capture  of  some  600  prisoners  and  a  few  killed 
and  wounded,  was  effected  with  a  loss  of  not  more  than  12  or  15, 
mostly  wounded. 

In  compliance  with  Jthe  orders  of  the  commanding  general, 
French's  division  was  started  to  Allatoona,  and  with  the  other  two 
I  moved  back  to  Lost  Mountain.  Reports  have  already  been  for 
warded1  of  the  heroic  but  fruitless  attack  made  by  French's  division 
on  the  enemy's  position  at  Allatoona. 

Moving  with  the  rest  of  the  army  at  II  p.  m.  October  12,  after 
a  march  that  day  of  nearly  30  miles,,  this  corps  reached  the  rail 
road  some  mile  and  a  half  or  two  miles  above  Resaca,  and  immed 
iately  went  to  work  to  destroy  the  road.  By  night  of  the  I3th  the 
road  was  effectually  destroyed  to  within  a  few  miles  of  Dalton,  and 
with  it  a  vast  quantity  of  cross-ties  and  bridge  timbers.  A  working 
party  of  the  enemy,  consisting  of  seventy  or  eighty  men,  their  tools, 


BRIEF  OUTLINE  AFTER  STARTING  FOR  TENNESSEE.  443 

wagons,  and  work  oxen  were  taken,  and  block  houses  at  Tilton,  with 
some  300  men,  captured  These  captures  were  made  by  French's 
division,  Selden's  battery  of  Walthall's  division,  reducing  the  block 
house. 

We  next  encountered  the  enemy  at  Decatur,  Alabama,  toward 
the  end  of  October,  driving  in  his  pickets  and  skirmishing  for  a 
day  or  two  with  a  loss  of  some  135  men,  but  making  no  serious  at 
tack  on  his  strongly  entrenched  position.  Leaving  this  place,  we 
moved  to  Tuscumbia,  whence  after  a  delay  of  three  weeks,  we  marched 
for  Tennessee. 

I  deem  it  proper  to  say  that  after  the  fall  of  Atlanta,  the  con 
dition  of  the  army  and;  other  considerations  rendered  it  necessary, 
in  my  judgment,  that  an  offensive  campaign  should  be  made  in  the 
enemy's  rear  and  on  his  line  of  communications.  It  is  not  my  pur 
pose  nor  does  it  pertain  to  me,  to  explain  the  reasons  which  prompted 
the  campaign,  but  simply  to  express  my  concurrence  in  the  views 
which  determined  the  operations  of  the  army. 

I  am,  colonel,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant. 

ALEX  P.  STEWART, 

Lieutenant-General. 
COL.  A.  P.  MASON, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General. 


MY  FIRST  AND  ONLY  SMILE. 

My  scene  is  Tupelo,  Miss.;  time,  just  a  few  days  after  the 
Christmas  of  1864;  occasion,  the  first  resting  place  after  the  battle 
of  Nashville ;  position,  a  set  of  hungry  Confederates  who  were  cheated 
out  of  Christmas  festivities  because  of  that  famous  Nashville  stam 
pede  ;  headquarters,  at  the  house  of  the  Widow  Sample,  who  sug 
gested  that  if  we  wished  she  would  help  us  and  contribute  to  a  big 
dinner. 

The  loved  ones  in  Tennessee  had  given  us  canned  fruits  desic 
cated  vegetables,  boxes  of  oysters,  sardines  and  a  number  of  good 
old  Tennessee  hams.  To  us,  these  things  were  so  rare  that  gun 
shots  and  cannon  balls  could*  not  make  us  drop  'em.  Even  the  worn 
out  and  weary  soldier  could  not  get  the  ambulance  that  carried  that 
luscious  cargo. 

The  handsome  widow  threw  in  her  preserves,  jellies,  cakes  and 
a  couple  of  big  peafowls,  and  a  wonderful  preparation  began  to 
get  up  a  big  dinner  in  honor  of  the  Christmas  of  1864. 

All  the  Christmas  we  had  waded  through  slush  and  mud4  via 
Franklin,  Pulaski,  Bainbridge,  Tuscumbia,  and  luka ;  the  reads  were 
so  fearful  that,  although  corduroyed,  a  foot  or  wheel  would  sink 
into  the  mire  and  swamp  until  sheer  exhaustion  and  fitful  despair 
had  almost  overtaken  us ;  homes  left  behind,  army  foot-sore  and 
weary,  and  heartsick  at  defeat  and  retreat,  what  greater  diversion 
could  we  have  had  than  this  anticipated  dinner? 

The  host  of  the  occasion  was  General  A.  P.  Stewart,  the  quiet, 
correct  and  fearless  soldier  of  high  moral  character,  whose  counsels 
were  rsepected  and  whose  word  was  the  gospel  of  his  command. 
The  handsome  widow  wanted  Generals  Beauregard,  Hood,  Loring 
and  Walthall  to  grace  the  occasion  as  guests  of  Stewart  and  his 
staff. 

It  is  no  use  to  disguise  the  fact  that  in  those  demoralizing  times 
it  was  not  considered  shocking  to  smile  in  moderation  upon  a  demi-- 
John  or  partake  of  the  hospitality  of  a  soldier's  tent,  in  the  shape  of 
a  "jigger."  The  most  delicate  sensibility  was  soon  hardened  to  this. 
The  teetotaler  was  looked  upon  as  a  bird  of  rare  plumage  and  a 
straight- jacket  who  knew  not  some  of  the  pleasures  of  life. 

I  belonged  to  that  class  of  young  bloods,  and  my  General  know 
ing  this,  took  me  aside  to  impart  a  secret,  not  to  be  found  out  by  other 
members  of  the  staff.  Says  he :  "While  I  was  in  Tennessee  a  friend 
gave  me  a  demijohn  of  gin;  it  is  in  my  headquarters'  wagon;  take 


MY  FIRST  AND  ONLY  SMlLE.  445 


these  flasks,  fill  them  for  the  occasion  of  the  visiting  generals  to  our 
dinner,  then  tightly  cork  up  the  demijohn  and  let  no  one  know  where 
you  got  it." 

I  felt  complimented  at  this  confidence,  and  flattered  that  I  was 
singled  out  to  perform  this  service  because  of  soberness  and  tem 
perance.  As  I  sauntered  to  the  wagon,  our  teamster,  an  Irishman, 
was  besought  to  get  out  a  heavy  box.  Says  he:  "Lieutenant,  I 
can't  lift  the  weight  of  a  pin."  "Why?"  says  I,  "It  is  only  a  box 
containing  a  demijohn  of  gin."  "Ah!  gin,"  says  he,  "oh,  yes,  sir; 
I  can  lift  anything  reasonable,  you  know."  So  we  got  out  the  gin 
and  were  filling  the  flasks  ;  a  brother  officer  who  spied  me,  just  forced 
me  to  take  a  glass.  He  actually  called  for  two,  and  was  so  per 
suasive  together  with  the  teamster,  that  we  all  sipped,  and  smiled, 
and  tasted  the  gin,  until  old  earth  seemed  to  be  tenderfooted  when 
we  trod  upon  her. 

Well,  the  flasks  were  carried  back;  the  officers  came  and  this 
young  blood  and-  myself  took  possession  of  the  guests.  My  brother 
officer  got  General  Hood  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  and  told  him 
of  more  hairbreadth  escapes  and  fearless  acts,  while  I  had  Pierre 
Toutant  Gustave  Beauregard  in  another  corner,  feeding  him  upon 
food  concerning  the  gallant  deeds  of  Gibson's  Louisiana  brigade, 
and  Fanner's  battery,  troops  from  his  native  State.  I  don't  know 
what  became  of  General  Stewart  and  his  other  guests  for  a  while, 
as  I  felt  myself  upon  this  occasion  a  perfect  giant  in  the  midst  of 
Lilliputians;  but  when  I  looked  around  all  eyes  seemed  to  be  concen 
trated  upon  us,  especially  those  of  General  Stewart,  who  was  look 
ing  daggers  at  the  young  bloods. 

It  was  at  that  stage  when  "gentleman  tipsy"  had  me,  the  elixir 
having  had  its  effect,  and  when  General  Stewart's  gin  was  racking 
my  brain  and  firing  my  blood.  I  sat  there  taking  a  birds'  eye  view 
of  my  generals.  General  Hood  I  photographed  as  a  big  hearted, 
impetuous  man  in  peace  and  a  fighter  of  the  knock-down-  and-drag- 
out  style  in  war,  a  West  Pointer  of  scientific  and  strategic  excellence, 
planned  pretty  well,  but  something  wanting  in  the  execution  ;  Gen 
eral  Beauregard,  a  polite  little  Frenchman  who  could  make  a  fort 
or  plan  a  redoubt,  who  did  not  look  to  me  like  the  hero  of  Manassas 
and  Drury's  Bluff,  nor  that  he  was  cut  out  to  command  a  battle; 
General  Loring,  a  good  hearted,  impulsive  man,  yet  defective  in  cool 
calculation.  The  old  soldier  had  lost  an  arm  in  Mexico,  wounded 
near  Atlanta,  of  Cheat  Mountain  fame  in  this  war;  General  Walt- 
hall,  who  bore  the  coronet  of  commanding  successfully  the  reatreat 
from  Nashville,  and;  General  Stewart,  the  unobtrusive,  stern  West 
Pointer,  as  the  head  of  my  military  family.  My  partiality  placed  him 
"a  shining  star"  in  the  galaxy.  No  newspaper  sought  to  sound  his 
praise,  and  many  a  chivalric  deed  done  by  his  command,  claimed  by 
others  without  notice,  yet,  when  he  shivered  his  lance,  with  the 


I  1C)  BATTLES  ANl)  SKETCHES  ARMY  Otf  TENNESSEE. 

enemy,  the  army  always  felt  that  a  Lanncs  was  at  the  helm,  and  a 
Richmond1  in  the  field. 

Dinner  about  this  time  came  on  as  a  sequel  to  the  revelries,  in  the 
emptying  of  flasks,  and  broaching  of  demijohns ;  all  got  seats  at 
the  table  but  the  two  young  bloods.  While  the  room  was  vacated, 
said  young  bloods  concluded  to  examine  the  contents  and  find  some 
more  of  the  elixir  to  fan  "the  dying  embers  of  the  smile."  Reader, 
would  you  believe  it,  instead  of  flasks  of  gin,  we  found  something  else, 
"not  pine  top,"  nor  "Confederate  pop  skull,"  nor  "Jeff  Davis  bust 
head,"  but  great  heavens !  peach  brandy  twelve  years  old,  just  as 
mellow  and  ropy  as  sugared  candy.  1  "smole  a  smile,"  and  the  other 
young  blood  "smole  a  smile,"  and  for  a  time  we  both  felt  ''as  happy 
as  in  twenty  seas,  if  all  their  sands  were  pearls,  the  water  nectar  and 
the  rocks  pure  gold." 

After  the  generals  got  through  though,  we  stealthily  retired  from 
the  room,  when  our  hilarity  suddenly  changed  from  glory  to  des 
pair.  Horrors !  we  had  mixed  our  drinks.  The  nausea  was  fearful. 
My  young  friend  went  out  doors  and  in  giving  vent  to  his  feelings 
you  coud  hear  him  groan  a  hundred  yards.  I  hallooed  out,  "I "ire  and 
fall  back,  old  boy!"  In  a  short  time  1  followed  him,  and  in  express 
ing  my  emotions,  the  emphasis  was  greater  than  his.  A  messenger 
came  ordering  us  to  our  tents.  It  was  my  first  and  only  smiie. 

I  will  never  forget  Tupelo  ,Miss.,  no  rthat  Christmas  dinner 
that  I  lived  in  the  happy  hope  of  getting,  "but  never  got." 

The  next  morning  our  cook  called  us  to  our  breakfast,  like 
Brer  Rabbit  when  the  b'ar  was  in  the  bee  tree,  we  looked  for  "a 
harry-kin,"  and  planned  to  divert  General  Stewart,  but  like  Uncle 
Remus'  tar-baby,  he  wouldn't  spon,  he  sot  dar  and  said  nothing. 
At  last,  in  a  mild  censurable  way,  his  remark  made  its  impress  upon 
us.  "Young  men,  I  was  mortified  at  your  action  yesterday."  This 
was  all  the  rebuke,  and-  I  went  off  crestfallen,  because  his  confidence 
was  shaken,  not  only  for  disobeying  his  order,  but  I  had  let  others 
drink  his  gin,  and  had  gotten  a  small  potation  of  it  myself. 


THE  LAST  NIGHT  OF  SIXTY-FOUR. 

It  is  not  well  to  live  too  much  in  the  past;  yet  it  is  not  proper 
to  forget  it.  A  lady  said1  to  me :  "What  our  times  now  especially 
need  is  to  read  and  ponder  more  on  the  incidents  of  the  individual 
and  family  history  as  portrayed  in  personal  reminiscences.  In  this 
way  the  people  are  understood  in  their  spirit,  peculiarities,  and  char 
acteristics.  If  the  soldier  of  the  sixties  would  occasionally  give 
'Young  America'  some  episodic  fact  connected  with  his  career,  -t 
would  please  as  well  as  interest  others,  and  be  the  delectation  of  the 
generation  now  seeking  for  entertainment." 

I  like  thrilling  incidents  and  startling  adventures.  The  most 
attractive  are  those  told  around  the  camp  fire.  Let  me  tell  you  of  my 
ride  on  the  famous  retreat  from  Nashville  to  Tupelo,  the  last  night 
of  1864.  Many  a  soldier  boy  may  recall  something  of  more  inter 
est,  but  it  made  its  impress  upon  me  as  a  novel  experience. 

From  Bainbridge,  on  the  Tennessee,  via  Tuscnmbia  and  Bar 
ton's  Station,  our  skeleton  army  plodded  its  weary  way  frcrn  Nash 
ville,  Tennessee,  to  luka,  Miss.  Through  the  bleak  and  chilling 
blasts  of  December  31  our  ill-clad,  bare-footed,  hungry  soldiers 
marched  in  slush  and  mud,  and  at  nightfall  drew  their  foot-sore  and 
weary  bodies  into  a  tentless  camp. 

Stewart's  troops  had  bivouacked.  He  and  those  of  his  staff 
were  building  fires  to  warm,  when  an  order  came  from  General 
Hood  to  send  a  staff  officer  with  three  couriers  back  to  Barton's 
Station,  twenty^  miles,  and  from  thence  establish  communication  with 
General  W.  H.  Jackson,  to  ascertain  whether  the  enemy  had  crossed 
at  Bainbridge,  and  the  extent  of  his  pursuit. 

It  was  a  cold:,  cheerless,  freezing  night.  The  Bear  Creek  coun 
try  through  which  we  had  to  go  was  a  wild,  dreary,  wooded  section, 
and  the  staff  were  worn  out;  so  that  once  our  general  hesitated  to 
particularize.  Said  he :  "Is  there  a  member  of  my  staff  who  will 
volunteer  to  execute  this  order?" 

The  old  settled  members  said  nothing;  the  middle-aged  were  dis 
tressingly  silent.  It  was  apparent  that  they  were  awaiting  a  re 
sponse  from  some  of  us  boys.  One  besought  me  to  respond;  I  be 
sought  another.  The  silence  was  painful  until  a  faint  and  slow  ans 
wer,  "General,  I  will  go,"  was  involuntarily  made  by  me. 

Captain  Greenleaf,  of  the  escort,  besought  three  volunteers, 
couriers  to  accompany  me  but  no  one  answered-.  Finally  the  detail 
was  made  and  we  started  back  over  the  road  that  was  cut  up  into 


448 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


mud  and  mire,  but  now  was  frozen,  making  travel  on  it  dangerous. 
Our  poor  horses,  jaded  from  the  sore  trials  of  the  Nashville  cam 
paign,  would  slide  over  the  icy  road  and  sometimes  break  in  and 
sink  up  to  their  bodies.  The  whistling  wind  with  its  surly,  whizz 
ing  sound  together  with  its  chill,  produced-  the  most  horrible  feelings, 
and  to  get  through,  for  over  twenty  miles,  seemed  impossible. 


FEARED  MORE  THAN  BULLETS. 


Nothing  to  warm  the  inner  man  could  be  had,  and  trier-1  was  no 
moon  to  light  us  on  the  journey.  Instead  of  pleasant  things  to  cheer 
our  weary  way,  our  night  was  filled  with  woes  and  horrors — of 
some  one  whose  horse  was  in  a  mud  hole  or  whose  hands  and  feet 
were  freezing;  something  was  going  wrong  continually. 

To  add  to  the  horror,  the  Bear  creek  country  was  low  and 
marshy,  and  said  to  be  infested-  with  animals  such  as  bear  and 
panther. 

The  order,  to  get  to  Barton's  Station  by  day,  had  to  be  obeyed. 
Along  the  route  we  would  find  an  abandoned  wagon  or  caisson 
temporarily  left  in  mud  and  mire,  run  across  a  dead  horse  or  some 
thing  that  always  kept  us  on  the  lookout.  After  going  eight  or  ten 
miles,  there  was  just  ahead  of  us  the  most  horrible  scream,  a  fright 
ful  shriek,  a  shrill,  piercing  noise,  more  fearful  than  that  of  a  wild 
cat  or  leopard.  The  sound  seemed  to  be  meeting  us,  so  we  formed 
into  fours,  and,  drawing  our  navies,  prepared  for  action.  When  the 
thing  saw  us  Tt  ran  across  the  road  and  sidled  around  with  the  most 
frightful,  rabid  snarls.  We  shot  through  the  woods  at  the  sound, 
but  don't  know  that  we  touched  him.  Suspecting  that  it  was  a 
panther,  it  frightened  us  so  that  the  balance  of  the  ride  we  fancied 
him  "purring  at  our  heels."  A  native  told  us  next  day  that  our  sur 
mise  was  correct.  O,  how  miserable  that  long,  long  night!  Per 
chance  we'd  strike  a  burning  log,  where  the  soldiers  in  the  day  had 


THE  SIGNAL  TREE,  AT  BATTLE  OF 


ALLATOONA, 


450 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


stopped  to  warm,  and  but  for  that  we  would  have  been  frost  bitten, 
bitten. 

Well,  about  daybreak  we  crossed  the  Big  Bear  creek  a  short 
distance  from  the  station.  Now  came  my  time,  on  reaching  the  de 
stined  point,  to  select  one  of  my  couriers  to  hie  on  toward  Tus- 
cumbia  to  see  General  Jackson.  I  asked  who  would  volunteer.  The 


MAP  OK  THE  BATTLE  OF  FRANKLIN. 

poor  fellows,  their  horses  worn  out  and  weary,  selected  the  plan  of 
allowing  them  to  draw  straws— the  man  getting  the  longest  to  go. 
This  being  satisfactory,  one  courier  started-,  but  returned  in  less 
than  an  hour  reporting  that  he  had  met  General  Jackson  at  the  head 
of  his  cavalry  command  coming  that  way;  that  General  Hood's 
information  as  to  the  enemy  having  crossed  at  Bainbridge  was  in 
correct.  I  wired  General  Stewart  from  the  station,  and  got  a  reply 


THE  LAST  N'IGHT  OF  SIXTY-FOUR. 


451 


to  put  my  horses  and  men  in  the  only  remaining  box  car  at  the  sta 
tion,  and  return  to  luka. 

Thus  was  spent  the  last  night  of  1864.  I  recall  it  as  an  incident 
in  my  soldier  life,  more  trying  to  me  than  the  encounters  of  cavalry 
and  infantry  battles  in  a  service  of  three  years. 


OLD  FORT  RIDLEY. 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR. 


I  commenced  keeping  a  journal  a  short  time  before  the  sur 
render.  Was  quite  young  and  an  aide  of  Lieutenant-General  A.  P. 
Stewart.  Headquarters  Army  of  Tennessee,  Smithfield,  N.  C. 

March  i6th,  1865.  I  have  just  reached  camp  from  Oxford,  N. 
C.,  where  I  went  on  two  days'  leave  of  absence  to  visit  my  father's 
mother.  Found  Lieutenant-General  A.  P.  Stewart  commanding  the 
Army  of  Tennessee  by  order  of  General  J.  EJohnston,  who  took  com 
mand  yesterday,  of  the  Army  of  the  South — Hardee's,  Bragg's  and 
Stewart's  (formerly  Hood's  army)  consolidated  making  the  Army  of 
the  South. 

March  I7th:  Conducted  General  Johnston  to  our  headquarters, 
near  Swift  creek,  found  him  surprisingly  social,  and  endeavors  to 
conceal  his  greatness  rather  than  to  impress  you  with  .;t.  I  ex 
pressed  to  him  the  joy  the  Army  of  Tennessee  manifested,  on  hear 
ing  of  his  restoration  to  command.  He  said  that  he  was  equally 
as  much  gratified  to  be  with  them  as  they  were  at  his  coming,  but 
he  feared  it  "too  late  to  make  it  the  same  army."  *  *  *  He 
said  that  never  had  he  in  his  life  seen  such  generous,  free  hearted 
people  as  the  Middle  Tennesseans.  "Take  out  that  little  spot  which 
you  know  is  infested  with  Union  men,  and  it  is  the  most  loyal  part 
of  the  Confederacy."  Received  orders  this  evening  to  march  toward 
Bentonville,  fifteen  miles  distant,  to  meet  Sherman,  who  has  taken 
an  easterly  course  from  Averysboro  to  effect  a  junction  with  Scho- 
field,  at  Goldsboro. 

March  i8th :  Struck  tents  this  morning  and  arrived  here  at  5 
o'clock  p.  m. — one  mile  beyond  Bentonville  where  we  bivouacked. 
Enemy  camps  eight  miles  on  the  same  road.  Our  army  in  high 
spirits  and  ready  to  brave  the  coming  storm. 

March  iQth:  Both  armies  commence  the  march.  Three  miles 
beyond  Bentonville,  at  Cole's  farm,  we  met  and  skirmished  heavily 
for  a  short  time.  Armies  going  into  position — Bragg  commands 
left  wing,  Stewart  the  center,  and  Hardee  the  right.  At  I 
o'clock  enemy  charges  Clayton's  division  and  is  repulsed  handsomely, 
leaving  fifty  dead  on  the  field.  Brigadier-General  Reynolds  of  Ar 
kansas,  upon  entering  the  field,  had  his  leg  so  mutilated  by  a  solid  shot 
as  to  necessitate  amputation.  His  loss  is  much  lamented.  He  is 
the  id'ol  of  his  brigade.  General  Johnston  now  orders  that  Stewart 
and  Hardee  confer  with  each  other  and  advance.  The  hour  for 
attack  agreed  upon  was  fifteen  minutes  to  3  o'clock.  General  Stew- 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR.  453 

art  directed  me  to  acquaint  the  corps  commander  of  this  and  Lor- 
ing  commanding  Stewart's  corps — Bate's,  Hardee's  old  corps — and 
D.  H.  Hill,  Lee's  corps,  in  connection  with  Hardee's  army,  all  ad 
vanced,  and  with  a  rebel  shout  drove  the  enemy  nearly  a  mile  and 
routed  them  from  two  lines  of  breastworks,  capturing  eight  pieces 
of  artillery  and  four  hundred  and  seventeen  prisoners.  The  ex 
citement  of  the  occasion  and  the  many  ravines  we  had  to  cross,  broke 
our  line  to  such  an  extent  that  we  halted  and  reformed.  While  doing 
this,  the  enemy  rallied,  re-enforced  and  charged  repeatedly  upon  our 
lines  until  nightfall  but  with  no  effect.  The  brunt  of  this  battle  was  on 
the  Army  of  Tennessee,  and  the  more  praise  should  be  accorded  them 
for  their  quick  recuperation  from  the  disaster  at  Nashville.  "Old 
Joe"  drove  back  Sherman's  disciplined  veterans  with  a  demoral 
ized  army  of  not  exceeding  twelve  thousand  men.  In  consequence  of 
a  flank  movement  to  our  left,  we  were  ordered  to  retire  from  the 
position  from  which  we  advanced  to  entrench. 

March  2Oth:  General  Loring  goes  to  the  rear  from  sickness 
and  Walthall  succeeds  to  command.  Enemy  seems  remarkably  quiet 
in  our  front,  but  demonstrating  heavily  upon  General  Bragg,  evi 
dently  trying  to  find  a  weak  point.  One  division  of  Hardee  s  is  sent 
to  support  the  left.  Skirmishers  on  our  side  have  advanced,  to 
still  find  a  force  confronting  us. 

March  2ist:  Enemy  has  made  several  charges  on  Bragg  this 
morning.  Evening,  serious  demonstrations  being  made  on  our  rear, 
General  Johnston  sends  three  brigades  of  our  reserves  at  'double- 
quick  to  report  to  Hardee,  near  Bentonville.  Before  their  arrival 
Cumming's  brigade,  commanded  by  Colonel  Henderson  of  the  Forty- 
second  Georgia,  charged  the  enemy  in  front.  Eighth  Texas  cavalry 
strike  the  two  divisions  of  Seventeenth  army  corps  in  flank  and 
rout  them.  As  a  precautionary  step,  Walthall's  corp's  was  sent  there 
and  remained  until  2  o'clo'ck  p.  m.,  when  the  army  retired  six  miles 
this  side  of  Bentonville,  near  Hannak  creek. 

March  22nd:  Retired  to  Turner's  bridge,  near  Smithfield,  and 
Sherman  has  gone  to  Goldsboro. 

March  23rd:  It  is  a  treat  that  we  are  permitted  to-day  to  wash 
up  and  put  on  clean  clothes.  Reports  of  casualties  of  the  last  five 
or  six  days:  killed,  102;  wounded,  820;  missing,  305;  total,  1,227. 
This  loss  is  from  the  Army  of  Tennessee  only.  Have  not  heard 
from  Bragg  nor  Hardee. 

March  24th:  Ordered  to  go  to-day,  two  miles  beyond  Smith- 
field  depot,  on  Lewisburg  road.  Soldiering  in  these  piney  woods  is 
more  disagreeable  than  any  I  have  yet  experienced.  The  smoke  tans 
your  skin,  soils  your  clothes,  and  one  presents  a  spectacle  like  that  of 
an  engineer  who  has  worked  sometime  on  his  engine  without  change. 

March  25th:  Has  been  a  day  of  unusual  quiet.  General  John 
ston  busying  himself  with  the  doings  of  the  detailed  men.  Gen 
eral  S.  depressed.  General  Bate  made  the  soldiers  a  little  speech 
to-night,  preparing  their  minds  for  the  consolidation  of  companies, 


454  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ATCMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

battalions,  etc.  An  episode  connected'  with  Bentonville:  The 
Eighteenth  and  Forty-fifth  Tennessee  regiments,  Colonel  Searcy  com 
manding,  about  nightfall  charged  through  the  Yankee  lines  and  we 
gave  them  up  as  captured.  Several  days  afterwards  we  were  surprised 
to  find  them  report  after  having  wandered  for  miles  in  getting  back. 
In  Bate's  speech  to  his  troops  I  remember,  as  a  boy,  this  little  piece  of 
humor.  Says  he :  "Fellow  soldiers,  when  I  was  at  Nashville,  Go- 
van's  brigade  chanced  to  pass  my  brigade.  Go'van's  men  hallooed 
out :  'Lie  down,  Mr.  Bate,  Mr.  Govan  is  gwine  to  pop  a  cap.'  The 
other  day  at  Bentonville  my  brigade  chanced  to  pass  Govan.  I 
made  my  men  halloo  out:  "Lie  down,  Mr.  Govan,  Mr.  Bate  is  now 
gwine  to  pop  a  cap." 

March  26th:  General  Bragg  has  been  relived  from  duty,  it  is 
said,  at  his  own  request,  and  his  command,  composed  of  a  few  North 
Carolina  reserves  and  Hoke's  division  have  been  turned  over  to 
Hardee.  This  gives  Hardee  now  a  good  command.  General  Bragg 
still  commands  Department  of  North  Carolina  and  left  yesterday  for 
Raleigh.  No  moving.  Orders  anxiously  awaiting  developments  of 
Sherman's  movements.  Dr.  Lowe  White  tells  me  that  he  has  just 
heard  of  the  death  of  his  father,  mother,  and  little  brother  by  some 
disguised  assassin,  near  Big  Springs,  Wilson  County,  -Tenn.  Oh, 
the  lingering  agonies  of  the  war ! 

March  27th:  Generals  Cheatham,  Clayton,  and  Walthall  visited 
up  this  morning  and  had  their  minds  quieted  about  the  transporta 
tion  which  has  created  so  much  anxiety  for  fear  of  excessive  reduc 
tion.  Sent  out  this  morning  to  learn  the  topography  of  this  vicinity. 
This  afternoon  went  with  General  Stewart  to  the  depot,  where  we 
found  Colonel  Allison,  a  Tennessee  cavalryman,  on  his  \vay  west 
ward  with  the  body  of  his  son  who  was  killed  a  day  or  two  ago  near 
Goldsboro,  trying  to  rescue  some  ladies  from  the  clutches  of  the 
enemy.  We  saw  a  squad  of  forty  Yanks  and  their  prisoners.  From 
their  brazen  looks,  they  consider  us  virtually  whipped,  and  that  our 
complete  overthrow  is  only  a  question  of  time.  Numbers  may  sub 
due  but  cannot  conquer.  '  Captain  Charles  F.  Vanderford,  ordnance 
officer  is  relieved  from  duty  with  us,  and  now  an  assistant  to  army 
ordnance  officer.  We  had  a  telegram  from  General  R.  E.  Lee  this 
morning.  He  says  that  Gordon  took  two  lines  of  the  enemy's  breast 
works,  but  was  compelled  to  give  them  up  before  night,  and  also 
the  eight  pieces  of  artillery  they  had  captured.  It  was  yesterday 
stated,  officially,  that  Major  General  Howell  Cobb  was  in  com 
mand  of  the  Department  of  Tennessee  and  North  Georgia,  lately 
commanded  by  General  Hood. 

March  28th:  Visited  Raleigh  to  get  an  overcoat.  No  one  but 
a  North  Carolinian  allowed  to  call  upon  the  State  Quartermaster, 
but  soldier-like  I  called  upon  Governor  Vance — claimed  kinship  to 
North  Carolina  on  account  of  its  being  my  father's  birth  place.  Old 
Governor  Vance  was  so  taken  with  my  cheek  that  I  got  the  order  to 
his  Quartermaster  for  the  smuggled  goods. 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR.  455 

March  29th:  Spent  last  night  at  Yarbo rough  House — miser 
ably  kept,  and  board  $55.00  per  day.  The  Capitol  is  made  of  im 
ported  granite,  and  excels  any  in  the  South,  Tennessee  Capitol  ex- 
cepted.  The  population  of  Raliegh  near  five  thousand  Major  Hooper, 
Quartermaster,  was  exceedingly  kind  and  permitted  me  to  buy  an 
overcoat  and  a  suit  of  gray  clothes.  Returned  to  camp  only  to  be 
scolded  by  Colonels  Sevier  and  Gale,  because  I  neglected1  them. 

March  3Oth:  Lieutenant  Terry  Cahal  returned  this  evening 
from  a  long  leave  of  absence,  and  brings  us  the  intelligence  that  our 
wagons,  which  were  left  at  Tupelo  in  Ferbuary,  will  be  here  next 
week.  He  speaks  of  the  kind  treatment  of  the  South  Carolinians 
toward  him.  Visited  pickets  to-day,  by  order  of  the  General;  found 
them  attentive. 

To  digress.  Our  troops  took  trains  at  Tupelo,  Miss.,  after  re 
treating  from  Nashville,  and  went  via  Mobile,  Montgomery,  and  Au 
gusta;  footed  it  through  Edgefield,  Newberry,  and  Chester  districts, 
S.  C,  thence  boarded  cars  via  Salisbury,  Greensboro  and  Raleigh 
to  Smithfield  to  intercept  Sherman,  leaving  our  transportation  be 
hind.  It  was  a  quick  movement  to  divert  Sherman's  course,  hence 
we  only  got  to  Bentonville  with  fragments  of  commands,  and  made 
Smithfield  the  connecting  point  for  the  new  organization. 

March  3ist:  General  Hood's  report  of  operations  from  the  time 
of  taking  command  at  Atlanta  until  his  succession  by  Johni.ton,  has 
just  been  received.  He  abuses  a  great  many  for  tardiness  and  dere 
liction  of  duty,  and,  I  think,  some  unjustly.  Lieutenant-General  S. 
D.  Lee  arrived  this  evening  with  some  of  his  troops.  The  balance 
rapidly  coming — about  six  thousand.  This  will  swell  our  ranks  great 
ly,  and  besides,  there  are  about  2,000  at  Augusta,  that  have  collected 
since  he  left. 

April  ist:  Senator  Wigfall  of  Texas,  arrived  at  Johnston's 
quarters  to-day.  Major  Generals  John  C.  Brown  of  Tennessee  and 
Patton  Anderson  of  Florida,  reached  us  with  a  portion  of  their  com 
mands.  Both  had  been  absent  on  account  of  wounds;  Brown's  last 
wound  was  received  at  Franklin,  on  the  3Oth  of  November,  1864; 
Anderson's  at  Marietta. 

April  2nd:  Stoneman,  it  is  said,  is  attempting  to  reach  the  rail 
road,  near  Salisbury.  Young's  brigade  o-f  cavalry  are  sent  to  meet 
him,  and  the  soldiers  that  Lee  brought  from  Augusta  are  halted 
there.  A  cordial  reception  awaits  him.  Heard  to-day  that  John 
ston  had  preferred  charges  against  Hood  for  misrepresentations  in 
his  report. 

April  3rd:  To-day,  o<ne  or  two  other  brigades  of  cavalry  have 
gone  after  Stoneman.  Hardee  reviewed  his  corps  of  the  army  this 
morning — General  Johnston  witnessed  it.  The  postoffice  of  the  army 
arrived  yesterday — glad  news.  Peace  rumors  rife  again  but  are 
laughed  at  here.  Fighting  supposed  to  be  going  on  both  at  Mobile 
and  Richmond.  We  have  been  living  for  some  days  on  shad,  caught 
near  Smithfield,  excellent  to  one  unaccustomed*  to  them. 


456  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

April  4th:  I  witnessed  to-day  the  saddest  spectacle  of  my  life, 
the  review  of  the  skeleton  Army  of  Tennessee,  that  but  one  year 
ago  was  replete  with  men,  and  now  filed  by  with  tattered  garments, 
worn  out  shoes,  bare-footed  and  ranks  so  depleted  that  each  color 
was  supported  by  only  thirty  or  forty  men.  Desertion,  sickness, 
deaths,  hardships,  perils  and  vicissitudes  demonstrated  themselves 
too  plainly  upon  that  old  army  not  to  recur  to  its  history.  Oh,  what 
a  contrast  between  the  Dalton  review  and  this  one!  The  march  of 
the  remnant  was  so  slow — colors  tattered  and  torn  with  bullets — that 
it  looked  like  a  funeral  procession.  The  countenance  of  every  spec 
tator  who  saw  both  reviews  was  depressed  and  dejected,  and  the 
solemn,  stern  look  of  the  soldiery  was  so  impressive — Oh  i  it  is  be 
ginning  to  look  dark  in  the  east,  gloomy  in  the  west,  and  Hke  almost 
a  lost  hope  when  we  reflect  upon  the  review  of  to-day! 

April  5th:  The  shades  of  sorrow  are  gathering  upon  us — 
horrible  rumors!  We,  to-day,  have  heard  of  the  distressing  news 
that  the  fall  of  Richmond  took  place  the  first  day  of  the  month — 
understand  that  all  the  archives  of  the  State  were  destroyed,  and 
that  in  the  engagement  Lieutenant-General  A.  P.  Hill  was  killed 
or  captured.  Heavens,  the  gloom  and  how  terrible  our  feelings!  A 
city  that  had  been  protected  for  four  years  now  to  succumb  to  the 
world's  minions — Lee  has  to  give  up  and  leave  the  bones  of  our  braves 
behind.  About  the  three  days'  fight  we  have  not  yet  heard.  It  must 
be  a  great  relief  to  Grant  to  break  up  Lee's  lines  about  Richmond, 
"but  it  is  death  to  the  frog."  Wigfall's  comment  upon  Hood's  re 
port  was  very  severe. 

Smithfield,  N.  C,  April  6th,  1865. 

It  never  rains  but  it  pours,  and  still  the  bad  news  comes — 
Selma,  Alabama,  we  hear  officially,  has  been  given  up  to  a  raiding 
party.  Tis  said,  too,  that  a  column  of  nine  thousand  Yanks  have 
entered  it.  We  heard  to-day  from  Richmond  that  Lee  lost  all  his  ar 
tillery  but  two  battalions,  supposed  to  have  been  about  500  pieces. 
Of  his  loss  in  men  we  have  not  yet  heard.  General  S.  takes  the 
death  of  his  little  boy  at  Auburn,  Ala.,  very  hard.  Notwithstanding 
his  stern  military  character  he  is  a  tender  hearted  man. 

April  7th:  I  neglected  to  state  that  Governor  Vance  and  many 
ladies  from  Raleigh  came  down  to  the  review  of  Hardee's  corps. 
Everything  went  off  well  aside  from  our  decimated  ranks.  The 
ladies  cheered  General  Hoke's  division  of  North  Carolinaians.  We 
hear  the  report  of  the  Yankees  being  at  Selma  contradicted,  but  the 
telegrams  in  yesterday's  papers  and  the  reports  heretofore  are  too 
true.  President  Davis  issues  an  address  to  the  people  of  the  Con 
federacy  imploring  them  to  stand  by  him  in  reverses  and  to  be  not 
disheartened,  for  he'll  steer  us  safely  through. 

April  8th:  Captain  R.  C.  Stewart,  A.  D.  C.,  arrived  to-day; 
reports  the  wagon  train  in  ten  miles.  He  has  been  on  leave  of  ab 
sence  and,  in  fact,  all  of  the  staff  but  Colonels  Gale,  Sevier  and1  my- 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR.  457 

self.  Major  Lauderdale,  Quartermaster-Major  and  Assistant  A,  &  I. 
General  Minnick  Williams  also  came  to-day.  Prisoners  taken  state 
that  Sherman  will  commence  his  movement  upon  us  Monday.  Lee 
has  had  another  fight  at  Amelia  Court  House  since  the  evacuation  of 
Richmond,  in  which  he  was  successful.  Nothing  from  the  West 
except  the  confirmation  of  the  fall  of  Selma,  Alabama. 

April  9th :  Captain  R.  C.  Stewart  and  I  went  near  Pikeville 
to-day  to  purchase  horses.  I  obtained  one.  Saw  General  Dibrell, 
Dr.  McCord,  and  my  brother,  Dr.  J.  L.  Ridley,  with  whom  I  spent  the 
night. 

April  loth :  This  morning,  before  day,  Dibrell's  scouts  came  in 
with  two  or  three  officers  prisoners,  who  stated  that  they  had  just 
received  orders  to  march,  and  had  gone  to  a  house  to  bid  some  ladies 
goodbye  when  our  scouts  captured  them.  Returned  to  camp  and 
found  the  consolidation  had  taken  place  and  the  different  corps  mov 
ing  toward  Raleigh.  The  army  was  divided  into  three  corps,  under 
Stewart,  Hardee,  and  Stephen  D.  Lee.  Stewart's  corps  is  now  com 
posed  of  Loring's  division,  made  up  of  his  old  division,  Patton  An 
derson's  and  Walthall's.  Walthall  is  now  commanding  McLaw's  and 
Anderson's,  what  was  known  as  Taliaferro's  division.  Enemy  ad 
vancing  on  us  rapidly.  Camp  to-night  west  of  Beaver  Mill  bridge. 

April  nth:  Started  about  7  o'clock  this  morning  and  pitched 
tents  three  miles  west  of  Raleigh  on  Hillsboro  road.  Have  heard 
nothing  of  enemy's  progress.  As  we  passed  the  female  seminary  in 
Raleigh  the  beautiful  school  girls  greeted  us  warmly.  Each  one 
had  a  pitcher  of  water  and  goblet.  We  drank,  took  their  addresses, 
and  had4  a  big  time.  It  was  a  terrible  task  to  get  Terry  Cahal,  Ca- 
ruthers,  Stewart,  and  the  other  members  of  the  staff  away  from  them. 
On  this  march  my  faithful  boy,  Hannibal,  gladdened  us  with  a  rich 
box  of  edibles  from  my  old  grandmother  at  Oxford. 

April  I2th:  Started  this  morning  at  sunrise  and  landed  this 
evening  one  mile  east  of  Durham  Depot,  eighteen  miles  fiom  Hills 
boro.  General  Johnston  left  Raleigh  on  the  cars  to  meet  President 
Davis  at  Greensboro,  and  placed  General  Stewart  in  command  of  two 
corps,  Lee's  and  his  own,  until  his  return.  Rumors  of  Lee's  capture 
in  Virginia  are  rife,  but  not  believed4. 

April  1 3th:  Camped  this  evening  two  miles  east  of  Hillsboro. 
General  Johnston  returned  from  Greensboro.  More  rumors  of  Lee's 
capitulating,  and  some  are  led  to  believe. 

April  I4th:  To-day  we  passed  through  Hillsboro.  Saw  a  good 
many  nice  looking  young  ladies.  Crossed  Eno  river  this  side  two 
miles  and  Haw's  river  sixteen  miles.  Camped  near  Squire  Hoke's 
in  a  beautiful  grove.  Saw  a  doctor  Brown  directly  from  the  artillery 
in  Lee's  army.  He  says  "that  after  thirty  hours'  travel  from  Farm- 
ville  about  forty  pieces  of  artillery  had  halted  at  Appomattox  Station 
to  cook  and  feed.  The  Yanks  overtook  them  but  were  repulsed4  with 
grape  and  canister;  that  during  the  night  General  Lawton  received 
a  dispatch  from  Lee  stating  that  he  could  be  of  no  more  use  to  him 


458  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

if  he  could  not  join  him  by  Sunday  morning,  and  to  cut  down  cais 
sons,  bury  the  guns,  divide  the  men  into  squads  of  four  or  five,  and 
let  them  make  their  way  out." 

April  1 5th:  Our  march  to-day  is  only  twelve  miles  in  conse 
quence  of  heavy  roads,  caused  from  rains.  Have  passed1  old  Chapel 
Hill  Uunversity,  sacred  to  me  as  my  father's  alma  mater,  and  now 
Graham,  and  camp  to-night  at  Smith's  store.  The  farther  we  go  the 
worse  the  news  we  get  from  Lee's  army.  General  S.  succeeds  in 
having  a  barrel  of  peach  brandy  and  a  half  box  of  tobacco  given  him 
by  a  Mr.  Vaughn.  Yum !  yum  !  ha !  ha ! — we  are  taking  it  along  for 
medical  purposes.  Dr.  Smepton  invited  the  General  and*  staff  to  his 
house  this  morning  to  partake  of  a  mint- julep.  To  our  surprise,  we 
found  he  had  sugar,  coffee  and  ice,  things  scarce  in  these  times.  Every 
time  we  get  into  a  drive  of  this  kind  General  S.  destroys  Cahal's, 
Caruthers'  (his  sons)  and  my  prospects  by  telling  these  fellows  that 
"sometimes  the  older  members  of  my  staff  partake  of  a  julep,  but 
the  younger  members  never  touch  it."  We  just  had  to  lor'k  at  that 
julep  and  "sigh"  for  a  smile.  Dibrell's  cavalry  had  been  suddenly 
transferred  to  rear.  They  say  he  has  gone  to  Greensboro  to'  repel 
a  raid.  It  turned  out  that  they  were  to  escort  Jefferson  Davis  far 
ther  south. 

April  i6th :  March  eight  miles  and  camp  in  four  miles  of  Greens 
boro.  Have  just  heard  of  Lee's  farewell  address,  he  and  his  army 
were  captured.  He  says  that  greatly  outnumbered  as  he  was,  con 
tending  against  such  wonderful  force,  he  was  bound  to  yield  with 
out  further  loss  of  blood.  What. next? 

•April  1 7th:  We  rest  to-day;  have  been  to  town,  sold  ten  dol 
lars  in  greenbacks  for  one  thousand  in  Confederate.  Found  all 
bustle  and  excitement  there.  Gloom  and  sadness  pervades  the  whole 
land;  subjugation  stares  us  in  the  face.  Our  Army  f  Tennessee 
(so  called  after  the  permanent  organization  at  Smithfield),  now 
has  to  cope  with  Grant,  Sherman,  and  Thomas.  If  we  pass  through 
the  States  of  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Alabama,  and-  Mississippi, 
we  will  have  no  army.  What  can  we  do?  Oh,  the  humility  attending 
submission ! 

April  i8th:  Beauregard  and  Breckinridge  went,  up  to  Hillsboro 
last  night  at  the  request  of  Jonhston.  'Tis  supposed  that  they  are 
negotiating  with  Sherman  for  the  surrender  of  this  army.  Deser 
tion  every  night  is  frightful.  Ten  or  twelve  trains  went  to  Hills 
boro  this  morning,  'I  suppose  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  Yankb 
down  to  take  charge  o-f  us.  My  immediate  association  with  the 
members  of  Stewart's  staff  and  command,  of  two  years  service  in 
the  Army  of  Tennessee,  my  acquaintance  while  I  was  a  private  in 
Ward's  regiment — Morgan's  cavalry  for  nearly  a  year,  fills  my  heart 
with  sorrow  as  I  think  of  giving  them  up.  The  hardships,  perils  and 
dangers,  that  we  have  undergone  together  ties  the  knot  of  friendship 
forever. 

April   iQth:     General   Stewart  just  returned   from  town,  states 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR.  459 

that  Johnston  has  returned1  and  brings  news  of  the  killing  of  Lin 
coln  and  the  stabbing  of  Seward  by  some  unknown  persons  in  a 
Washington  City  theatre.  In  the  recklessness  of  the  times,  some  of 
the  masses  rejoice,  yet  our  thinking  gentry  regard  it  as  most  un 
fortunate.  General  Johnston  gets  the  information  from  Sherman, 
with  whom  he  has  been  conferring  for  the  last  day  or  two,  in  which 
he  has  secured  an  indefinite  truce.  He  is  negotiating,  we  all  think, 
upon  terms  of  surrender.  Confederate  money  is  worth  nothing  now 
— am  sorry  I  let  that  ten  dollar  greenback  bill  go.  Our  army  is 
getting  demoralized.  A  band  of  marauding  soldiers  visited  our 
camp  this  morning  and  coolly  helped-  themselves  to  some  leather 
and  goods  that  we  had  quietly  secured  from  the  Quartermaster's 
Department.  We  are  in  great  suspense — may  be  here  a  month. 

April  20th:  General  Johnston  sent  Colonel  Mason,  A.  A.  Gen 
eral,  to  General  Stewart  this  morning  with  the  basis  of  negotia 
tions. 

In  the  first  place  an  armistice  is  agreed  upon  indefinitely,  each 
side  agreeing  to  notify  the  other  forty-eight  hours  before  hostilities 
shall  be  resumed.  Second.  The  Army  of  the  Confederate  States 
is  to  be  disbanded;  the  troops  of  each  State  at  their  respective  Capi 
tals.  Third.  Soldiers  and  their  property  are  to  be  respected  by 
the  United  States  authorities.  In  brief,  the  two  Generals  agree  for 
us  to  return  to  the  Union  as  we  were  previous  to  the  war ;  political 
officers  are  recognized  that  were  elected  by  the  State  previous  to 
"the  rebellion."  The  submission  is  entirely  upon  our  part,  but  it  is 
on  much  better  terms  than  were  expected.  Should  these  terms  be 
agreed  upon,  the  arms  of  the  troops  of  each  State  are  to  be  turned 
over  to  their  State  authorities.  Generals  Stewart  and  Loring  to 
night  explained  the  substance  of  the.  negotiation  and  the  cause  of 
the  armistice  to  a  large  assembly  of  soldiers.  After  this  many  mem 
bers  of  the  Twelfth  Louisiana  regiment  came  up  and  requested  ex 
planations.  If  the  terms  are  agreed1  upon  for  peace,  we  will  all  soon 
be  headed  for  our  dear  old  homes,  even  if  they  are  not  what  they 
were  four  years  ago.  I  once  enjoyed  a  laughable  anjd  side  splitting 
farce  in  which  the  leading  character  begun  and  ended  as  I  will  end 
my  notes  of  this  April  2Oth :  "What!  O,  what  will  become  of  us 
all?  For  Andy  Johnson  has  about  got  us  in  his  clutches,  and  Brown- 
low  has  said :  'Greek  fire  to  the  masses,  but  h — 1  fire  to  the  leaders.'  " 

April  2  ist:  Lieutenant  Stewart,  Alphonso,  and  I  went  to  town 
this  morning.  Nothing  (new  stirring.  Saw  General  Hoke,  who, 
upon  learning  that  my  father  was  with  me  (on  a  visit),  promised  to 
send  an  ambulance  'for  him.  Hoke  is  our  kinsman.  Major  Lauderdale 
reports  Johnston's  operator  as  telling  him  that  the  enemy  took  Mont 
gomery,  Alabama,  and  Columbus,  Ga.,  before  an  order  of  cessation 
of  hostilities  reached  them.  They  burned  seven  hundred  wagons 
that  we  had  left  behind  on  our  way  from  Tupelo.  We  suppose  that 
when  Johnston  met  President  Davis  at  Greensboro,  he  told  him 
that  nothing  was  left  us  but  to  surrender,  hence  he  left  Johsnton 


460  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

to  close  the  book  and  took  General  Dibbrell's  command  with  him 
to  try  to  reach  the  Trans-Mississippi. 

April  22nd:  I  learn  from  a  staff  officer  of  General  Johnston 
(Major  Clare),  that  orders  are  being  issued  to  divide  with  the  army 
all  the  silver  coin  in  possession  of  Johnston's  paymaster — $54,000.00. 
This  will  give  each  man  $1.80,  a  small  sum  for  four  years'  trials 
and  hardships,  and  pain,  and  loss  of  treasures,  blood  and  life.  Just 
here,  by  way  of  parenthesis,  I  got  for  my  share  $1.15 — four  quar 
ters,  one  dime  and  a  five  cent  piece.  I  gave  my  faithful  boy,  Hanni 
bal,  the  dime  and  five  cents,  and  brought  my  four  quarters  home, 
and  had  them  fixed  to  hand  down  to  posterity  as  a  kind  of  heirloom. 
I  got  a  jeweler  to  send  them  to  New  York  and  to  have  engraved  on 
them  my  rank,  when,  where,  and  to  whom  I  surrendered,  and  the 
basis  of  negotiation  between  Johnston  and  Sherman.  The  engrav 
ing  cost  me  $30.00.  I  gave  them  to  a  kinswoman  to  keep  for  me. 
One  day  she  wrote  me  in  great  distress  that  a  servant  on  her  place 
had  stolen  her  purse,  and  in  it  were  the  four  quarters.  The  last  I 
ever  heard  of  them  after  a  diligent  search.  Oh,  what  would  I  give 
to  find  those  four  silver  coins? 

And  now  I  will  while  away  a  few  hours  of  armistice  by  trans- 
scribing  some  of  the  Nomenclature  of  our  Southern  armies: 

The  North  Carolinians  are  called  "Tar  Heels;"  Georgians, 
"Goober  Grabblers ;"  Alabamians,  "Yaller  Hammers;"  Texans,  "Cow 
Boys;"1  T)ennesseeans,  "Hog  Drivers;"  Louisianians,  "Tigers;" 
Floridians,  "Gophers;"  Virginians,  "Tobbacco  Worms;"  Arkansans, 
"Tooth-picks;"  Missourians,  "Border  Ruffians;"  Kentuckians,  "Corn 
Crackers;"  and  Mississippians,  "Sand  Lappers."  The  cavalry,  "But 
termilk  Rangers;"  infantry,  "Webfoot."  A  regiment  of  deserters 
from  the  Federal  Army,  kept  behind  by  us  to  build  forts,  "Galvanized 
Rebs."  The  Federals  called  us  "Johnnies ;"  we  called  them  "Yanks" 
and  "Blue  Bellies." 

See  a  fellow  with  a  Bee  Gum  hat  ride  down  a  line,  "He's  a 
gentleman  from  the  States."  The  soldiers  guy  him  with  such  re 
marks  as  "Come  out  of  that  hat.  I  know  you  are  thar;  see  your 
toes  wigglin'."  If  boots  are  long  and  big,  they  will  say,  "See  your 
head  stickin'  out."  In  passing  a  troop  in  camp,  a  number  will  look 
up  a  tree  and  halloo,  "come  out  of  that  tree.  See  you  up  thar."  This 
attracts,  and  then  the  laugh  comes.  In  camp,  when  all  is  still,  the 
monotony  is  broken  by  some  forager  making  a  hog  squeal.  His 
fellows  cry  out,  "I'll  kill  any  man's  hog  that  bites  me."  A  cavalry 
man,  passing  infantry,  is  accosted  with  "Jump  off  and  grab  a  root." 
A  by-word  of  the  soldiers — "I  haven't  had  a  square  meal  for  three 
days."  Soldiers  in  camp  say  to  soldiers  going  to  the  front,  "You'd 
better  gim  me  that  hat;  you'll  lose  it  out  thar." 

Cavalry  tantalization  to  Webfoot:  "If  you  want  to  get  butter 
milk,  jine  the  cavalry."  Old  Webfoot  replies:  "If  you  want  to 
catch  h — 1,  jine  the  Webfoot."  One  of  the  staff,  in  drilling  a  brigade, 
told  them  to  dress  up  in  the  center  about  half  an  inch.  As  he  would 


LAST  feATTLES  OF  THtf  WAR.  46 1 

pass  afterward,  they'd  begin,  "Boys,  there  goes  half-inch."  Fun,  to 
be  sure,  but  it  worried  him  shamefully. 

I  got  hold  of  a  silver  crescent  on  the  Dalton  campaign,  placed 
it  on  the  left  side  of  my  hat,  put  on  a  biled  shirt  and  a  paper  collar, 
and  rode  down  division  line.  They  began  on  me,  "Ahem!  Umph! 
Umph!  Biled  shirt!  Ladies'  man!  Parlor  ornament!  Take  him 
to  his  maT 

On  the  march  to  Tennessee,  the  officer  who  would  get  them 
out  of  the  sorghum  patches  caught  it.  They'd  say,  "Boys,  there 
goes  Old  Sarghsum!" 

In  cavalry  Number  Four  invariably  held  the  horses  in  battle. 
It  was  such  a  delightful  number  that  when  it  fell  upon  a  soldier, 
he  would  say,  "Bully!" 

Colonel  Paul  Anderson  changed  the  mirth  by  saying,  "Boys, 
Number  One  will  hold  horses,  and  you  'Bullies'  will  dismount."  One 
night,  one  of  Colonel  McLemore's  captains  formed  a  line  of  battle 
by  saying:  "Boys,  you  can't  see  me,  but  dress  up  on  my  voice." 
Colonel  Anderson  would  say,  "Dress  up  on  my  friend  Brit."  These 
things  got  to  be  by-words  in  those  commands.  Instead-  of  "Blow  the 
Bugle,"  it  was  "Toot  the  Dinner  Horn."  That  takes  me  to  some 
of  our  greenhorns  in  the  drill.  When  we  first  started,  a  fellow  in 
East  Tennessee  began  drilling  his  company  thus:  "Men,  tangle  in 
fours!  By  move  forward!  Put!  Wheel  into  line !  By  turn  around ! 
Git!"  A  Middle  Tennessee  captain,  wanting  his  company  to  cross 
a  creek  on  a  log,  said:  "Attention,  company!  In  one  rank  to  walk 
a  log!  Walk  a  log!  March!" 

It  carried  you  back  to  old  times  to  hear  the  guards  around  a 
regiment  halloo  out,  "T-w-e-1-v-e  o'-c-l-o-c-k  and  a-l-l-'s  well !"  The 
rude  an)d  untrained  soldier  would  play  on  that  and  say :  "T-  w-e-1-v-e 
o'-c-l-o-c-k,  and  sleepy  as  h — 1 !"  When  a  soldier  goes  out  foraging 
it  is  called  going  on  a  "lark;"  when  he  goes  stealing,  it  is  "impress 
ing  it  into  service;"  when  a  Quartermaster  wants  to  shield  his  ras 
cality,  he  has  a  favorite  abstract  called  "L,"  which  is  used^  and  means 
"Lost  in  the  service ;"  when  a  squad  runs  from  the  enemy,  it  is  "Ske- 
dadling;"  the  ricochetting  of  a  cannon  ball  is  "Skiugling" — words 
whose  origin  began  with  the  war.  Let  a  stranger  or  soldier  enter 
camp  and  call  for  a  certain  company — say,  Company  F.  Some  soldier 
will  say,  "Here's  Company  F!"  By  the  time  he  can  get  there,  an 
other  will  cry  out  at  the  far  part  of  the  regiment,  "Here's  Company 
F!"  Then  the  whole  command  will  take  up  the  refrain,  until  the 
poor  fellow  in  vexation  will  sulk  away.  Let  an  old  soldier  recognize 
a  passing  frien/d,  and  say,  "How  are  yon  Jim?"  a  marching  division 
will  keep  it  up,  with  "How  are  you,  Jim?"  until  the  poor  fellow 
swoons. 

In  the  army  we  have  some  of  the  finest  mimics  in  the  world. 
Let  one  cackle  like  a  hen,  and  the  monotony  of  camp  is  broken  by 
the  encore  of  "S-h-o-o!"  Then  other  cacklers  take  it  up,  until  it 
sounds  like  a  poultry  yard  stirred  up  over  a  mink  or  a  weasel.  Let 


462 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


one  bray  like  an  ass,  others  take  it  up  until  the  whole  regiment  will 
personate  the  sound,  seemingly  like  a  fair  ground  of  asses.  As  mim 
ics  they  are  perfect;  as  musicians,  also.  I  met  one  once  who  said, 
"If  you  will  give  me  a  jigger,  I'll  give  you  some  chin  music."  He 
put  his  hands  to  his  chin,  and  with  his  teeth  made  a  sound  like  rat 
tling  bones,  keeping  time  to  his  pat  and  song.  Some  of  the  finest 
singers  I  ever  heard  were  soldiers  and  some  of  the  best  acting  I 
ever  saw  was  done  by  them.  In  camp  it  is  so  delightful  to  hear  the 
brajs  band  dispensing  music  in  the  sweetest  strains.  Near  Atlanta, 
a  IDutch  battery  entertained  us  every  fifteen  minutes,  and  whilst  we 
kept  our  eyes  open  to  the  music  of  the  shells  from  far  away  would 
beat  upon  our  ears  the  music  of  the  enemy's  brass  bands;  our  bands 
would  tune  up  and  make  us  oblivious  to  the  roar  of  that  old  battery. 
I  tried  once  inj;he  progress  of  the  battle  to  assimilate  it  to  music. 
The  sound  of  the  minnie  ball — Zip !  Zip ! — I  dubbed  the  soprano ; 
the  roar  of  the  musketry,  the  alto ;  the  lingering  sound  of  battle,  the 
tenor;  the  artillery,  the  basso.  Now,  intersperse  it  with  the  inter 
lude  of  an  old  Rebel  yell,  and  you've  got  it.  As  to  wit  and  sarcasm 
you  hear  in  camp,  I'd  defy  the  world  to  beat  it.  Anyone  attempting 
to  be  consequential,  or  unnatural,  is  the  character  to  work  on,  and 
the  gravest  of  the  Chaplains  cannot  look  upon  their  ridicule  without 
smiling.  A  psalm-singing  soldier  one  day  gave  out  a  distich  for 
song,  to  sing  to  the  long  meter  hymn  of  St.  Thomas.  Some  blas 
phemous  fellow  changed  it  to 

"The  possum  am  a  cunning  fowl, 
He  climbs  upon  a  tree." 

The  regiment  broke  out  with  the  chorus. 

"Rye-straw  !     Rye-straw  !     Rye-straw  !" 

"And  when  he  wraps  his  tail  'round  a  limb, 

He  turns  and  looks  at  me." 

"Rye-straw !      Rye-straw  !      Rye-straw  !      Rye-straw !" 

This  is  shocking  to  us  now,  but  when  you  reflect  upon  the  idea 
that  in  their  daily  walk  the  soldiers  had  no  way  of  entertainment,  it 
was  excusable  to  find  some  means  of  pastime  and-  o>f  keeping  cheer 
ful,  if  sacrilege  is  pardonable. 

Some  of  the  parodies  on  our  Southern  songs  should  be  remem 
bered.  I  copy  a  verse  to  the  tune  of  "My  Maryland."  (If  you  know 
the  tune,  sing  it.) 

Old  Stonewall  Jackson's  in  the  field, 
Here's  your  mule,  Oh,  here's  your  mule ! 
And  he  has  the  boys  that  will  not  yield, 
Here's  your  mule,  Oh,  here's  your  mule ! 
And  when  you  hear  the  old  man  pray, 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAH.  463 

You  may  be  sure  that  on  next  day, 

The  very  Devil  will  be  to  pay— 

Here's  your  mule,  Oh,  here's  your  mule ! 

And  now  since  my  native  place  is  Old  Jefferson,  Tennessee, 
within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  battlefield  of  Murfreesboro  (Stoned 
river),  I  think  of  the  devastation  and  desolation  created  there  by  war, 
I  will  give  a  verse  of  my  parody  that  I  used  to  sing,  as  I  rode  along 
in  Ward's  regiment,  Morgan's  cavalry. 

Also  to  enjoy  it  sing  it  as  you  read. 

The  Yankee's  heel  is  on  the  street, 

Jefferson,  Old  Jefferson! 
I  hear  the  tramp  of  the  vandal's  feet, 

Jefferson,  Old  Jefferson ! 
Hark!     I  hear  a  rooster  squall, 

The  vandal  takes  them  hen  and  all. 
And  makes  the  men  and  women  bawl, 

Jefferson,  Old  Jeflerson! 

One  more  on  the  Happy  Land  of  Canaan,  and  I  am  done.  (If 
you  know  .the  tune  sing  it.) 

I   will   sing  you  a  song,  as  the  ladies  pass  along, 
All  about  the  times  we  are  gaining ;  aha ! 
I  will  sing  it  in  rhymes,  and4  suit  it  to  the  times, 
And  we'll  call  it  the  "Happy  Land  of  Canaan." 

Chorus. 

Oh  me !     Oh  my !     The  pride  of  our  Southern  boys  am 

coming;   aha! 

So  it's  never  mind  the  weather,  but  get  over  double  trouble, 
For  I'm  bound  for  the  Happy  Land  of  Canaan. 

In   the   Harper's   Ferry   section,   there   was   an   insurrection, 
Old  John  Brown  thought  the  niggers  would  sustain  him,  aha ! 
But  old  Governor  Wise  put  his  specks  upon  his  eyes, 
And  sent  him  to  the  Happy  Land  of  Canaan. 

Chorus. 

Old  John  Brown  is  dead,  and  the  last  words  he  said, 
"Don't   keep   me   here   a   long   time    remaining ;"   aha ! 
So  we  led  him  up  a  slope,  and  hung  him  on  a  rope, 
And  sent  him  to  the  Happy  Land  of  Canaan. 

Chorus. 


464  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AIIMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Near  Greensboro,  N.  C,  April  23rd,  1865.  General  Stewart, 
Alphonso,  his  son,  arid  I  visited  Johnston's  headquarters,  found  out 
that  he  was  expecting  to  hear  from  Sherman  on  day  after  to-mor 
row;  heard  a  report  that  Booth,  son  of  the  famous  actor  on  the 
American  stage  was  Lincoln's  assassin.  The  party  who  stabbed  Lin 
coln  and  the  particulars  concerning  Seward's  misfortune,  still  in 
abeyance. 

April  24th:  Have  received  orders  from  General  Johnston  that 
to-morrow  hostilities  will  be  resumed.  This  is  sufficient  evidence  to 
us  of  the  non-acceptance  of  the  terms  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States  authorities.  Every  man  had  his  eye  turned-  homeward,  and 
this  suddenness  of  a  proposed  continuation  of  the  struggle  is  more 
saddening  than  the  first  news  of  a  probable  surrender.  My  father 
left  me  to-day  for  Charlotte. 

April  25th:  Accompanied  General  Stewart  to  General  John 
ston's  headquarters  and  learned  that  negotiations  are  asked  for 
again,  and  the  armistice  to  be  resumed.  General  Stewart  made  three 
speeches  successively  to  different  troops  of  the  command,  explain 
ing  to  them  the  reason  that  General  Johnston  refuses  the  accept 
ance  of  the  terms,  the  same  being  that  all  over  a  certain  rark  will  be 
held;  for  treason.  The  eagerness  of  the  men  to  get  to  their  homes 
now  is  beyond  picture.  Do  believe  they  would  sacrifice  everything 
except  honor.  Old  Joe  says  continue  the  fight  through,  and  his  or 
ders  are  the  gospel  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee. 

April  26th :  We  struck  tents  this  morning  and  marched  within 
one  mile  of  Hill's  Point  where  we  pitched  tents  in  consequence  of 
an  order  from  General  Johnston,  informing  us  of  a  continuation  or 
resumption  of  the  armistice  for  further  negotiations.  We  all  think 
that  the  army  will  be  disbanded  at  this  place.  Our  camp  this  time 
is  near  a  copper  mine.  An  amusing  affair  occurred  in  camp  to-night, 
in  relation  to  Lieutenant  Polk  McFall's  mare.  While  seated  around 
the  camp  fire  at  his  tent,  our  conversation  led  to  her  precarious 
condition.  Not  many  moments  elapsed,  however,  before  the  accouch- 
ment  was  announced.  Lieutenant  DeSaulles  who  was  also  with  Mc- 
Fall  was  connected  with  Major  Wilbur  F.  Foster's  engineer  depart 
ment,  (as  was  also  Lieutenant  Buchanan)  said  it  should  be  named 
for  him.  The  colt  turned  out  to  be  a  female,  and  DeSaulles  is  ter 
ribly  teased,  and  it  is  still  bearing  his  name. 

April  27th:  To-day  we  received  the  order  to  surrender,  and 
now  we  are  prisoners  of  war.  We  will  start  for  our  homes  in  a 
day  or  two,  just  as  soon  as  our  paroles  can  be  made  out.  The  war 
is  over.  In  the  terms  we  pledge  ourselves  to  make  no  more  war 
and  remain  quietly  at  home  until  released.  For  preservation  and  the 
eye  of  my  old  age,  I  transcribe  in  my  journal  the  famous  general  or 
der  No.  1 8,  which  is  the  last  I  am  to  receive  from  General  Joseph 
E.  Johnston,  and  the  last  of  the  organized  army  of  the  Confederacy: 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR.  465 

Headquarters,   Army  of  Tennessee,   near   Greensboro,   N.   C,   April 

27th,  1865.     General  Order  No.  18. 

By  the  terms  of  a  military  convention  made  on  the  26th  inst. 
by  Major-General  W.  T.  Sherman,  U.  S.  A.,  and  General  J.  E. 
Johnston,  C.  S.  A.,  the  officers  of  the  army  are  to  bind  themselves  not 
to  take  up  arms  against  the  United  States  until  properly  relieved 


ILL  KILL  ANY  MAN'S  HOG  THAT  BITES  ME. 

from  the  obligation,  and  shall  receive  guarantees  from  the  U.  S. 
officers  against  molestation  by  the  United  States  authorities  so  long 
as  they  observe  that  obligation  and  the  laws  in  force  where  they  re 
side.  For  these  objects,  duplicate  muster  rolls  wijl  be  made  im 
mediately,  amd  after  the  distribution  of  the  necessary  p.npers,  the 
troops  will  march  under  their  officers  to  their  respective  States,  to 
be  there  disbanded,  all  retaining  their  personal  property.  The 
object  of  this  convention  is  pacification  to  the  extent  of  the  authority 
of  the  commanders  who  made  it.  Events  in  Virginia,  which  broke 
every  hope  of  success  by  war,  imposed'  on  its  general  the  duty  of 
sparing  the  blood  of  this  gallant  army  and  saving  our  country  from 
further  devastation  and  our  people  from  ruin. 

Signed,  J.  E.  Johnston,  General ;  Archer  Anderson.  I  ieutenant- 
Colonel  and  Assistant  Adjutant-General;  W.  D.  Gale,  Assistant  Ad 
jutant-General;  Lieutenant  Bromfield  Ridley,  Aide  de  Camp  to  Lieu- 
tenant-General  A.  P.  Stewart,  Army  of  Tennessee 

And  now  around  the  camp  fires  to-night  we  are  discussing  the 
surrender.  All  is  confusion  and  unrest,  and  the  stern  realization 
that  we  are  subdued,  and  ruined,  is  upon  us.  The  proud  spirited 


466  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Southern  people,  all  in  a  state  of  the  veriest,  the  most  sublimated 
sorrow.  Oh!  how  is  it  in  the  Yankee  camp  to-night?  Rejoicing, 
triumphing  and  revelling  in  the  idea  of  glory.  Think  of  it,  the  big 
dog  has  simply  got  the  little  dog  down.  Two  million  seven  hundred 
thousand  have  gotten  the  upper  hand  of  six  hundred  thousand,  who 
have  worn  themselves  weary  after  losing  half — the  giant  has  put 
his  foot  on  the  Lilliputian  and  calls  it  glory !  Bosh !  Confucius 
says  "our  greatest  glory  is  not  in  the  never  falling,  but  in  rising 
every  time  we  fall."  And  so  let's  philosophize,  "what  can't  be  cured, 
must  be  endured." 

Let's  laugh  and  not  sigh, 
A  silver  lining  by  anld  by. 

Our  courage  will  command  respect,  and  our  devotion  will  enlist 
admiration.  But  the  question  is  how  to  get  home.  Colonel  Gale 
goes  by  Asheville  for  his  wife,  Terry  Cahill  by  Wilmington,  the  rest 
!of  us  will  divide  up  the  transportation,  load  with  commissaries,  to 
exchange  for  forage  on  our  long  journey;  have  fears  that  there 
is  no  organization  and  that  the  soldiers  will  take  our  teams.  Major 
Wilber  F.  Foster,  corps  engineer,  and  attaches  will  take  one  route; 
Dr.  Darby,  medical  director  from  South  Carolina,  won't  have  far 
to  go;  Major  Murphy  of  Memphis,  and  attaches,  another  road,  but 
as  Major  Lauderdale,  our  acting  Quartermaster,  knows  where  the 
stores  are,  we  will  take  his  wagon,  and  also  Colonel  Sevier's  in  our 
party,  and  "go  as  you  please"  so  as  to  get  out  of  the  line  of  the 
army.  Assistant  Adjutant  Inspector  General  Minnick  Williams  is  to 
Strike  out  with  a  separate  party.  'Tis  now  eleven  o'clock  p.  m..  Our 
plan  is  settled  upon.  Lieutenant  Stewart  and  I  are  off  to  ride  all  night» 
leaving  our  general  and  Lauderdale  to  care  for  the  troops  and  pro 
vide  for  their  exit. 

Major  Smith,  our  acting  ordnance  officer,  will  take  charge  of  the 
guns  after  stacked,  and  deliver  them  to  Uncle  Sam.  I  will  keep  this 
journal  up  until  I  get  home  and  show  it  to  my  children,  if  I  ever  have 
any,  in  the  "sweet  by  and  by." 


April  28th,  1865:  After. the  famous  battle  order  No.  18,  Lieu 
tenant  R.  C.  Stewart  and  I  concluded  to  get  ahead  of  the  disbanded 
army  on  the  way  home,  so  we  could  find  forage  for  man  and  beast. 
We  left  town  last  night  with  three  headquarters'  wagons  (Stewart's 
Lauderdale's  and  Sevier's)  and  one  ambulance.  Rode  all  night  and 
are  now  in  camp,  seven  miles  from  Lexington,  on  the  Danville  road 

April  29th :  Remained  here  to-day.  A  great  many  people  visited 
us  to  exchange  forage  for  spun  thread;  that  is  our  currency  now. 
Sent  messenger  to  General  Stewart,  who  waited  to  see  men  pa 
roled,  to  bring  our  paroles. 

April  3Oth:  Made  a  Sabbath  day's  journey  across  the  Yadkin, 
finding  forage  scarce.  Left  a  letter  for  General  Stewart  and  drove 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR.  467 

ten  miles  further  before  learning  that  the  ferryboat  at  Brown's  Ferry 
had  been  removed.  Went  into  camp  about  five  miles  from  river  and 
sent  out  Captain  Hughes  and  two  others  to  examine  and  report  a 
safe  place  for  crossing;  also  sent  courier  back  to  General  Stewart. 
When  we  cross  the  Yadkin  will  await  orders  for  fear  of  falling  in 
with  the  "Philistines,"  who  might  give  us  trouble,  without  our  prop- 
ler  papers.  Omitted  to  mention  that  my  fatther  (Chancellor  Brom- 
field  Ridley,  of  Tennessee)  joined  our  company  yesterday  at  Lex 
ington,  anjd  will  be  of  our  party  to  Georgia  and  Tennessee.  Camp 
to-night  in  Davidson  county. 

May  ist:  This  beautiful  day  augurs  pleasant  weather  for  our 
long  journey  homeward.  The  fact  of  our  surrender  will  occupy  a 
noticeable  place  in  history,  that  the  "Military  Convention,"  as  it  is 
called  in  General  Johnston's  order,  took  place  near  Greensboro,  N.  C, 
in  the  County  of  Guilford,  within  five  miles  of  the  battle  of  Guilford, 
celebrated  in  the  history  of  the  Revolution  as  one  of  the  bloodiest  of 
that  war.  It  was  fought  by  Generals  Greene  and  Cornwallis,  with 
success  to  the  American  arms.  Aiken,  our  courier,  just  returned 
5  p.  m.,  reports  that  the  army  is  being  paroled  rapidly  but  friends 
will  not  overtake  us  before  to-morrow  or  next  day. 

May  2nd:  Forage  scarce;  strike  tents;  cross  the  Yadkin  at 
Haiston's  Ferry  and  wait  for  our  friejids^  in  the  meantime  have  the 
mules  shod  and  mend  the  ambulance.  Are  now  on  the  Knoxville 
road,  near  Peter  Haiston's  elegant  residence,  and,  upon  invitation, 
partake  of  the  hospitality  of  his  home.  The  lady  of  the  house  was 
Miss  Fannie  Caldwell,  daughter  of  Judge  Caldwell  of  Salisbury,  and 
a  grand-daughter  of  the  celebrated  Bailey  Henderson,  of  North  Caro 
lina.  Her  husband  is  a  man  of  wealth  and  lives  in  magnificent  style. 
It  is  a  home  for  Southern  soldiers.  This  Mr.  Haiston  is  the  wealth 
iest  man  in  North  Carolina.  He  was  the  owner  of  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  negroes,  and  twenty-five  thousand  acres  of  land  in  .North 
Carolina  and  Virginia.  Stragglers  made  an  effort  to  get  our  mules 
last  night,  but  failed,  after  a  few  shots  from  our  Irish  guards  who 
are  sleeping  on  this  campaign  with  one  eye  open. 

May  3rd:  Major  Lauderdale  has  arrived  with  tidings  from  our 
General,  and  our  paroles.  The  troops  of  different  States  are  to  be 
placed  under  a  general  of  their  States,  and  transportation  su  divided 
that  soldiers  can  get  home.  Enough  arms  were  given  to  guard  duty 
while  en  route.  General  J.  B.  Palmer  takes  charge  of  Tennesseeans, 
and  General  Stewart  hopes  to  overtake  us,  whenever  everything 
touching  his  corps  is  completed. 

May  4th:  Our  journey  of  over  twelve  hundred  miles.  To-day 
we  traveled  over  fourteen  miles,  crossing  the  south  fork  of  the  beau 
tiful  Yadkin.  Camp  on  another  plantation  of  Peter  W.  Haiston's, 
twelve  miles  northwest  of  Salisbury.  Have  fared  well ;  struck  for 
age*  eggs>  coffee,  onions  and  fish ;  found  a  little  oasis  in  the  arid  des- 


468  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARM*  OF  TENNESSEE. 

ert.  While  our  hearts  are  heavy  over  the  recent  surrender,  we  are 
glad  that  we  are  going  home. 

Oh,  that  worti  Peace!  Peace  is  the  sweetest  word  I  e*er  heard, 
except  that  other  word  Home !  "Sweet,  sweet  home."  Our  march 
hence  is  through  to  Lincolnton,  forty-five  miles.  Start  to  travel  now 
at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  miles  a  daj.  Captain  John  Oliver,  who 
dammed  Mill  creek  under  General  Stewart's  supervision,  near  Rocky 
Face  Ridge,  in  January,  1864,  and  changed  Sherman's  course,  came 
up  with  me  yesterday,  and  gave  me  an  elegant  Colt's  pisto1. 

May  5th:  Stoneman  in  his  last  raid  through  this  part  of  North 
Carolina  burnt  the  bridges,  so  while  striving  to  go  the  nearest  way 
to  Lincolnton,  we  changed  our  route  three  or  four  miles  Have 
traveled  twenty-six  or  seven  miles  to-day,  and  pitched  tents  twelve 
miles  from  Beattie's  Ford,  on  the  Catawba  river.  At  this  ford  live 
the  families  of  the  late  Judge  Burton  and  Alfred  Burton,  first  cousins 
of  my  paternal  grand-father. 

May  6th :  Crossed  the  beautiful  Catawba  at  Beattie's  Ford,  one- 
fourth  mile  wide.  It  is  full  of  historic  interest  connected  w'th  Revo 
lutionary  times.  Our  party  called  to  see,  and  was  warmly  received 
by  Robert  A.  E^r^n  and  a  number  of  ladies.  Overtook  our  wagons 
seven  miles  from  Lincolnton  in  camp,  having  traveled  twenty-two 
miles. 

May  7th:  Started  at  seven;  came  to  Lincolnton;  called  to  see 
Mrs.  Fannie  Hoke,  daughter  of  Judge  Robt.  Burton  and  the  mother 
of  Major-General  Hoke,  the  hero  of  the  battle  of  Plymouth.  She 
treated  us  royally;  remembered  to  have  met  my  father  when  he  was 
only  fifteen.  Having  lost  our  coffee  pot  in  camp,  she  generoush 
provided:  another.  Overtook  our  wagons  at  Mr.  McGill's,  eighteen 
miles  from  Lincolnton.  Our  cook,  Jim,  made  us  an  excellent  pot 
of  coffee  in  our  "Hoke  coffee  pot."  Near  camp  we  found  Colonel 
James  E.  Bailey,  of  Clarksville,  Tennessee,  Hardee's  command,  who 
was  likewise  en  route  to  Tennessee. 

May  8th :  Left  our  camp  this  morning  at  seven  and  in  a  few 
hours  were  in  the  State  of  South  Carolina,  Spartanburg  district.  We 
passed  in  view  of  King's  Mountain,  N.  C.,  near  to  which  the  celebrated 
battle  was  fought  Oct.  7th,  1780,  by  General  Campbell  on  the  Ameri 
can  side,  and  General  Ferguson  commanding  the  British  forces.  My 
recollection  is  that  the  Americans  had  a  force  of  1,500,  and  the  Brit 
ish  800  men  only,  but  they  were  stationed  on  the  cone  shaped  moun 
tain  almost  impregnable ;  yet,  after  a  hard  fought  battle,  victory 
perched  on  the  American  arms.  Colonel  T.  F.  Sevier,  our  Inspector- 
General,  is  of  the  same  ancestral  line  as  our  first  governor  of  Ten 
nessee,  Colonel,  John  Sevier,  who  attained  great  prominence  in  that 
battle.  (In  the  Tennessee  Historical  Society  there  is  a  gold  mounted 
sword  given  to  Colonel  John  Sevier  for  his  achievements  at  King's 
Mountain.)  We  have  crossed  Broad  river  at  Cherokee  iron  works, 
owned  partly  by  Colonel  Campbell,  of  Chester,  S.  C.-  Hav?  gone  into 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR.  469 

camp,  having  traveled  twenty-two  miles  on  the  roughest  road  yet 
encountered.  Near  King's  Mountain,  I  saw  a  woman  who  was  my 
id'eal  of  a  veritable  mountain  maid.  She  emerged  from  a  little  cabin 
after  a  bucket  of  water,  bare-footed,  bare-headed,  and  evidently  with 
but  a  single  garment  on.  She  had  the  pearliest  teeth,  "eyes  like  twin 
forget-me-nots  beneath  the  moonbeam's  glint,"  lips  like  the  cherry, 
or  art  e'er  made,  hair  as  glistening  as  black  polished  ebony,  a  nose 
as  beautifully  carved  as  that  of  any  fabled  nymph.  Gosh !  <4ie  was  a 
beauty.  I  approached  and  with  her  lily  white  hand  she  dipped  the 
bucket  in  the  spring,  and  gave  me  a  drink.  Zounds !  she  was  the  top 
blossom  of  the  mountain,  and  prettier  than  any  flower  in  the  valley. 
"And  the  dimple  in  her  chin  was  like  the  flower  the  bee  sitr  in." 

*We  are  getting  restless  about  our  stock — no  organization — strag 
gling  soldiers  threaten  to  take  them — they  swarm  everywhere,  some 
travel  fifty  miles  a  day,  going  to  see  father  and  mother,  and  wife  and 
children  and  loved  ones,  and  oh,  the  young  bloods  going  to  see  "The 
Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me."  That  old  song  comes  impressively  before 
me  now.  Have  sung  "Just  Before  the  Battle,  Mother,"  "Tramp, 
Tramp,  Tramp,  the  Boys  Are  Marching,"  "Joe  Bowers,"  "Lorena," 
"Maryland,"  "Dixie,"  and-  "When  This  Cruel  War  is  Over."  But 
light  up  the  camp  fire,  boys,  tune  up  the  fiddle  and  the  bow,  bring  in 
the  old  tambourine,  and  listen,  oh!  listen!  to  the  tune  of  'The  Girl 
I  Left  Behind  Me."  As  the  spirit-stirring  strains  fall  on  old  Jim's 
(our  cook)  ears,  he  begins  to  pat,  and  the  soul-inspiring  sound  at 
tracts  servant  Hannibal  who  begins  to  dance,  and  the  welkin  fairly 
rings  when  we  come  to  that  verse : 

"If  I  ever  get  through  this  war, 
And   Lincoln's   chains  don't  bind  me, 
I'll  make  my  way  to  Tennessee — 
To  the  girl  I  left  behind  me." 

COMING  HOME  FROM  GREENSBORO,   N.   C. 


Tuesday,  May  pth,  1865 :  Have  halted  here  at  Cherokee  iron 
works,  in  Spartanburg  district,  South  Carolina,  to  have  mules  shod 
and  clothes  washed.  Works  extensive  on  Broad  river,  which,  after 
receiving  the  Pacolette  a  few  miles  below,  is  navigable  for  flat  boats 
to  Columbia,  uo^miles  distant.  We  are  fishing  and  bathing  and  will 
our  journey  pursue  to-morrow. 

Had  the  war  lasted  a  few  weeks  longer,  the  staff,  by  special  act 
of  Confederate  Congress,  would  have  been  promoted.  Lieutenant, 
Colonel  and  Major.  Wrell,  Caruthers,  Stewart  and  I  have  lost  the 
glory.  The  staff  was  not  in  line  of  promotion,  hence  Congress,  on 
account  of  the  efficiency  of  this  arm  of  the  service,  was  endeavor 
ing  to  recognize  it.  I  often  reflect  how  I  got  picked  up  on  this  staff 
duty.  As  a  private  in  Company  F,  Ward's  regiment,  Morgan's  cav 
alry,  I  caught  the  enemy'  fire  at  and  over  my  line,  but  horrors!  in- 


470  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

stead  of  being  far  enough  in  the  rear  to  escape  minnies,  I  have  found 
that  the  staff  had  to  go  where  the  righting  was  in  a  battle  and  out, 
and  take  the  fire,  cross-fire  and  enfilades  at  the  whole  corps,  and  was 
always  a  target  for  batteries  and  sharpshooters.  But  with  the  mili 
tary  courtesy  of  being  called  a  grade  higher  than  our  real  rank,  the 
staff,  (whose  loss  quadrupled  any  other  branch)  had  to  content  it 
self. 

May  10:  Left  camp  this  morning  at  seven,  and  have  traveled 
twenty  miles,  having  crossed  Thickelty  creek  and  Pacolette  river. 
We  have  passed  within  a  few  miles  of  Cowpens,  a  notable  place  in 
the  history  of  the  Revolution  as  the  locality  of  a  bloody  battle  between 
General  Morgan  and  Colonel  Tarleton ;  also  passed  the  scene  of  an 
other  battlefield  on  Pacolette  river — believe  it  was  Eutaw  Springs, 
but  may  be  mistaken.  We  passed  through  Spartanburg  and  are  now 
in  Union  District,  ten  miles  west  of  Unionville.  The  road  is  full  of 
returning  soldiers.  Feed  is  scarce,  but  the  people  are  very  kind  to 
us.  A  Mr.  Jones  invited  Major  Lauderdale  and  my  father  to  break 
fast  with  him  a  half  mile  off.  Some  one  tried-  to  steal  a  mule  last 
night  but  we  were  on  the  alert.  A  fellow  came  to  our  camp  and  by 
false  pretenses  got  a  spool  of  spun  thread  from  us,  promising  to  bring 
corn,  but  he  decamped  and  we  never  heard  of  him  again.  Our 
circluating  medium,  cotton  yarns,  tobacco,  and  hams,  is  about  to  give 
out  But  as  Jacob  Faithful  in  one  of  Marryatt's  novels  used  to  say: 

"Life's  a  river,  and  a  man  is  a  boat, 

That  over  its  surface  is  destined  to  float; 

But  joy  is  a  cargo  so  easily  stored, 

That  he  is  a  fool  who  takes  sorrow  on  board." 

May  nth:  Have  traveled  twenty-five  miles  to-day:  camped 
on  the  east  bank  of  Tiger  river.  The  country  is  sterile,  and  the  con 
trast  with  Tennessee  land's  is  striking.  Road  jammed  with  soldiers. 
Expected1  to  meet  General  Stewart  at  Cross  Anchor,  but  found  he  had 
passed  on  with  his  corps,  though  our  informant  said  he  had  disbanded 
them. 

May  I2th:  Are  now  in  camp  at  Laurens  Court  House,  South 
Carolina.  Stop  at  two  o'clock  to  have  broken  wheel  repaired. 

May  1 3th:  Have  traveled  rapidly  to-day  over  a  smooth  road, 
and  are  now  seventeen  miles  from  Lauren's  Court  House  at  half 
past  one.  Write  this  hasty  memorandum  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
Saluda  river,  Puckett's  Ferry.  Whilst  we  are  crossing  it,  it  was 
rumored  at  Lawrenceville,  and  the  report  is  rife  all  along  the  way, 
that  Bob  Lincoln  had1  killed  Andrew  Johnson  at  Washington.  A 
man  said  he  had  seen  a  gentleman  who  had  informed  him  that  it  was 
reported  in  the  Knoxville  Whig  and  the  Augusta  Chronicle.  Don't 
believe  it,  yet  am  "prepared  now  to  believe  anything."  Have  also 
heard  another  rumor  that  a  French  fleet  is  in  sight  of  Wilmington. 
Don't  I  wish  that  President  Davis  could  get  on  it!  Mr.  Puckett's 
ferryman  says  that  President  Davis,  with  his  Cabinet,  crossed  the 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR. 


river  here  on  Monday,  May  ist,  also  his  escort,  Dibrell's  division 
together  with  Vaughan's  brigade  from  East  Tennesee.  President  is 
in  good  health.  Escort  was  disbanded  at  Washington,  Ga.  The  last 
Cabinet  meeting  was  held  there  in  a  bank  building.  Have  found 
a  returning  soldier  of  Vaughn's  brigade  who  says  there  are  forty 
01  fifty  Yankees  at  Abbeville  Court  House,  a  few  miles  ahead  of  us. 
If  so,  we  will  probably  fall  in  with  them  to-morrow.  Have  not  seen 
one  since  the  surrender.  We  are  twenty-two  miles  from  Abbeville. 
Passed  to-day  Ninety-Six,  a  place  which  has  become  historical  from 
the  fact  that  it  was  the  station  during  the  Revolution  for  the  Brit 
ish  —  the  surrounding  country  of  Laurens  and  Abbeville  being  dis 
tinguished  for  Tories.  The  British  General  Cruger  commanded  it 
when  Greene  attempted-  once  unsuccessfully  to  take  it.  It  was  at  this 
place  that  the  brave  Kosciusko,  who  'afterward  became  Dictator  of 
Poland  and  filled  so  large  a  place  in  European  history,  directed  the 
siege  for  General  Greene.  In  camp  now  after  traveling  twenty- 
five  miles. 

May  I4th:  Passed  through  Cokesbury  twelve  miles  from  Abbe 
ville,  a  village  distinguished  for  its  excellent  schools.  Passed  Abbe 
ville  at  half  past  twelve;  the  town  full  of  soldiers.  Saw  my  friend, 
John  Young  of  McMinnville,  who  came  near  being  hanged  by  An 
drew  Johnson  in  Nashville,  charged  with  being  a  spy.  General 
Loring's  wagon  train  had  stopped  one  mile  south  of  the  town  for  the 
purpose  of  avoiding  the  crowd4  en  route  for  Washington,  Ga.  We 
have  taken  a  road  leading  across  Savannah  river  at  Barksdale's 
Ferry.  Yankees  occupy  Washington,  hence  to  avoid  them  we  will  go 
directly  after  crossing  river  at  Warrenton,  to  Sparta.  General  Stew 
art  sent  forward  a  courier  to  say  that  he  was  in  the  rear,  and  to  wait 
for  him.  Courier  missed  us  and  went  to  Washington,  we  suppose. 
Have  pitched  tents  four  miles  south  of  Abbeville. 

May  1  5th:  Have  decided  to  wait;  and  sent  General  Stewart's 
son  back  to  meet  him.  An  accident  occurred*  in  camp  last  night. 
Mr.  Hill,  of  Tennessee,  who  is  one  of  our  company,  lost  his  mule. 
Lieutenant  Stewart  and  his  brother  Alphonso  have  returned  and 
bring  no  tidings  of  the  General.  We  are  in  trouble,  not  knowing  what 
to  do,  but  will  go  on  in  the  morning.  I  went  back  to  Abbeville  last 
night,  and  got  a  supply  of  commissary  stores  —  bacon,  hams,  flour, 
salt,  sugar,  etc.  Camped  near  Mr.  Tolmand's. 

May  1  6th:  Returned  from  the  village  last  night  where  I  saw 
twelve  Yankees  who  looked  scared.  Their  mission,  I  hear,  is  to  take 
charge  of  the  commissary  stores  there;  also  heard  that  the  Yankees 
had  captured  President  Davis  on  his  Mississippi  tour.  The  rumor 
is  pretty  well  authenticated,  therefore  I  mention  it.  Our  faithful 
man  Jim  gave  us  a  poor  breakfast  this  morning.  The  coffee  and- 
biscuit  were  both  badly  prepared;  but  he  said  he  was  all  the  time 
"thinking  of  his  wife  and  how  she  would  receive  him."  He  promised 
next  time  to  put  more  beans  and  less  water  in  the  coffee  pot.  And 


472  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

now  as  I  am  about  to  leave  South  Carolina,  and  strike  for  the  Georgia 
shore,  I  must  give  my  impression  of  it.  The  rivers  first  attracted 
me.  Their  beautiful  names,  the  Saluda,  the  Enoree,  the  Congaree, 
the  Wateree,  the  Pacolette.  The  people  clever,  high  toned,  warm 
hearted.  On  going  from  Augusta  through  South  Carolina  to  Smith- 
field,  our  first  headquarters  was  at  the  house  of  a  good  old  farmer  near 
Edgefield,  next  at  the  house  of  Governor  Pickens  near  Newberry. 
He  had  a  young  wife,  and  said  he  ordered  fired  at  Sumter  the  first 
gun  of  the  war.  We  then  stopped  at  ex-Governor  Gist's  after  cross 
ing  the  Enoree.  At  Chester,  we  stopped  at  the  house  of  a  prominent 
lawyer.  It  was  in  Chester  that  we  were  highly  entertained  by  a 
party  of  elegant  ladies,  and  during  the  evening  Major  Porter,  of 
Cheatham's  staff,  entertained  us  with  fine  singing.  We  stop  with  all 
classes  and  they  treat  us  well.  If  a  soldier  wants  royal  treatment, 
go  to  the  good  liver;  the  rich  man's,  is  not  generally  the  place  to  get 
it.  I  like  South  Carolina — the  land  of  Rutledge,  of  Calhoun  and  of 
Haynes  in  the  days  that  are  gone,  and  of  the  Rhetts,  the  Pickens, 
the  Gists,  the  Hamptons,  and  the  Prestons  of  to-day.  When  I  look 
over  this  old  land,  I  wonder  at  the  changes  to  come.  Slavery  is  dead, 
and  a  new  system,  social  and  political,  is  staring  us  in  the  face.  The 
complexion  as  fair  as  a  lily,  feet  as  beautifully  moulded  as  nature 
system  of  labor  deranged — ole  massa  and  ole  missus  can  not  be  re 
educated.  "The  little  old  log  cabin  in  the  lane"  must  give  way  be 
fore  the  sun  of  a  new  idea.  The  generation  of  negroes  growing  up 
will  fall  back  into  a  state  of  laziness  and  improvidence,  and  the  gen 
eration  of  whites,  all  on  an  equality  in  the  poverty  line,  must  meet  the 
crisis  of  events.  No  more  can  we  linger  with  the  old4  love ;  we  must 
try  to  gain  the  respect  of  the  new.  So: 

"Look  forward,  toil  onward,  and  when  in  the  end 

Well  merited  honors  you've  won, 
Be  proud  that  your  claim  to  the  prize  did  not  lie 

In  being  a  somebody's  son." 

Here  are  some  of  the  episodes  connected  with  South  Carolina: 
On  marching  from  Augusta  and  crossing  the  Enoree,  at  Jones'  Ferry, 
the  river  was  swollen  and  rising.  Colonel  Sevier  was  crossing  with 
a  common  ferryboat  full  of  soldiers.  They  lost  their  paddles  and  a 
most  exciting  scene  took  place.  It  was  viewed  by  the  corps  with  hor 
ror.  This  crazy  little  craft  was  approaching  the  mill  dam  without  rud 
der  or  sail,  chart  or  compass,  with  the  water  within  about  two  feet  of 
level  of  dam.  Ugh !  our  hearts  sank  but  they  went  over  safe,  and 
after  a  journey  of  four  miles  down  the  river  made  a  landing. 

The  accent  of  some  of  the  natives  is  so  broad  and  ths  outland 
ish  pronunciation  of  some  of  the  negroes  so  marked,  that  the  sold 
iers  say,  "They  have  the  English  language  turned  clean  wrong  side 
outwards." 

And  now  since  I  am  closing  my  journal  for  to-day,  Jim  Raw- 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR.  473 

lings  and  Roulack  and  Hughes  and  all  our  camp  are  singing  the 
"Bonnie  White  Flag,"  to  the  air  of  "Bonnie  Blue  Flag,"  to  appease 
the  sorrow  and  calm  the  tempests  of  surrender.  As  it  was  written 
by  Colonel  W.  S.  Hawkins  (General  S.'s  nephew),  while  a  prison 
er  in  Camp  Chase,  and  is  so  significant  and  soothing  as  a  lullaby,  I'll 
try  to  remember  this  verse: 

"Our  battle   banner   furled   away 

No  more  shall  greet  the  eye. 
Nor  beat  of  angry  drum  be  heard, 

Nor  bugle's  hostile  cry. 
The  blade  no  more  be  raised  aloft 

In  conflict  fierce  and  wild, 
The  bomb  shall  roll  across  the  sward, 

The  plaything  of  a  child. 

Chorus. 

Hurrah !   hurrah !   for  peace  and  home,   hurrah ! 

Hurrah  for  the  bonnie  white  flag,  that  ends  this  cruel  war." 


Brief  notes  of.  the  military  history  of  my  General,  Alex.  P.  Stew 
art,  will  be  of  interest  to  the  reader. 

General  Stewart  is  a  native  Tennesseean,  born  at  Rogersville 
and  reared  near  Winchester.  He  entered  the  class  of  1838  at  West 
Point  (an  appointee  of  Congressman  Hopkins  L.  Turney)  was  grad 
uated  in  1842  and  assigned  to  the  Third  artillery.  In  1843  he  was 
sent  back  to  the  military  academy  as  an  assistant  to  the  Professor  of 
Mathematics.  He  resigned  in  1845  on  account  of  bad  health,  and 
went  to  Cumberland  University,  Lebanon,  Tennessee.  He  married 
Miss  Harriett  B.  Chase  in  Ohio. 

Prof.  Henry  L.  Eustis,  of  Harvard  "University,  General  John 
Pope,  General  John  Newton,  General  Wm.  S.  Rosecrans,  General 
Abner  Doubleday,  (the  foregoing  were  Federals),  General  G.  W. 
Smith,  General  James  Longstreet,  General  R.  H.  Anderson,  General 
Mansfield  Lovell,  General  LaFayette  McLaws  and  others,  were  West 
Point  graduates  in  his  class.  In  the  last  two  years  of  his  cadet- 
ship,  General  Stewart,  Generals  John  Pope  and  Longstreet  roomed  to 
gether. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  Tennessee  first  organized  an  army 
of  her  own.  The  Governor  (Isham  G.  Harris)  had  an  artillery  corps, 
the  field  officers  and  captains  of  which  were  the  West  Point  gradu 
ates  found  in  the  State,  who  were  appointed  in  the  order  of  the  dates 
of  their  graduation  with  an  exception  of  two.  John  P.  McCown. 
was  Colonel,  Milton  Hayes,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  A.  P.  Stewart 
was  Major.  After  Tennessee  voted  on  the  ordinance  for  "Separa- 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


tion  and  Representation,"  this  corps  of  artillery,  with  balance  of  Ten 
nessee  army,  was  transferred-  to  the  Confederate  service. 

In  the  early  summer  of  1861  General  Stewart  was  first  em 
ployed  in  Middle  Tennessee  establishing  camps,  then  he  was  sent 
to  Randolph,  on  the  Mississippi  river,  and  passed  the  time  in  drill 
ing  troops  and  constructing  batteries,  and  was  the  first  to  occupy 
Island  No.  10  and  New  Madrid,  Missouri.  He  was  afterwards  sent 
to  Columbus,  Ky.,  and  put  in  command  of  the  heavy  artillery  and 
water  batteries. 

He  held  this  command  when  the  battle  of  Beimont  was  fought, 
(November  7).  A  shot  from  the  big  gun,  the  "Lady  Polk,"  which 
burst  a  few  days  afterward,  killing  eleven  men  and  injuring  others, 
was  fired  by  Major  Stewart's  orders  at  Grant's  line  of  troops,  then 
in  plain  view  from  the  bluff  where  it  was  mounted,  followed  by  other 
shots,  causing  Grant's  forces  to  face  to  the  left  and  move  off  soon  at 
a  double  quick.  This  done,  our  steam  boats  carried  over  the  troops 
and  field  artillery,  which  pursued  them  to  their  gunboats. 

Soon  after  this  Major  Stewart  was  appointed  a  Brigadier-General 
on  the  recommendation  of  Albert  Sidney  Johnston.  He  commanded 
a  brigade  in  Charles  Clark's  division,  Folk's  corps,  at  Shiloh;  in 
Cheatham's  division,  Folk's  corps  in  Kentucky  campaign  in  the  battle 
of  Perryville,  and  in  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro. 

After  we  fell  back  to  Shelbyville  he  was  assigned  temporarily, 
to  command  the  division  of  John  P.  McCown.  In  the  summer  of 
1863  he  was  appointed  Major-General,  and  took  command  of  a  di 
vision  in  Hardee's  corps.  His  division  held  Hoover's  Gap  through  a 
hard  fight,  and  resisted  the  advance  of  Federal  troops  at  that  place. 
(At  Tullahoma  I  joined  him;  and  followed  him  through  all  the 
battles  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee  until  our  surrender  at  Greensboro, 
N.  C.) 

Near  Marietta  he  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-General,  and 
took  command  of  Folk's  corps,  General  Polk  having  been  killed  at 
Pine  Mountain.  He  won  his  last  promotion  at  New  Hope  Church. 
Stewart's  division  in  one  line  of  battle  all  the  evening  mowed  down 
fighting  Joe  Hooker's  corps,  composed  of  three  division  lines,  and 
thereby  saved  Stevenson's  division  from  capture.  His  command'  there 
comprised  Gibson's  brigade  from  Louisiana,  Clayton's  and  Baker's 
brigades  of  Alabamians,  Stovall's  of  Georgians,  Brown's  brigade  of 
Tennesseeans  with  Eldridge's  battalion,  and  Fenner's  New  Orleans 
battery  of  artillery.  It  was  a  desperate  fight,  and  General  Johnston 
was  so  gratified  that  he  said  to  General  Stewart,  "If  I  can  make  you 
a  Lieutenant-General  for  your  management,  you  shall  have  it."  In 
a  few  weeks  Old  Joe?  came  out  to  where  General  Stewart  was  super 
intending  a  redoubt,  bringing  his  commission.  General  Stewart's 
promotions  came  rapidly.  He  won  his  spurs  by  satisfying  his  com 
manders  that  he  was  deserving.  Quiet,  modest,  but  withal  a  positive 
soldier  of  high  moral  character,  his  command  was  properly  managed 
yet  scarcely  did  he  give  an  order.  When  other  commands  iound  that 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR.  475 


Stewart  was  supporting  them,  on  right  or  left,  all  was  well;  and  when 
he  struck  the  enemy,  there  were  frequently  heartrending  scenes  of 
carnage  and  of  blood.  At  Resaca  he  had  three  horses  shot  under 
him;  at  Chickamauga  he  was  slightly  wounded;  on  the  28th  of 
July,  near  Atlanta,  he  was  struck  in  the  middle  of  the  forehead,  the 
ball  making  a  wound  in  the  shape  of  a  V.  He  had  so  many  boys  on 
his  staff  that  some  one  asked  him  the  reason.  In  reply  he  said:  "Be 
cause  when  I  send  a  message  it  is  apt  to  get  there."  The  only  unnat 
ural  thing  about  General  Stewart  was  that  he  never  dodged  a  bullet 
—  (any  natural  man  was  bound  to  do  it).  As  kind  as  a  father  to  his 
command,  and  possessing  their  confidence  that  he  would  not  willing 
ly  sacrifice  them,  whatever  he  said  to  do  they  did,  even  to  leap  into 
the  very  jaws  of  death.  His  counsels  were  so  much  looked  to  that  the 
soldiers  nicknamed  him  "Old  Straight,"  as  significant  of  their  re 
spect.  This  old  battle  scarred  veteran  is  now  one  of  the  Chicka 
mauga  Commissioners  and  is  absorbed  in  arranging  that  park.  In 
that  battle,  his  command  composed  of  the  brigades  of  Brown  and 
Bate  from  Tennessee;  Clayton,  from  Alabama;  and  Eldridge's  bat 
talion  of  artillery  comprised  of  Dawson's,  Humphrey's  and  the  Eufa- 
la  batteries,  went  in  4,040  strong,  and  lost  1,733  in  killed  and 
wounded.  As  a  corps  commander,  the  three  divisions  of  General 
Loring,  Walthall  and  French,  were  his  pride. 

As  one  who  espoused  the  Southern  cause,  history  will  record 
General  Stewart  as  a  devotee  to  his  people  and  that  he  fought  the 
good  fight,  and  kept  the  faith. 

His  staff  as  a  Major-General  was  as  follows:  R.  A.  Hatcher, 
A.  A.  G.,  New  Madrid,  Mo.;  John  C.  Thompson,  A.  I.  G.,  Nashville; 
Cross,  Commissary,  Nashville;  Lauderdale,  Quartermaster,  Hickman, 
Kentucky;  G.  B.  Thornton,  Medical  Director,  Memphis;  Dr.  G.  W. 
Burton,  Medical  Inspector;  J.  W.  Stewart  (his  brother)  Ordnance 
Officer ;  William  Sykes,  Provost  Marshal,  Murf reesboro,  Tennessee. 
The  boys  from  seventeen  to  nineteen:  Lieutenant  Terry  Cahal,  Ten 
nessee;  Scott,  Louisiana,  (killed  in  battle);  Matthews,  East  Tennes 
see,  shot  at  New  Hope;  R.  C.  Stewart,  and  myself.  Captain  Fowle, 
commanding  escort,  was  killed  at  Chickamauga.  Afterward  Wyatt 
of  Georgia  commanded  his  escort. 

May  1 7th,  1865 :  As  I  write  this  memorandum  for  the  eye  of  my 
old  age  and  to  recur  to  when  I  strike  some  old  soldier  who  is  on  this 
tramp  with  us,  I  will  take  a  bird's-eye  view  and  make  short  pencil- 
ings  of  our  party.  Major  Lauderdale  of  Kentucky,  is  our  chief  of 
staff  on  this  campaign,  a  lawyer  by  profession,  a  five  year  practi 
tioner  at  Hickman,  Kentucky,  and  a  partner  of  our  Captain  Roulack. 
He  was  at  the  time  of  surrender  Acting  Corps  Quartermaster — quits 
the  army  with  high  character. 

Robert  Caruthers  Stewart  is  another  of  our  party,  a  young  man 
[nineteen  years  old,  and  my  associate  as  aide-de-camp  to  his  distin- 


476  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

guished  father  (Lieutenant-General  A.  P.  Stewart).  We  have  been 
together  in  all  the  battles  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  beginning  with 
McLemore's  Cove,  Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain,  and  Mission 
ary  Ridge.  Then  we  were  in  the  100  days'  fight  from  Dalton  to  At 
lanta,  the  battles  around  Atlanta,  Franklin  and  Nashville.  Alphonso, 
another  son  of  the  General,  is  with  us — a  sprightly  lad  and  very 
agreeable,  but  too  young  to  have  been  a  soldier.  Captain  Hughes  of 
Memphis,  Tennessee,  is  the  Major-Domo  of  our  party  and  very  popu 
lar.  He  is  on  his  way  to  meet  a  lady  friend  at  Memphis,  and  we  ex 
pect  that  he'll  lead  her  soon  to  the  "hymeneal  halter."  Captain  Jim 
Rawlings  is  the  Chevalier  Bayard.  He  wears  the  heaviest  mustache, 
the  longest  beard,  and  rides  the  best  saddle-'horse  in  the  company. 
He  hails  from  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  was  clerk  in  Lauderdale's 
department  for  several  years,  and  one  of  the  best  book-keepers  in 
America.  It  is  doubtful  whether  the  Captain  is  more 
careful  of  himself  or  of  his  horse,  Jeff.  This  protracted 
war  has  postponed  the  nuptials  with  his  lady  love,  but 
when  he  gets  home  there  will  he  heard  the  voice  "of 
joy  and  gladness."  We  have  five  Irish  teamsters  along  with 
us,  all  useful  well-behaved  fellows;  John  Daily,  Aiken,  "Ten 
nessee,"  O'Neil  and  McLaughlin.  They  mess  to  themselves — the 
last  named  is  cook.  They  can  smell  pine  top  whiskey  further,  and 
get  more  onions  and  eschellots  than  anybody.  O'Neil  has  a  cart  and 
a  mule  of  his  own— is  greatly  attached  to  this  mule,  "Jerry."  Says 
he  is  twenty  years  old,  and  has  stolen  much  corn  and  fodder  for 
him.  He  wanted  to  get  a  furlough  for  Jerry,  and  had  it  in  his  mind 
to  ask  the  "Gineral,"  but  feared  if  he  did',  he  and  Jerry  would  both 
be  sent  to  the  "divil."  These  Irishmen  came  from  Memphis,  Ten 
nessee,  with  General  Polk,  and  are  now  returning  thithei.  They 
speak  with  great  veneration  and  affection  of  General  Polk.  Mr. 
McKee  of  Columbus,  Ga.,  is  traveling  with  us.  He  is  a  private  of 
some  artillery  company,  and  has  been  a  pleasant  member  of  our 
party.  Messrs.  Hill  and  Jones,  of  Tennessee,  and  a  Mr.  Ledford  of 
Texas,  are  also  in  our  company.  This  finishes  the  group,  except  my 
father  who  seemed  as  cheerful  as  any  soldier,  even  if  he  has  been 
a  wanderer  from,  the  family  altar  for  years,  my  servant,  Hannibal, 
General  Stewart's  cook,  Jim,  and  his  historic  rooster,  "Old  Dick." 
This  chicken  has  accompanied  the  army  through  Tennessee,  Ala 
bama,  Mississippi,  Georgia,  South  and  North  Carolina.  After  win 
ning  fifty  pitched  battles,  old*  Jim  regards  him  as  the  champion  cock 
of  Stewart's  corps.  We  have  traveled  twenty  miles  to-day.  Crossed 
the  Savannah  river,  and  pitched  tents  one  mile  from  Barksdale  Ferry, 
six  miles  from  Lincolnton.  We  are  "on  the  heels"  of  General  Stew 
art.  Heard  at  the  crossing  that  he  passed  there  to-day  at  ten  o'clock 
with  his  escort  company,  Captain  Greenleaf's  Light  Horse  from  New 
Orleans,  and  Colonel  Sevier  of  his  staff.  Will  overtake  him  to-mor 
row. 

And  now  we  are  in  the   State  of  Georgia,   County  of  Lincoln, 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR. 


Passed  Lincolnton,  a  poor  village  —  never  could  have  been  a  Rome  or 
an  Athens  in  its  palmiest  days.  Have  passed  from.  Lincoln  into 
Wilkes  county,  but  avoided  Washington,  the  county  seat,  the  home 
of  Bob  Tombs,  having  heard  that  Yanks  occupied  it  —  don't  care  to  see 
them.  Called  at  a  house  to  get  a  drink  of  water  and  found  a  note 
from  General  Stewart,  saying  he  would  go  on  ten  miles  farther, 
crossing  Little  river,  and  wait  for  us.  We  have  now  overtaken  the 
General.  He  traveled  a  road  parallel  to  ours. 

Have  this  moment  heard  that  President  Davis  is  certainly  cap 
tured. 

May  i8th:  We  are  striking  for  the  residence  of  Colonel  John 
Bonner,  who  lives  in  Hancock  county.  Have  flanked  Crawfordsville, 
leaving  it  to  the  left,  hearing  that  the  Federals  are  there.  Crawfords 
ville  is  a  small  town,  the  home  of  Vice-President  Stevens  of  the  Con 
federacy.  Camped4  at  White  Plains  —  hear  that  Stevens,  Governor 
Jos.  E.  Brown  and  President  Davis  and  family  have  all  been  arrested, 
also  Bob  Tombs  and  General  Cobb. 

May  i  Qth:  Nothing  to-day  —  have  traveled  sixteen  miles.  Will 
go  from  here  via  Sparta  and  Milledgeville,  to  Dr.  C.  L.  Ridley's 
on  the  Ocmulgee. 

May  2ist:  Arrived  at  John  Bonner's.  He  is  a  man  of  wealth, 
finely  educated,  but  peculiar.  At  the  breaking  out  of  *he  war  he 
filled  his  store  room  with  coffee  and  sugar,  and  has  had  an  abund 
ance  all  through  the  war.  He  is  not  a  drinking  man,  but  is  possessed 
of  this  eccentricity  :  When  he  married  he  put  up  a  cask  of  wine,  and 
when  his  son  was  born,  forty  years  ago,  he  put  up  a  barrel  of  peach 
brandy.  As  this  son  (being  the  only  child)  had  children,  he  com 
memorated  the  birth  of  each  one  with  putting  up  wines,  and  also 
certain  notable  events,  until  he  had  a  store  room  full  of  fine  liquors. 
A  sip  from  that  forty  year  old  barrel  was  sweeter  to  me  than  the 
fruits  of  the  Hesperides,  the  honey  of  Hymettus,  or  the  nectar  of 
the  God-s.  This  old  gentleman  had  his  coffin  made  out  of  the  lum 
ber  of  a  tree,  under  whose  shade  some  incident  took  place,  forming 
an  episode  in  his  history.  In  that  beautiful  coffin  was  a  iug  to  be 
filled  with  that  forty  year  old  brandy,  to  be  drunk  up  after  his  death 
by  his  pall-bearers.  He  was  a  Southern  nabob  —  at  one  time  he  de 
fied  a  regiment.  Glittering  wealth  seemed  to  be  around  him  —  a  mag 
nificent  plantation,  once  stocked  with  Devon  cattle,  Berkshire  hogs, 
Cockrill  sheep  and  blooded  horses.  The  next  morning  he  called  up 
one  of  his  little  grand-daughters,  whose  heart,  he  said,  was  on  her 
right  side.  We  placed  our  hand  over  the  little  girl's  heart,  on  the 
right  side,  and  it  thumped  awav  as  naturally  as  if  there  were  ;no 
freak  of  nature.  (By  the  way  I  have  never  heard  of  but  one  freak 
of  nature,  in  the  last  thirty  years,  that  excelled  this:  There  is  said 
to  be  a  young  man,  near  Sabinal,  Texas,  who  has  no  ears,  nor  the 
sign  of  ears,  and  yet  he  talks  to  you  like  other  people,  and  hears  like 
others  —  sound4  is  imparted  through  the  mouth). 

From  near  Colonel  Bonner's,  Colonel  Sevier  and  our  escort  com- 


478  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  A&MY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

pany,  Captain  Greenleaf's  Light  Horse,  go  via  Macon  to  Columbus. 
They  expect  to  dispose  of  the  wagon  and  team  assigned  them  for 
funds^  to  pay  the  transportation  of  the  company  to  their  homes  in 
New  Orleans,  by  steamboat  down  the  Chattahoochee  to  Apalachicola, 
Fla.,  and  thence  by  schooner. 

The  echo  of  the  surrender  is  still  preying  upon  me,  and  when  I 
think  of  the  future  of  the  Southland,  1  am  filled  with  dark  forebod 
ings.  Had  we  succeeded,  we  had  been  patriots ;  as  we  did  not,  we  are 
called  rebels.  No  monument  of  marble,  nor  brass,  now  to  commemo 
rate  the  sacred  principles  for  which  we  fought,  no  shaft  to  be  erec 
ted  by  a  nation  in  our  honor,  but  in  our  hearts  will  live  the  memories 
and  convictions  that  only  force  has  smothered.  The  monument  to 
the  Southern  cause  can  only  be,  as  we  said  of  Audubon,  the  natural 
ist,  who  died  and  has  no  tombstone  to  mark  his  grave:  "The  little 
wren  will  only  whisper  our  names  and  memory  about  our  southern 
homes,  the  robin  and  the  red  bird  will  pipe  our  principles  from  the 
meadows,  the  ring  dove  will  coo  it  from  the  dewy  depths  of  our 
Dixie  woods,  and  our  mountain  eagles  scream  it  to  the  stars." 


May  2ist,  1865:  We  start  from  John  Bonner's  for  Eatonton, 
Putnam  county,  Ga..  crossing  the  Oconee  at  Lawrence  Ferry;  camp 
to-night  at  Spivey's  during  a  heavy  rain  storm ;  my  father  and  Gen 
eral  S.  shelter  at  Spivey's  house,  the  rest  of  us  drenched. 

May  22nd:  Murder  creek  full;  ran  into  ambulance  and  wagon 
camp  six  miles  from  Hillsboro.  It  has  been  intimated  that  a  part 
of  our  company  who  left  this  morning  in  a  sub  silentio  way,  went  to 
the  house  of  a  Mr.  Turner,  editor  of  a  newspaper  called  "The  Coun 
tryman,"  who  has  a  large  distillery  and  a  manufactory  of  hats,  and 
supplied  themselves  with  a  canteen  of  the  creature  comfort.  All 
have  returned,  and  Captain  Roulack  says  in  a  thick-lipped,  "how  come 
you  so"  way,  that,  "he  is  the  most  elegant  man  in  Georgia;  that  his 
liquor  beats  pine  top,  pop  skull,  or  Jeff  Davis  busthead."  Whilst 
this  party  are  exuberant  over  their  kind  treatment,  I  must  not  forget 
the  square  meal  that  Jim  Rawling's  and  I  struck  in  their  absence. 
The  kind  hearted  old  man  said  at  the  table,  "Now,  men,  turn  over 
and  take  out,  and  you'ns  just  help  yourselves." 

The  old  woman  asked  us  if  we  would  have  sweet  potato  coffee. 
Rye,  okra  seed,  parched  wheat  and  meal  coffees  are  our  national 
substitutes  for  the  pure  bean,  and  our  sugar  is  "long  sweetening." 

May  23rd:  Arrived  at  Cornucopia  to-day,  near  the  residence 
of  Dr.  Chas.  L.  Ridley,  on  the  Ocmulgee.  The  postoffice  was  form 
erly  called  by  the  uncanny  name  of  Grab-all.  That  recalls  to  me 
some  of  the  names  I  have  met  with  in  my  peregrinations  and  peram 
bulations  as  a  soldier  boy :  Hard'  up,  Lick  Skillet,  On  Top,  Snatch, 
Stop  and  Swap,  Buzzard  Roost,  Low  Down,  Tooth  Pick,  Frog  Level, 
Possum  Trot — names  not  euphonious,  nor  aristocratic,  but  often  sig 
nificant.  Names  of  people  have  also  attracted  me,  such  as  Goosefoot, 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAII. 


Shinbone,  Swingletree,  Goodenough,  Hog,  Gander,  Doosenberry,  and 
Blowhard.  We  are  "Tenting  to-night  on  the  Old  Camp  Ground" 
at  County  line  meeting  house  —  same  occupied  by  me  last  summer 
with  General  Stewart's  stock  and  wagons  during  his  absence  at 
Savannah,  whilst  disabled  from  a  wound  in  the  forehead  received 
28th  of  July,  near  Atlanta.  Whilst  my  brigade  will  dwindle  now, 
I'll  gather  a  few  recruits  for  Tennessee;  Dr.  James  A.  Ridley,  of  the 
late  Colonel  Keeble's  Twenty-Third  Tennessee,  and  son  Granville, 
of  the  Fourth  Tennessee  cavalry.  He  came  out  with  Hood,  and  only 
in  time  to  receive  his  baptism  of  fire. 

May  24th  :  Captain  Lee  S.  Stewart  arrives  from  Macon  and 
reports  that  Mrs.  Stewart  and  little  son,  who  have  been  refugeeing 
there,  will  be  at  Forsythe  to-morrow.  She  will  be  escorted  here, 
where  she  will  recruit  for  ten  days  preparatory  for  Tennessee  trip. 

May  25th:  There  is  a  general  separation  to-day.  Lauderdale 
exchanges  for  a  buggy  and  goes  to  Marianna,  Fla.,  for  his  wife, 
thence  to  his  home  in  Kentucky  ;  Mr.  McKee  goes  with  him  ;  Cap 
tains  Hughes  and  Roulack  go  to  Memphis  ;  Jerry  Jones  and  John  Hill 
to  Nashville,  Tennessee;  O'Neil  with  his  cart  and  mule,  strikes  out 
for  Macon,  also  McLaughlin,  leaving  in  camp  with  us,  Tennessee 
and  Daily  and  servants  Hannibal  and  Jim. 

From  May  25th  to  June  5th  :  And  now  we  are  in  the  red  clay 
hills  of  Jones  county,  Ga.,  twenty  miles  from  Macon,  fifteen  from 
Forsythe,  in  the  land  of  the  goober,  the  "watermillyun,"  the  kershaw, 
the  muscadine  and  the  scuppernong.  We  have  met  North  Carolina 
belles,  South  Carolina  beauties,  but  hear  me  !  the  Georgia  girl  takes 
the  cake  ! 

I  have  read  the  novels  that  so  attracted  the  army  —  Micaria,  St. 
Elmo,  Les  Miserables,  but  nothing  has  interested  me  so  much  as  that 
old  book  called  Longstreet's  "Georgia  Scenes."  At  Dalton  one  even 
ing,  the  cavalry  brought  to  our  eyes  a  real  Gander  Pullin',  and  now 
I  am  itching  for  a  cock  fight,  a  fox  hunt,  a  candy  pullin',  a  quiltin', 
and  Cornucopia  is  the  place  to  find  it. 

"Although  war's  deadly  blast  has  blown, 
And  gentle  peace  returning, 
With  many  a  sweet  babe  fatherless, 
And  many  a  widow  mourning; 
I've   left   the   line   and  tented   field, 
Where  long  I've  been  a  lodger; 
My  humble  knapsack  a'  my  wealth, 
A  poor,  but  honest  sodger." 

Fun,  now,  to  drive  off  the  stormcloud  of  defeat,  is  what  we  are 
after.  These  good  people,  although  made  poor  by  raids  and  rob 
bery,  have  thrown  open  their  doors  and  are  gorging  us  with  full  eat 
ing  and  a  fine  time.  Whilst  the  old  gentlemen  are  pondering  over 
the  future  and  grieving  over  "what  I  used  to  was,"  we  young  blodds 


480  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

are  delving  in  boyish  hope  and  dwelling  in  the  bright  anticipation 
of  meeting  a  beautiful  blonde  or  brunette,  knowing  that  "all  things 
change  as  the  years  pass  by,  save  love,  which  is  the  same  forever 
and  aye." 

My  old  uncle  took  a  few  of  us  with  him  to  a  secreted  spot  in  one 
of  the  corn  fields,  where  he  said  he  would  pump  from  Mother  Earth 
a  few  gallons  of  apple-jack  for  the  pleasure  of  his  guests.  In  a 
short  time  the  old  barrel,  that  had  been  hidden  from  Sherman's  co 
horts,  was  pouring  forth  the  exhilarating  liquid.  We  took  it  to  the 
house,  though  I  knew  that  the  jig  was  up  for  the  younger  members, 
for  that  old  nightmare,  "they  never  touch  it,"  would  ghost-like  spring 
up  to  destroy  the  pleasure  of  our  dreams — now  there  is  a  time  when 
patience  has  its  perfect  work. 

My  old  father  attributed  these  potations  to  the  demoralizations 
of  the  times,  and  related  that  on  a  previous  occasion,  during  the  war, 
Hon.  R.  L.  Caruthers,  one  of  the  Grand  Patriarchs  of  the  Sons  of 
Temperance  of  Tennessee,  had  drunk  a  toast  to  him  as  an  ex-Pat 
riarch,  but  he  happily  retorted  by  drinking  to  this  gentleman  "as  his 
successor."  Although  we  thought  it  the  "breathing  time  of  day  for 
us,"  yet  not  a  drop  was  offered  to  us  boys,  not  a  toast  asked. 

Old  Jim  took  me  aside  and  said,  "Mars  Ham  had  a  main  of  fine 
cocks,  and  wanted  him  to  bring  up  old  Dick."  Here  we  go — old  Jim 
believing  that  his  old  chicken  could  whip  anything  in  Georgia. 
What  think  you?  Old  Jim  looked  at  dem  fine  cocks  of  Perk  Hud- 
dleston's  Tennessee  breed-,  and  dem  shiny  gaffs  and  den  at  "Old  Dick," 
and  finally  said,  "dat  as  old  Dick  has  surrendered  wid  us,  he  would 
have  peace  de  balance  ob  his  davs." 

Captain  Hamilton  Ridley  had  just  gotten  home.  He  called  up 
his  dogs  for  a  fox  hunt.  The  red  fox  is  the  predominating  species 
in  Georgia.  When  the  dogs  got  to  the  trail,  it  looked  for  a  moment 
like  "the  happy  hope  was  on."  But  iwhen  they  got  him  up'  our  fox 
shot  off  from  us  through  fields  and  copse. 

"Faint  and  more  faint  its  falling  din 
Returned  from  cavern,  cliff  and  linn, 
And   silence   settled   wade   and   still 
On  the  lone  wood  and  mighty  hill." 

Oh,  give  me  the  gray  fox  of  Tennessee,  who  plays  the  chase 
around  his  sinkhole,  and  finally  takes  shelter,  after  being  closely 
pressed.  They  have  no  sinkholes  in  this  part  of  Georgia,  and  a  pack 
of  dogs,  although  baying  deep  and  strong,  don't  interest  like  a  chase 
of  our  foxes,  where  the  dogs  make  music  for  us  close  by  and  excite  the 
huntsman  until  he  screams  himself  hoarse. 

But  an  entertainment  is  arranged  for  the  older  gentlemen.  And 
a  band  of  negro  musicians  is  called  out  to  enliven  the  atmosphere 
with  breakdowns  and  softening  strains  of  negro  music  on  the  old 
plantation.  A  fire  of  pine  knots  built  on  the  grassless,  patted  red 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAft.  481 

clay  yard,  they  strike  up  on  "Billy  in  the  Low  Ground,"  change  to 
"Devil's  Dream,"  run  off  on  "Fisher's  Hornpipe,"  and  dwell  on 
"Leather  Breeches."  Some  black  swains  are  brought  to  lend  their 
voices.  "Ham  Sweet  Ole  Ham,"  "Karve  dat  Possum,"  "Sugar  in  the 
Gourd,"  and  "De  Year  of  Jubilo"  comes.  Here's  the  last  chorus: 

"Massa  run,  aha! 

Darky  stay,  oho ! 

It  must  be  now  dat.de  kingdom's  comin' 

In  de  year   of  Jubilo." 

Some  one  lays   down  a  shin  plaster  for  the  best  dancer.     The 
little  negroes  put  in  and  "Juba  dis  and  Juba  dat"  was  nothing  to 
"De  ringin'  of  de  hans  and  de  pattin'  of  de  feet, 
De  voice  comin'  down  from  heaven  so  sweet." 

Oh!  how  I  enjoy  this,  conscious  that  we'll  all  soon  say  that  there 
are  no  times  like  the  old  times,  no  more  corn  shuckin'  songs,  no 
more  pattin'  Judas,  no  more  plaintiff  negro  melodies,  big  camp 
meetin's  over  yonder  soon  to  go.  Old  Aunt  Dinah  and  Uncle 
Tom  will  only  be  heard  of  in  the  past,  .  "De  old  time  religion  is  good 
'nough  for  me."  Quiltins  will  pass  like  log  rollins,  and  the  feelings 
of  the  heart  be  crushed  with  propriety's  restraint.  But  listen!  To 
night  Mr.  Childes  invites  us  to  a  candy  pullin'.  We  go.  The  girls 
appear  in  low  necks  and  short  sleeves.  Gosh !  It  has  been  so  long 
since  we  have  seen  this  display.  We  employed  a  two-horse  wagon 
and  took  some  girls,  natives,  and  the  Misses  Bullock,  of  Panola 
county,  Miss.,  refugees  here.  Some  of  our  young  men  rushed  in, 
but  Lieutenant  Stewart  and  I  stood  to  one  side  and  saw  them  enter 
the  parlor,  all  stepping  like  peacocks  in  high  grass.  Games  soon  be 
gan — "Thimble,"  "Snap,"  and  kissing  songs.  It  used  to  be  "Old  Sis 
ter  Phoebe,  how  merry  were  we,"  but  now  it's  "I'm  an  old  soldier  re 
turning  from  the  war,  my  age  is  sixty  and  three."  It  used  to  be 
"Green  Grow  the  Rushes,  O,"  but  now  it  is  "Oats,  wheat,  beans  and 
barley  grow."  But  an  evening  of  song  and  dance  for  the  guests 
is  announced*.  As  Georgia's  beauty  came  forth,  but  for  the  fact  of 
surrender  no  one  would  dream  of  disaster  to  our  people.  Here  enters 
a  beautiful  and  cheerful  face,  once  representing  500  negroes  and  ten 
thousand  broad  acres;  another  with  thousands  of  bales  of  cotton  just 
confiscated,  yet  land  still  in  untold  amounts  on  the  Ocmulgee.  Ah! 
if  we  should  capture  one  of  them,  the  negroes  being  freed,  the  great 
question  is  how  one  would  cultivate  the  big  farms  by  himself?  At 
the  piano,  the  old  Southern  sentimental  songs,  with  the  banjo  and 
violin  accompanying,  awaken  feelings  akin  to  the  imaginary  choir  in 
heaven.  "Gentle  Annie,"  "Tiperary  Town,"  "Massa  in  the  Cold, 
Cold1  Ground,"  "Leesburg  March,"  "Do  they  Miss  Me  in  the 
Trenches,"  to  the  air  of  "Do  They  Miss  Me  at  Home,"  and  "Life  on 
the  Vicksburg  Bluff,"  to  the  air  of  "Life  on  the  Ocean  Wave/  Whilst 
this  is  going  on  our  teamsters  and  servants  have  been  busy  on  the 


482  BATTLES  AN£>  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE'. 

Ocmulgee,  overhauling  an  eighty-pound  sturgeon.  The  oldest  gen 
tlemen,  in  the  meantime,  are  toasted  in  every  way  by  our  onc^  wealthy 
kin.  At  which  time  the  papers  are  full  of  gossip  about  the  arrests 
and  escapes  and  non-return  of  prominent  citizens  of  the  South. 
Breckenridge,  Harris,  Reagan,  and  others  have  decamped.  Someone 
brought  in  the  Macon  Telegraph,  containing  an  invitation  from  Gov. 
Brownlow,  cuf  Tennessee,  to  John  Bell  and  Brom field  Ridley  to  quit 
their  foolishness  and  come  home.  Brownlow  soon  got  a  reply  that 
said  parties  were  en  route,  and  would  soon  be  there  to  "smile  on  his 
demijohn." 


June  5th,  1865 :  And  now  after  a  delightful  stay  of  ten  days  at 
Cornucopia,  we  start  for  Tennessee.  Have  taken  this  circuitous 
route  to  avoid  the  bushwhackers  of  the  mountains.  We  have  the 
pleasure  of  Mrs.  Stewart's  company,  her  little  son  Alex.,  Dr.  Jas.  A. 
Ridley  and  son  Granville — one  Judge,  one  General,  one  Surgeon, 
one  lady  and  little  boy,  and  four  attaches,  besides  our  two  Irish  team 
sters  and  two  servants.  Camped  to-night  five  miles  east  of  Jackson. 
Lieutenant  Stewart  and  I  went  by  Forsyth  for  news.  I  pointed  out  to 
him,  in  that  hospitable  town,  the  old  church  where,  in  186^  Colonel 
Cunningham  and  Lieutenant  Smith,  of  General  Hood's  staff,  Lieu 
tenant  Hawkins,  of  Major-General  Smith's  staff,  and  I  attended  a 
swell  wedding — the  occasion  being  the  marriage  of  Lieutenant  Eth 

B.  Wade,  one  of  General  Hood's  Aides,  to  Miss  Dora  Cochran,  when 
in  our  $1,500  uniforms  of  Crenshaw  gray,  we  moved  down  the  isle 
to  the  tune  of  Mendelssohn's  march,  each  swinging  one  of  Forsyth's 
inimitable  beauties.     As  Scott  said  of  Rebbecca  and  Rowena  in  Ivan- 
hoe,  they  were  "roses  of  loveliness,  gems  of  wealth,  bundles  of  frank 
incense  and  clusters  of  camphire." 

June  6th:  Camped  to-night  one  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Mc- 
Donough,  a  journey  of  twenty-five  miles.  Saw  Andrew  Johnson's 
proclamation  and  find  little  encouragement  in  it. 

Understanding  from  citizens  that  anyone  who  wears  rebel  uni 
form  through  Atlanta  is  liable  to  have  his  buttons,  bars,  stars  and 
lace  cut  off,  we  have  changed  our  coats. 

Camp  to-night  near  Griffin.     It  was  in  Griffin  that  General  John 

C.  Brown,  last  year,  married  Miss  Bettie  Childress,  a  niece  of  Mrs. 
James  K.  Polk,  she  being  a  refugee  there  from  Murfreesboro,  Tenn. 
Immediately  after  the  ceremony  was  over,  a  telegram  announced-  the 
advance  of  the  enemy,  and  called  the  General  from  his  bonnie  bride 
to  return  at  once  to  the  front. 

June  7th:  And  now,  our  Irish  teamsters  are  alarmed  about 
their  mules.  The  two  that  General  Stewart  intended  for  them  are 
branded  U.  S.  It  is  amusing  to  see  them  stop  occassionally  and  put 
mud  on  their  brands  to  hide  them  from  the  Yanks.  They  also  let  a 
piece  of  sack  hang  over  their  shoulders.  We  pass  Love  joy,  the  point 
from  which  General  Hood  had  his  controversy  with  Sherman  about 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR.  483 

driving  the  women  and  children  out  of  Atlanta — also  the  point  to 
which  Jefferson  Davis  came  and  reviewed  the  Army  of  Tennessee 
before  making  the  campaign  to  Nashville. 

We  conclude  to  shun  Atlanta  with  the  wagons  and  strike  for 
Howell's  Ferry  on  the  Chattahoochee ;  General  Stewart  and  party  to 
go  direct;  my  father  to  make  a  detour,  Granville  Ridley  and  I  go 
into  the  city  and  report  news,  but  all  to  meet  at  Howell's  Ferry. 

It  turned  out  that  there  were  three  Howell's  Ferries  on  the  Chat 
tahoochee,  all  wide  apart.  Each  party  went  to  a  different  one,  and  we 
never  met  again  until  we  got  to  Tennessee.  The  country  was  such 
a  barren  waste  that  we  could  not  follow  in  Sherman's  and  Johnston's 
trail  from  Atlanta  to  Dalton,  because  of  nothing  for  man  or  beast. 
All  animated  nature  was  so  nearly  starved  that,  in  crossing  the 
trail,  a  hungry  horse  fly  popped  me  on  the  lip,  producing  such  tortur 
ing  pain  that  for  a  day  I  thought  myself  poisoned. 

(In  the  city,  the  lone  chimneys  show  that  arson  had  held  sway, 
but  the  old  gopher  holes  in  the  railroad  embankment  where  citizens 
had  taken  shelter  during  the  storming  of  Atlanta,  remained.  We 
passed  our  headquarters  during  the  siege,  and  went  by  our  old  quar 
ters  near  Peachtree  creek,  where  General  Hood  took  breakfast  with 
us  the  morning  he  took  command  of  the  army.  Oh !'  how  we  were 
shocked  when  we  heard  of  that  change!  Ah!  the  gloom  with  which 
the  army  was  filled !  It  looked  for  the  time  as  if  the  soldiers,  who 
idolized:  Joe  Johnston,  would  throw  down  their  muskets  and  quit.) 

Granville  Ridley  and  I  journeyed  along  somehow  until  we  struck 
the  railroad  at  Cartersville ;  sold  our  two  horses  for  $15.  We  got  free 
transportation,  and,  on  arriving  at  Chattanooga,  went  to  a  hotel  room 
and  remained  until  the  train  of  box  cars  was  ready  to  take  us  home. 
From  our  windows  we  could  see  those  who  wore  the  blue  promen 
ading  the  streets  with  the  composure  of  victors.  I  thought  of  the 
Turkish  executioner  with  his  scimitar,  of  the  old  Indian  chief  with 
his  scalps  dangling  by  his  side.  It  did  not  take  us  long,  though,  to 
size  them  up  as  quartermasters,  commissaries,  and*  hangers  on  to  an 
army  far  enough  in  the  rear  to  hear  no  bullets  whiz,  but  to  blow  and 
put  on  airs  as  if  they  were  the  United  States  Government. 

By  the  way,  if  you  find  a  fellow  North  or  South,  now,  fire  eating 
and  vindictive,  follow  his  history  when  the  death  shot  rattled,  and  I 
will  wager  that  you  will  find  a  black  spot  in  it. 

My  old  father  wandered  through  North  Georgia  over  the  Cum 
berland  Mountains  on  a  little  mule,  General  Stewart  and  party  like- 
wjse  aided  by  his  maps,  crossed  over  via  Short  Mountain.  Here  my 
Journal  ends. 

AT  HOME. 

We  beat  the  party  home  by  at  least  three  weeks.  (Tune  12.) 
My  dear  old  mother  threw  her  arms  around  me  and  wept.  Old  "black 


484  BATTLES  AND  StfE^CllES  ARMY  OE  TENNESSEE. 


mammy,"  Eliza,  and  other  darkies  who  remained  at  home,  rushed 
up  and  hugged  me,  and  Old  Henry,  the  faithful  servant  who  had  tak 
en  care  of  my  mother  through  the  war,  with  its  maelstrom-like  swirl 
of  fire  and  persecution,  got  a  bottle  of  whiskey  and  was  soon  "glor 
iously"  drunk.  My  faithful  dog  Carlo,  that  gave  the  alarm  that  kept 
my  mother  and  sister  from  burning  up,  seemed  as  if  he  realized  the 
situation  and  would  go  crazy  with  delight.  For  a  moment  I  forgot 
the  gloom  of  surrender. 

I  had  reached  home  in  time  to  join  with  mother  in  meeting  her 
absent  ones.  One  by  one  my  brothers  came  in—  Major  J.  S.  Ridley, 
of  Stevenson's  division  ;  Captain  George  C.,  and  Lieutenant  Charles 
L.  Ridley,  of  General  Ben  Hill's  staff,  and  Dr.  J.  L.  Ridley,  Surgeon 
in  Dibrell's  cavalry,  and  then  our  little  sister,  a  refugee  at  Lagrange, 
Ga.,  returned,  and  next  came  my  venerable  father  from  across  the 
mountains  on  his  little  mule.  Last  of  all,  my  servant  Hannibal  to 
whom  I  am  indebted  for  bringing  home  the  diary  from  which  this 
journal  was  written.  Old  ''black  mammy's"  joy  upon  Hannibal's 
return  may  be  imagined. 

General  Stewart  and  family  were  back  home  at  Lebanon,  and  we 
at  home  at  old'  Jefferson,  Tennessee,  within  a  few  miles  of  the  battle 
field  of  Murfreesboro.  Two  dwellings  had  been  laid  in  ashes  by 
Federals,  and  my  oldest  sister  had  died  from  fright  created  by  these 
fires. 

"The  old  home"  was  not  what  it  used  to  be,  "yet  there  was  no 
place  like  the  old  place."  In  pondering  over  these  sorrows,  I  took 
fresh  courage  in  the  sentiment: 

"Behold,  we  live  through  all  things, 

Famine,  thirst,  bereavement,  pain, 

All  grief  and  misery,  all  woe  and  sorrow. 

Life  inflicts  its  worst  on  soul  and*  body, 

But  we  cannot  die,  though  we 

Be  sick,  and  tired  and  faint  and  worn. 

Lo  !  all  things  can  be  borne." 

In  a  short  time  everybody  went  to  work  to  drive  "the  wolf  from 
the  door;"  all  was  gone  but  the  wallet  and  staff.  I  went  off  to 
school  to  supplement  my  broken  education,  interrupted  by  war's  dread 
alarm.  One  day  in  April,  1866,  I  received  from  General  Stewart 
a  letter  that  made  me  so  happy  —  "just  as  proud  as  a  big  sunflower 
that  nods  and4  bends  to  the  breezes."  I  copy  it  here  as  a  family  herit 
age.  It  is  a  beautiful  tribute  to  the  Confederate  soldiers  who  "fought 
the  good  fight  and  kept  the  faith." 

Lebanon,  Tenn.,  April   13,   1866. 

My  Dear  Bromfield:  I  hope  that  you  have  a  good  school  and 
that  you  are  making  the  best  possible  use  of  your  time  and  opportuni 
ties.  You  have  passed  creditably  through  the  scenes  of  the  great 
struggle  for  constitutional  liberty,  and  I  hope  you  will  be  prepared 


^ 


TOP — MAJ.  JEROME  S.  RIDLEY,  STAFF  OF  MAJ.-GEN.  C.  L.  STEVENSON. 
LEFT — CAPT.  GEORGE  C.  RIDLEY,  A.  A.  I.  G.,  GEN.  B.  J.  HILL'S  STAi-F. 
RIGHT— LIEUT.  CHARLES  L.  RIDLEY,  A.  D.  C.,  GEN.  B.  J.  HILL'S  STAFF. 
BOTTOM— DR.  J.  L.  RIDLEY,  SURGEON,  GEN.  DIBBRELL's  CAVALRY. 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE  WAR.  485 

to  pass  with  distinction  through  the  still  more  stirring  scenes  which 
are  before  you. 

It  is  my  conviction  that  events  will  succeed  each  other  for  a  few 
years  with  much  more  rapidity  than  formerly,  and  you  may  partici 
pate  in  some  of  the  greatest  events  of  "history.  Aside  from  such  a 
consideration,  it  behooves  every  young  man  in  the  South  to  do  the 
best  that  is  possible  with  his  time,  talents  and  physical  powers.  The 
South  needs  workers,  and  she  needs  men  of  high  moral  and  religious 
character,  as  well  as  cultivated  intellectually,  so  while  improving 
your  mind,  do  not  neglect  the  body,  and  remember  that  the  moral  edu 
cation  is  the  most  important  of  all. 

I  find  everywhere  our  late  Confederate  soldiers  busy  at  work, 
and,  in  my  opinion,  the  men  who  were  with  their  colors  a  year  ago, 
are  the  "salt  of  the  earth."  Remember  me  very  kindly  to  your  father 
and  mother,  when  you  write  them,  and  believe  me  always  very  sin 
cerely,  Your  friend;, 

ALEX  P.  STEWART. 

It  has  now  been  nearly  forty  years  since  the  events  I  have  written 
about  transpired.  When  I  recur  to  them,  as  Ossian  said,  "There 
comes  a  voice  that  awakes  my  soul,  it  is  the  voice  of  years  that  are 
gone.  They  roll  before  me  with  all  their  deeds."  How  many  of  us 
are  living  ?  Oh  !  how  many  will  soon  be  gone  ? 

"Life's  shores  are  shifting 

Every  year, 
And  we  are  seaward  drifting 

Every  year. 

Old  places  changing  fret  us, 
The  living  more  forget  us, 
There  are  fewer  to  regret  us, 

Every  year. 
But  the   truer   life   draws   nigher 

Every  year, 
And  the  morning  star  climbs  higher 

Every  year, 

Earth's  hold  on  us  grows  slighter 
And  the  heavy  burden  lighter, 
And   the   dawn   immortal   brighter 

Every  year." 


MARKSMANSHIP  IN  THE  ARMY. 

I  want  to  ask  old  veterans  about  the  best  shots  they  saw  or  heard 
in  our  great  war.  Let  sharp-shooters,  musketeers,  cannoneers,  all, 
tell  of  some  of  the  shots  worth  reading  about.  Shots  that  now  and 
then  turned  the  tide  of  battle  perhaps.  It  is  stated  that  the  Texas 
Ranger  could  knock  out  an  eye  from  on  or  under  his  horse.  Quan- 
trell's  men,  they  say,  could  cut  a  ribbon  or  strike  a  key-hole  on  a 
dead  run.  They  used  to  entertain  themselves  shooting  at  doorknobs 
on  entering  a  hamlet  or  town.  Champ  Ferguson's  company  of  Con 
federate  Bushwhackers  could  place  a  ball  at  any  given  point,  and  his 
antagonist,  Tinker  Dave  Beatty's  company,  were  cracksmen  on  the 
mountains  equally  good.  How  was  it  with  the  old  squirrel  hunters 
of  the  armies?  Bogardus  is  said  to  be  the  crack  shot  of  to-day  at 
close  distance  in  civil  life,  but  I  want,  for  the  future  historian,  some 
(examples  of  the  markmanship  of  soldiers  in  action,  who  had  no  im 
proved  weapons,  but  who  learned  to  use  an  old  musket  with  a  skill  of 
a  "Wild  Bill,"  and  the  unerring  aim  of  a  Boone.  Instances  speak 
more  forcibly  of  the  perfection  attained  in  this  art  than  anything  else. 
Here  is  one  related  of  Porter's  battery  at  Fort  Donelson.  A  sharp 
shooter,  about  three-fourth's  of  a  mile  off  on  the  Federal  side,  had 
climbed  mid-way  a  large  tree  and  was  picking  off  Porter's  gunners. 
A  six-pounder  was  aimed  at  him  and  he  fell  to  the  ground  dead.  At 
Belmont,  the  famous  gun,  known  on  the  Southern  side  as  "The  Lady 
Polk,"  was  directed  at  a  column  headed  by  a  horseman,  who  after 
wards  turned  out  to  be  General  Grant.  These  shots  turned  the  tide 
of  that  battle,  and  caused  the  Federals  to  retreat  to  their  gunboats. 

At  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  near  Dalton,  John  King,  of  the  Twentieth 
Tennessee  regiment,  raised  his  telescope  to  his  Whitworth,  and  dis 
mounted  an  officer  commanding  a  skirmish  line  a  mile  away.  Gen 
erals  Johnston  and  Stewart  estimated1  the  distance  for  him  and  saw 
the  shot.  It  was  said  that  Captain  Anderson,  of  Quantrell's  men, 
would  in  a  charge,  take  his  bridle  reins  in  his  mouth  and  use  his  pis 
tols  in  both  hands,  to  perfection.  They  claim  for  him  such  .coolness 
under  fire  that  he  could  strike  any  button  on  a  man's  coat  that  he 
wanted  to.  At  Adairsville,  two  Yankees  behind  a  tree  got  one  of 
our  skirmishers  in  a  similar  position.  When  his  body  by  his  move 
ments  would  appear  out  from  the  center,  they  would  fire  and  shoot 
his  coat  sides,  until  the  garment  was  in  shreds.  Notwithstanding 
this,  that  old  soldier  watched  his  chance,  and  finally,  in  an  unguarded 
moment,  killed  both  and  coolly  said:  "Now  I  reckon  you'll  quit  your 


MARKSMANSHIP  IX  THE  ARMY. 


48T 


foolishness."  At  Resaca,  Brown's  brigade  displayed  fine  marksman 
ship  over  a  disputed  battery  that  both  sides  were  trying  to  hold,  but 
neither  could-  get  away.  The  Federals  would  raise  a  hat  from  be 
hind  their  breast-works  on  a  stick,  and  the  brigade  would  shoot  it 
into  atoiris.  On  the  march  to  Tennessee,  a  herd  of  frightened  deer 
rushed  through  French's  division ;  several  were  killed  while  on  the 


ABBE  HILL.  SHARP  SHOOTER,  20TH 
TENNESSEE. 

jump  and  run,  although  the  division  was  in  panic  with  "Buck  Ague." 
Some  of  John  Morgan's  boys  could  get  a  bird  on  the  wing  with  pis 
tols,  and  this  was  not  uncommon  with  the  Arkansas,  Missouri  and 
Texas  soldiers. 

In  the  First  Tennessee  regiment  at  Shelby ville  in  1864,  a  target 
in  the  shape  of  a  man  was  put  up  at  800  yards,  and  a  medal  was  of 
fered  for  the  best  five  shots ;  Wm.  Beasley,  of  Ledbetter's  company, 
put  three  shots  out  of  the  five  in  the  target,  any  one  of  which  would 
have  proved  fatal.  He  not  only  got  the  medal,  but  was  detailed  as 
one  of  the  five  in  his  division  to  sharpshoot  with  a  Whitworth.  One 
of  Ward's  pickets,  in  John  Morgan's  cavalry  near  Monticello,  Ken 
tucky,  one  dark  drizzly  night  heard  an  awful  rustling  in  the  leaves 
near  him ;  he  was  in  Tinker  Dave  Beatty's  beat,  and  this  sound  raised 
the  hair  on  his  head.  He  hallooed  out,  "Who  comes  there?"  There 
being  no  answer,  he  fired'  and  fled.  The  next  morning  it  was  found 
that  at  this  sho<t  he  had  fired  at  the  sound,  he  pierced'  a  hog  through 
the  heart  killing  him  "too  dead  to  squeal."  At  New  Hope  Church, 


488  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

a  Texas  brigade  (Granbury's  and  Lowery's)  rushed  for  a  hill  on  our 
flank;  they  poured  one  volley  into  a  Federal  brigade  which  had  just 
reached  the  crest,  and  their  unerring  aim  left  seven  hundred  and 
seventy  bodies  on  the  field. 

The  secret  of  markmanship  is  not  in  the  practice  alone,  but  in 
the  perception  and  education  as  to  distance.  At  Misionary  Ridge 
and  Lookout  Mountain  we  found  that  we  invariably  overshot  the 
enemy  from  high  eminences,  and  that  they  in  the  valley  overshot  us. 
It  takes  judgment  from  position  and  experience  as  to  the  inflection 
and  deflection  of  a  ball  from  the  force  that  propels  it,  to  perfect  one 
in  this  science.  One  day  near  Kennesaw  Mountain,  the  writer  wit 
nessed  three  Federal  batteries  playing  on  one  of  ours,  endeavoring 
to  silence  it.  They  shot  down  the  horses,  cut  down  the  wheels  of 
caissons  and  carriages,  and  were  so  expert  in  markmanship  that 
every  gun  but  one  was  dismounted.  The  killing  of  General  Polk 
at  Pine  Mountain  was  an  exhibition  of  marksmanship  on  the  part  of 
the  Federals.  At  Stevenson,  Ala.,  General  Forrest  sighted  a  man  on 
top  of  a  stockade,  half  a  mile  off;  he  seemed  to  be  so  defiant,  'tis  said 
that  Forrest  dismounted,  got  hold  of  one  of  Morton's  pieces  of  ar 
tillery  and  took  aim ;  he  cut  that  man  half  in  two.  At  Shiloh,  the 
Twenty-third  Tennessee,  in  resisting  a  charge,  poured  a  volley  into 
the  enemy.  At  this  time  there  was  a  Major  on  horseback  in  hot  pur 
suit  some  distance  ahead ;  although  the  whole  of  Captain  J.  A.  Rid 
ley's  company  fired  on  him,  yet  one  of  the  soliders  of  said  company 
alone  claimed  to  have  killed  him.  The  company  challenged  his  right. 
The  soldier  said:  "If  you  find  that  the  ball  entered  under  the  right 
arm  pit,  he's  mine;  if  not,  I'll  give  it  up."  On  investigation,  the  shot 
was  found  there.  Abbe  Hill,  also  a  sharpshooter  from  the  Twentieth 
Tennessee,  made  a  fine  shot  at  Decatur,  Alabama,  in  cutting  a  soldier 
down  as  he  walked  across  a  road  800  yards  away.  Also,  Green,  of 
Florida,  from  behind  the  same  log  killed  a  man  1,200  yards  off.  In 
the  estimate,  he  had  to  consider  the  speed  of  his  walk  as  well  as  dis 
tance.  At  Ringgold  Gap,  the  well  directed  shots  of  Cleburne's  di 
vision  beat  back  and  mowed  down  Sherman's  army  and  saved  the 
Army  of  Tennessee.  That  was  General  Pat  Cleburne's  great  fight 
the  Major-General  who  was  afterwards  killed  at  Franklin,  and1  who1 
died  the  "death  of  honor  in  the  arms  of  glory."  At  Bainbridge, 
the  gunboats  made  a  desperate  attempt  to  strike  Hood's  pontoons 
and  impede  the  crossing  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee.  Our  land  bat 
teries  knocked  those  gunboats  into  smithereens.  During  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg,  one  of  the  Yankee  Signal  Corps  planted  himself  on  a  high 
stack  chimney,  and  was  signaling  with  his  flag.  Sam.  Reyburne  of 
Montserrat's  battery,  got  permission  from  the  Captain  to  direct  one 
shot  at  him,  the  distance  being  estimated  at  one  mile.  At  the  crack 
of  his  Napoleon,  the  ball  knocked  the  chimney  off  eight  or  ten  feet, 
and  down  came  the  Yankee,  brickbats  and  all. 

Nor  was  our  Naval  Department  behind.     It  is  said  that  in  the  en- 


MARKSMANSHIP  IN  THE  ARMY.  489 

gagement  between  the  Confederate  steamer  Alabama  and  the  Federal 
steamer  Kearsarge,  that  Admiral  Semmes  directed  a  shell  to  be  placed 
in  the  most  vulnerable  place  in  the  Kearsarge.  It  turned  out  after 
wards  that  his  gunner  had'  done  as  directed,  and  if  the  shell  had  ex 
ploded,  the  Alabama  would  have  added  another  star  to  her  already 
brilliant  crown  of  victory.  The  little  Battering  Ram  Arkansas  was 
the  grandest  achievement  in  the  way  of  a  gunboat  that  the  world 
has  ever  witnessed,  absolutely  baffling  an  organized  fleet.  Neither  De~ 
catur  in  his  feat  of  burning  the  Philadelphia  on  Tripolitan  shores, 
in  1804,  nor  Captain  Richard  Somers  in  his  dare-devil  attempts  to 
blow  up  the  Tripolitan  fleet,  was  more  daring  than  Captain  Isaac 
Newton  Brown,  Commander  of  the  Ram  Arkansas,  in  his  drive  out 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Yazoo,  thirty  miles  to  Vicksburg.  to  destroy 
Uncle  Sam's  Navy. 

In  a  number  of  the  Veteran,  an  article  from  some  one  states 
how  effective  the  sharpshooters  were  in  Lee's  army;  but  instances 
attract  an  old  soldier,  and  a  comparison  between  the  old  dead  shots 
of  the  armies  and  the  pretended  headlights  of  to-day  in  that  line, 
is  the  most  interesting.  Veritable  facts  during  the  war  almost  equal 
Munchausen's  myths. 

At  Harrisburg,  Mississippi,  just  after  the  battle — Morton's  bat 
tery  sighted  a  Yankee  one  and  a  quarter  miles  off,  ascending  a  ladder 
from  the  road  side.  Captain  Morton  directed  a  gunner  to  pick  him 
off.  At  the  crack  of  the  gun,  the  ladder  and  the  fellow  came  down. 
It  was  discovered  afterwards  that  he  was  prowling  around  a  widow's 
corn  crib.  At  Paris  Landing,  before  Johnsonville  was  destroyed — 
a  gunboat  approaching,  two  guns  of  this  same  battery  opened  fire. 
The  boat  in  motion — guns  changing  position.  Boat  overshooting  and 
the  guns  striking  in  the  broadside  all  the  time  until  she  "handed  in  her 
checks." 

At  Nashville,  General  Hood,  Stephen  D.  Lee  and  a  group  of 
General  Officers  were  on  Ridley  Hill,  two  miles  south  of  Fort  Negley. 
A  citizen  warned  them  that  they  would  attract  a  fire  from  Negley. 
By  the  time  they  moved  down  the  hill  a  shell  exploded  on  the  spot 
that  they  had  left. 

At  Athens,  after  Campbell  surrendered  the  fort  of  1,800  men  to 
Forrest  (bluff  game),  a  Dutchman  commanding  a  block-house  filled 
full  of  negro  soldiers  refused  to  surrender  to  Morton's  battery.  The 
first  shot  struck  a  port-hole,  killing  a  number.  The  second  shot  did 
likewise — the  third  brought  out  the  Dutchman  with  the  white  flag. 


HEROINES  OF  THE  SOUTH. 


General  Stephen  D.  Lee  who  was  most  loyal  to  the  Stars  and 
Bars,  when  asked  by  a  Federal  officer,  after  his  surrender  at  Vicks- 
burg,  why  the  Southern  people  did  not  give  up,  is  reported  to  have 
replied :  "Because  the  women  of  the  South  would  never  agree  to 
it."  General  A.  P.  Stewart  speaks  of  them  "as  a  race  unsurpassed 
for  heroism,  for  deeds  of  charity  and  loving  kindness,  for  self-sacri 
ficing  and  patriotic  devotion  to  the  cause  of  their  country,  for  un 
swerving  constancy  and-  perseverance  in  what  they  knew  to  be  right, 
and  the  uncomplaining  fortitude  with  which  they  accepted  defeat 
and  all  its  adverse  consequences."  To  show  the  blood  that  was  in 
them,  from  wealth  they  met  the  conditions  that  confronted  them  and 
submitted  to  sacrifices  cheerfully,  going  to  the  washtub,  the  spindle 
and  the  loom  to  support ,  the  widowed  mothers  and  crippled  fathers 
and  kindred,  until  our  Southland  blossomed  with  a  heroine  in  nearly 
every  home. 

I  have  read  of  the  heroines  in  Napoleon's  Court,  "Families  of 
Cleopatra's  enchantresses  who  charm  posterity,  who  had  but  to  smile 
at  history  to  obtain  history's  smile  in  return ;"  Mesdames  Tallien, 
DeStael,  Recamier,  Charlotte  Corday,  of  the  deeds  of  Joan  d'Arc,  of 
Mollie  Pitcher  and  Deborah  Sampson  of  our  Revolution,  and  Flor 
ence  Nightingale  of  England,  but  when  I  draw  the  line  of  comparison, 
I  can  point  to  women,  whose  names  and  fame  "in  the  war  between 
the  States"  will  surpass  them  in  acts  and  deeds  that  will  only  die  with 
the  echo  of  time. 

The  battle  of  Nashville  gave  us  a  heroine  whose  name  General 
Hood  placed  on  the  roll  of  honor  "Miss  Mary  Bradford,"  now  Mrs. 
John  Johns.  When  Thomas'  army  was  pouring  the  musketry  into  us 
and  Hood's  Army  was  in  full  retreat,  she  rushed  out  into  the  thick 
est  of  the  storm  cloud  and  begged  the  soldiers  to  stop  and  fight. 

The  famous  raid  of  General  Streight  with  two  thousand  men, 
near  Rome,  Ga.,  resulting  in  his  capture  through  the  intrepidity  of 
a  Miss  Emma  Sansom,  was  an  instance  of  female  prowess  long  to 
be  remembered.  Amidst  the  flying  bullets,  thrilled  with  patriotism, 
she  jumped  on  behind  General  Forrest  and  piloted  him  across  the 
Black  creek.  The  Legislature  of  Alabama  granted  her  land  and  the 
people  lauded  her  to  the  skies.  When  Hood's  Army,  on  the  Nash 
ville  campaign,  passed  Gadsden,  this  young  lady  stood  on  her  porch 
and  the  army  went  wild  with  cheers  in  her  honor. 

Another  heroine  in  name    only,    yet    ifi    fact    a  hero  in  General 


HEROINES  OF  THE  SOUTH.  491 

Morgan's  cavalry  tramp,  on  the  line  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee 
grew  to  be  a  terror  in  that  section.  The  boys,  on  account  of  his  fine 
and  feminine  features  and  flowing  hair,  used,  to  call  him  "sissy."  They 
dressed  him  up  one  day  as  a  lady  and  introduced  him  to  General 
Morgan  as  "Miss  Sue  Munday."  It  turned  out  to  be  Jerome  Clark, 
a  son  of  Hector  Clark  of  Franklin,  Kentucky,  but  ever  afterwards 


MISS  MARY  BRADFORD,   NOW  MRS.   JOHNS. 

he  was  known  as  "Sue  Munday."  He  was  a  member  of  the  Old 
Squadron,  and  on  account  of  the  unbearable  insults  heaped  upon  his 
family,  he  raised  his  hand  against  the  blue,  and*  his  work  of  vengeance 
did  not  cease  until  he  met  his  tragic  end  in  Louisville.  Many  a  sold 
ier  of  Morgan's  cavalry  thought  that  Sue  Munday  was  a  woman, 
and  worshipped  him  as  one  of  John  Morgan's  heroines,  He  had 
many  encounters  and  an  exceedingly  romantic  career,  was  as  expert 
in  horsemanship  as  a  Cossack,  and  handled  a  gun  with  the  skill  of  a 
cracksman. 

At  one  time  in  1863,  so  says  General  Coleman  o<f  the  Indian 
Territory,  a  Miss  Puss  Whitty,  aged  19  of  Knobnoster,  a  Federal  Post 
in  Johnson  county,  Missouri,  rode  from  home  sixty  miles,  starting  in 
the  night,  and  carried  news  to  the  intrepid  Quantrell.  At  another 
time  when  a  company  of  Federals  were  at  her  father's  house  (Capt. 
William  Whitty)  in  search  for  contraband  goods,  she  shot  a  lieu 
tenant,  wounded  a  private  and'  escaped.  They  outlawed  her.  Her 
uncle  was  shot  from  ambush,  breaking  his  under  jaw,  and  cutting  off 
his  tongue.  Miss  Whitty  went  twenty  miles  at  night,  found  her  uncle, 
carried  him  home  and  hid  him  in  an  old  well  until  he  recovered1  suf- 


492 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


ficiently  to  ride  away.     The  authorities  finally  captured  and  'banished 
her  from  the  State. 

The  old  scouts  in  the  West  will  remember  two  other  heroines 
through  whose  aid  we  were  often  saved  from  attack  and  told  when 
and  where  to  strike.  Miss  Kate  Patterson,  now  Mrs.  Kyle,  of  La- 
vergne,  Tennessee,  and  Miss  Robbie  Woodruff,  who  lived  ten  miles 


EMMA  SANSOM. 

from  Nashville.  They  would  go  into  Nashville  get  what  information 
was  needed,  and  place  it  in  a  designated  tree,  stump  or  log  to  be  con 
veyed  to  us  by  our  secret  scouts.  I  have  often  wondered  if  the  dia 
gram  of  works  around  Nashville  found  on  the  person  of  Sam  Davis 
was  not  gotten  through  them,  notwithstanding  the  impression  re 
ceived  that  it  was  stolen  from  General  Dodge's  table  by  a  negro  boy. 
Miss  Woodruff  thrilled  the  scouts  by  her  many  perilous  achievements. 
But  I  have  a  heroine  of  the  mountains  who  developed  in  war 
times,  yet  on  account  of  her  obscure  habitation  and  the  bitter  heart 
burnings  existing  between  the  two  factions,  so  nearly  divided  in  her 
section,  that  history  has  not  yet  given  her  name  merited  fame.  I 
got  her  record*  from  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Nichols,  who  lived  in  her  section 
of  Putnam  county,  three  miles  from  Cookeville,  Tennessee.  Her  name 
was  Miss  Marina  Gunter,  now  Mrs.  Jos  Harris.  Her  father,  Larkin 


HEROINES  OF  THE  SOUTH. 


493 


Gunter,  was  a  Southern  man,  and  some  bushwhackers,  claiming  to 
belong  to  the  Federal  Army,  resolved  to  kill  him.  One  night  three 
of  them,  Maxwell,  Miller  and  Patton,  visited  her  home  and  told  him, 
in  the  presence  of  his  family,  that  his  time  had  come  to  die.  They  took 
him  out  from  the  house  and  in  a  short  time  this  maiden  of  seventeen 
heard  the  licks  and  her  old  father's  groans,  when  she  rushed  to  the 


SUE  MUNDAY. 


woodpile,  got  an  ax  and  hurriedly  approached  the  scene.  The  night 
was  dark  and  drizzly,  and  the  men  were  standing  by  a  log,  on  which 
they  had  placed  her  father  and  he  was  pleading  for  his  life.  She  killed 
two  with  the  axe  and  broke  the  third  one's  arm.  He  got  away  at 
lightning  speed,  but  afterwards  died  from  the  wound.  She  lifted  up 
her  father  and  helped  him  home.  Soon  she  sought  and  obtained  pro 
tection  from  the  Federal  General  at  Nashville.  She  said  afterwards, 
that  upon  hearing  her  father's  groans  she  grew  frantic  and  does  not 
know,  to  this  good  day,  how  she  managed  it,  nor  did  she  know  any 
thing  ufritil  she  had  cleaned'  out  the  platter.  This  is  the  greatest 
achievement  of  female  heroism  of  its  kind  that  has  ever  been  recorded, 
and  places  Miss  Gunter  on  the  pinnacle  of  glory  that  belongs  not 
alone  to  patriotism,  but  to  the  grandeur  of  filial  affection  "the  tie 


494 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


that  stretches  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  spans  the  Heavens  and  is 
riveted  through  eternity  to  the  throne  of  God  on  high." 

They  talk  about  Sheridan's  ride  but  let  me  tell  of  one  that  strips 
it  of  its  grandeur — the  famous  run  of  Miss  Antoinette  Polk,  display 
ing  a  heroism  worthy  of  imperishable  record.  She  was  on  the  Hamp 
shire  Turnpike,  a  few  miles  from  Columbia,  Tennessee,  when  some 


MRS.   KYLE. 


one  informed  her  of  the  Federals'  contemplated  visit  to  her  father's 
home  on  the  Mt.  Pleasant  Pike  five  miles  across — said-  pikes  forming 
an  obtuse  angle  from  Columbia.  She  knew  that  some  soldier  friends 
at  her  father's  would  be  captured  unless  they  had  notice,  and  in 
order  to  inform  them,  she  had  to  go  across  the  angle  that  was  barri- 


MISS  ROBBIE  WOODRUFF. 


no 


caded  many  times  with  high  rails  and  rock  fences.  There  was 
more  superb  equestrienne  in  the  valley  of  the  Tennessee — and  she  was 
of  magnificent  physique.  She  had  a  thoroughbred  horse  trained  to  her 
bidding.  The  young  lady  started,  her  horse  leaped  the  fences  like  a 
reindeer,  and  came  out  on  the  pike  just  in  front  of  the  troopers, 
four  miles  from  home.  They  took  after  her,  but  her  foaming  steed 


HEROINES  OF  THE  SOUTH. 


495 


was  so  fleet  of  foot  that  she  got  away  from  them  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  and  saved  her  friends  from  capture. 

I  recollect  another  heroine,  a  Lieutenant  Buford  of  an  Arkansas 
regiment.  She  stepped  and  walked  the  personification  of  a  soldier 
boy ;  had  won  her  spurs  on  the  battlefield  at  Bull  Run,  Fort  Donelson, 
and  Shiloh,  and  was  promoted  for  gallantry.  One  evening  she  came 


MRS.   MATIXA  GUXTER-H ARRIS. 

to  General  Stewart's  headquarters,  at  Tyner's  Station,  with  an  order 
from  Major  Kinloch  Falconet  to  report  for  duty  as  a  scout,  but  upon 
his  finding  that  "he"  was  a  woman,  she  was  sent  back  and  the  or 
der  revoked.'  She  has  written  a  book. 

In  point  of  devotion  and  of  nursing  our  soldiers  in  distress,  the 
sick,  the  wounded,  the  women  of  the  South,  were  all  "Florence  Night 
ingales."  It  would  be  invidious  to  discriminate,  but  I  will  mention 
some  of  the  other  noteworthy  deeds.  I  have  another  heroine — bless 
her  sweet  soul.  I  have  forgotten  her  name.  One  day  General  Morgan 
sent  a  squad  of  us  on  a  scout  and  we  were  pursued  by  Colonel  Funk- 
erhauser's  regiment  in  Denny's  Bend  of  Cumberland  river,  near  Rome, 
Tennessee.  My  heroine,  a  little  girl  of  fourteen,  directed  us  to  Brad 
ley  Island  for  safety — a  place  of  some  sixty  acres  in  cultivation,  but 


496 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


on  the  river  side  it  was  encircled  by  a  sandbar  with  driftwood  lodged 
on  an  occasional  stubby  sycamore.  This  sweet,  animated  little  girl 
brought  us  a  "square"  meal,  and  watched  for  our  safety  like  a  hawk 
during  the  day.  Thinking  it  was  a  foraging  expedition,  and  that 
they  were  gone,  we  ventured  to  leave  late  in  the  afternoon,  but  ran 
into  them  and  a  running  fire  ensued.  After  eluding  pursuit,  we 


MISS  ANTOINETTE  POLK. 


MISS  HELEN  PRICE  CATO. 

concluded  to  go  back.  In  a  short  time  a  company  of  Federals  ap 
peared  on  the  island,  evidently  having  tracked  our  horses.  We  left 
the  horses  behind  the  driftwood,  without  hitching,  and  took  shelter 
under  a  big  fallen  tree.  The  troopers  were  in  ten  steps  of  us  at  the 
time.  We  could  hear  them  distinctly,  and  one  fellow  said:  "If  we 
catch  em',  boys,  this  is  a  good  place  to  hang  'em."  Another  said, 


HEROINES  OF  THE  SOUTH. 


497 


"Let's  go  down  in  the  driftwood  on  the  sandbar,  and  bag  'em." 
Hearts  throbbed  and  legs  trembled !  We  thought  we  were  gone. 
One  of  our  squad-  said,  "Let's  give  up,"  but  the  rest  of  us  were  too 
badly  scared  to  reply.  A  frightened  rabbit  stopped  near  us,  panting, 
watching  and  trembling  with  fear,  producing  a  mimetic  effect  on  our 
feelings.  Ah,  if  a  painter  could  have  pictured  that  scene,  and  if  a 


LIEUT.  BUFORD,  A  FEMALE  .LIEUTENANT. 

pen  could  describe  that  occasion.  We  lay  there  until  nightfall.  They 
did  not  happen  to  see  our  horses  and,  through  a  kind  Piovidence, 
we  escaped.  Our  heroine  came  to  us  after  nightfall,  signaled  and  we 
answered.  She  was  so  happy  over  our  escape;  told  us  that  she  saw 
them  leaving,  and  that  they  had  no  prisoners.  She  mounted  her  horse, 
followed  on  behind  them  to  the  toll-gate,  two  miles  away,  and  learned 
that  they  had  returned  to  Lebanon,  after  which  she  came  to  us, 
brought  our  supper  and  put  us  on  a  safe  road. 

Such  heroines  the  Southern  soldiers  met  with  often  in  the  dis 
puted  territory  of  contending  armies.  They  evidenced  a  devotion 
to  country  that  only  might,  and  not  right  could  subdue. 

There  was  another  class  more  nearly  comporting  with  female 
character;  sock  knitters,  clothes  makers,  needle  pliers,  God  servers, 
revelling  in  sentiment  in  touch  with  the  times.  From  wealth  they 
drank  the  dregs  of  poverty's  cup,  until  now,  for  over  forty  years, 
by  frugality  and  dint  of  perse  verance,  they  have  been  instrumental  in 
our  Southland's  blessed  resurrection.  Female  clerks,  teachers, 
"Graphs,"  phone  and  type  machine  operators,  and  other  callings. 


498  BATTLES  ANt)  SKETCHES  ARMY  O#  TENNESSEE'. 

-From  authoresses  to  cooks,  they  attest  a  courage  and  praiseworthiness 
that  exceeds  bellicose  valor.  To  the  old  stranded  Southern  craft 
they  have  been  mariners  that  make  the  world-  pause  to  see  us  mov 
ing  again  amid  the  councils  of  our  common  country,  resuscitated  and 
disenthralled.  Posterity  will  do  them  justice,  historians,  poets,  and 
dramatist  will  chronicle  their  praises.  Charlotte  Corday's  epitaph  was 
"Greater  than  Brutus,"  but  that  of  the  Southern  woman  will  be, 
"Greater  than  Jackson,  the  Johnstons  or  Lee,  greater  than  Jefferson 
Davis,  greater  than  any  other  heroines  of  time." 


SAVED  HER  FATHER  S  LlFE  BY  KILLING  A  Y  vXKEE  WITH  A  CORN  KNIFE. 

The  following  account  of  the  heroic  act  of  Mary  Bedtichek  in 
saving  the  life  of  her  father  is  contributed  by  Mr.  J.  M.  Bedichek, 
brother  of  the  heroine,  and  now  principal  of  the  Eddy  Literary  and 
Scientific  Institute  of  Eddy,  Texas.  Mr.  Bedichek  was  under  General 
Frances  M.  Cockrell  in  the  First  Missouri  Brigade;  his  brother,  F. 
A.  Bedichek  belonging  to  Parson's  Brigade,  thus  his  father  and 
sister  were  left  home  alone,  his  mother  having  died  before  the  war. 

It  was  on  the  night  of  the  6th  of  June.  1865,  while  the  most  cruel 
phase  of  a  horrible  war  was  seen  nightly,  in  ghastly  murders  and  luridf 
flames,  that  a  band  of  soldiers  was  seen  in  father's  yard  seven  miles 
northwest  of  Warrensburg,  Johnson  County,  Missouri. 

Soon  a  knock  was  heard  at  the  door.  Sister,  Mary  Bedichek, 
then  nineteen  years  old,  asked  "Who  is  there."  "Friends,"  said  a  voice 
outside.  "What  do  you  want?"  "We  want  to  come  in  to  warm." 
"You  have  Guns?"  "Yes."  "If  you  leave  your  guns  outside  you 
may."  Oh !  well,  if  that  will  please  you  we  will."  Whereupon  the 
leader  came  in.  No  other  seemed  to  care  to  enter.  Sister  closed  the 
door  and  locked  it.  The  soldier  asked  if  there  were  any  Bushwhack 
ers  in  the  house.  "There  is  no  one  but  Father  and  me."  "Your  two 
brothers  are  in  the  rebel  army  eh?"  "Yes." 

A  search  of  the  room  was  made  by  the  dim  light  in  the  fire  place. 
The  lamp  had  been  blown  out  just  before  the  approach  of  the  soldiers 
as  it  was  time  to  retire. 

When  the  militiaman  was  satisfied  that  none  but  father  and  sister 
were  in  the  house  he  said,  "Old  man,  I've  come  to  kill  you,  drawing 
his  pistol  at  the  same  instant.  "Ah !"  As  father  gave  this  laconic  an 
swer,  he  grabbed  the  pistol  and  a  most  terrible  scuffle  ensued.  The 
assailant  having  the  advantage  of  the  hold  on  the  pistol,  wrenched  it 
out  of  Father's  hand  and  began  beating  him  over  the  head  with  it. 

Sister  was  not  idle.  She  ran  to  the  kitchen,  seized  a  very  large 
and  sharp  corn-knife  and  soon  directed  an  effectual  blow  at  the  up 
lifted  arm.  The  arm  fell.  She  then  with  strong  and  rapid  blows 
chopped  his  head  until  he  hallooed,  "help,  help,  For  God's  sake  let  me 
out."  Whereupon  one  of  the  party  on  the  outside  ran  to  the  North 
side  of  the  house  opened  the  door,  gun  in  hand,  and  tried  to  see  which 


HEROINES  OF  THE  SOUTH.  499 

one  to  shoot.  Sister,  hearing  the  door  slam  against  the  wall,  turned  in 
time  and  leaping  toward  him,  caught  the  gun  with  her  left  hand  and 
dealt  him  a  severe  stroke  on  his  head  with  the  corn  knife.  He  jerked 
the  gun  from  her,  but  on  giving  him  another  cut  on  the  arm  she  rushed 
him  out  of  the  door.  Then  she  shut  the  'door  on  him  and  locked  it, 
turning  the  window  shade  so  he  could  not  see  whom  to  shoot. 


MISS  MARY  BEDICHEK  (AFTERWARDS 
MRS.   SAMUEL  CAMPBELL  ) 

Those  on  the  south  of  the  house  opened  fire  into  the  window  and 
door  and  with  a  beam  burst  the  door  down.  Sister  rushed  to  the  door 
to  defend  it.  No  one  attempted  to  come  in,  but  the  wounded  man 
staggered  to  the  door  and  down  the  steps.  His  comrades  asked  him 
if  he  was  hurt.  He  replied,  "I  am  a  dead  man."  He  fell  within  ten 
steps  of  the  door  and  his  comrades  carried  him  off. 

Father  sent  word  to  Warrensburg  that  his  house  had  been  at 
tacked.  Colonel  Thomas  T.  Crittenden,  of  the  Federal  Army,  later 
Democratic  Governor  of  Missouri,  sent  out  a  scout  under  Captain  Box 
who  soon  approached  the  house  and  as  the  company  were  about  to 
enter  our  yard  he  bade  them  keep  back  for  a  minute. 

Sister  saw  them  coming.  She  thought  they  were  coming  for  re 
venge,  hence,  she  took  a  long  dagger  and  holding  it  in  the  folds  of  her 
dress  awaited  at  the  door  the  approach  of  the  captain. 

"Well"  said  the  Captain,  "you  have  had  a  battle  here,  I  undre- 
stand.  I  can  well  believe  it  from  the  looks  of  the  room."  There 
were  blood,  hair,  a  cut  up  hat,  gloves,  etc.,  strewn  around.  "Well,  tell 
me  how  it  happened!  and  all  about  it."  As  sister  was  telling  her  story 
the  company  soon  became  so  interested  by  an  occasional  word  which 
came  to  their  ears  that  they  drew  nearer  and  formed  a  semicircle  close 


500 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


around  the  door.  One  said,  "I  wish  she  had  killed  the  other  one  too." 
Another  said,  "I  wish  she  had  killed  the  whole  outfit." 

Sister  seeing  they  meant  no  harm  turned  and  placed  her  dagger 
in  the  dresser  drawer,  whereupon  one  of  the  sokHers  said  ''Don't  you 
see,  she  would  have  fought  the  whole  company." 

Colonel  Crittenden  made  sister  a  present  of  a  fine  revolver,  not 


A.  S    MOETON. 

only  as  a  mark  of  his  appreciation  of  her  heroism  but  to  emphasize 
his  disapproval  of  the  murder  of  helpless  old  men  by  brutal  "soldiers?" 
This  account  is  as  father  and  sister  told  it  to    me  a    few  months 
after  the  terrible  tragedy. 

J.  M.  BEDICHEK. 

To  impress  more  forcibly  my  idea  of  our  women,  I  have  a  friend 
who  has  risen  as  a  poet — Albert  Sidney  Morton,  St.  Paul,  Minn., 
who  has  written,  to  go  with  this  tribute,  a  poem  on  "The  Women 
of  the  South."  It  is  beautiful,  thrilling  and  true. 


HEROINES  OF  THE  SOUTH.  501 

WOMEN  OF  THE   SOUTH. 

(Albert    Sidney    Morton,    St.    Paul,    Minn.) 
Not  Homer  dreamt,  nor  Milton  sung 

Through  his  heroic  verse, 
Nor   Prentiss  did  with  wondrous  tongue, 

In  silver  tones  rehearse 
The  grandest  theme  that  ever  yet 

Moved'  brush  or  tongue,  or  pen — 
A  theme  in  radiant  glory  set 

To  stir  the  souls  of  men — 
THE  WOMEN  OF  THE  SOUTH. 

Of  nascent  charms  that  thrall  the  gaze, 

On  love's  most  pleasing  pain, 
Ten  thousand  tuneful,  lyric  lays 

Have  sung  and  sung  again ; 
But  I  would  sing  of  souls,  of  hearts 

Within    those    forms    of   clay, 
Of  lives  whose  luster  yet  imparts 

Fresh  radiance  to  our  day— 
THE  WOMEN  OF  THE  SOUTH. 

When  battle's  fierce  and  lurid  glare 

Lit  up  our  shady  glens ; 
When  slaughter,  agony,  despair, 

Or   Northern   prison  pens, 
Were  portions  of  the  sturdy  son 

Of  Southern  mother  true. 
Who  prayed  the  battle  might  be  won 

Of  the  grav  against  the  blue? — 
THE  WOMEN  OF  THE  SOUTH. 

Our   lads   were   true,   our   lads   were   brave, 

Nor  feared  the  foemen's  steel, 
And  thousands  in  a  bloody  grave 

Did  true  devotion  seal ; 
But   brightest    star    upon    our    shield1, 

Undimmed   without   a   stain, 
Is  she  who  still  refused  to  yield 

Refused,  alas,  in  vain — 
THE  WOMEN  OF  THE  SOUTH. 

No  choice  was  left  us  but  to  fight, 

While   she  was  left  to  grieve ; 
We    battled    for   truth    and    right 

Our    freedom   to   achieve — - 


502  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Assured  that  death  we   could  embrace — 

But  there  is  not  yet  born 
The  Southern  man  who  dares  to  face 

The  silent  withering  scorn 
OF  WOMEN  OF  THE  SOUTH. 

Who  bade  us  go  with  smiling  tears? 

Who  scorned  the  renegade? 
Who,  silencing  their  trembling  fears, 

Watched,  cheered,  then  wept  and  prayed? 
Who  nursed  our  wounds   with  tender  care. 

And  then  when  all  was  lost, 
Who  lifted  us   from  our  despair 

And  counted  not  the  cost? 
THE  WOMEN  OF  THE  SOUTH. 

Then  glory  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts,— 

Yes,  glory  to  the  Lord, 
To  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost 

And  glory  to  His  Word ; 
To    us    is    giv'n    creation's    prize — 

The  masterpiece  of  Him 
Who  made  the  earth,  the  stars,  the  skies, 

The  war  cloud's  golden  rim : — 
THE  WOMEN  OF  THE  SOUTH. 

A.  S.  Morton,  (Disbursing  Auditor  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail 
way,  St.  Paul,  Minn.),  is  becoming  eminent  in  prose  as  well  as  poetry. 
Mr.  Morton  has  just  published  a  novel  entitled  "Beyond  the  Paleo- 
crystic  Sea,"  a  legend  beautifully  told  of  a  land  beyond  "Greenland's 
Icy  Mountains."  It  is  weir  planned,  unique  in  its  presentation  and  an 
entertaining  book.  His  poems,  which  have  appeared  in  public  print 
on  "Pelham,"  "My  Southern  Home,"  "Too  Brave  To  Die,5>  and  "The 
Women  of  the  South,"  are  an  index  to  his  literary  worth. 

Mr.  Morton  was  reared-  in  Richmond,  Va.,  and  is  an  ardent 
Southerner,  but  went  West  early. 

Since  the  article  on  Heroines  of  the  South  was  written  the  identity 
of  the  "unknown  heroine"  has  been  discovered.  She  was  formerly 
Miss  Helen  Price ;  but  is  now  Mrs.  Cato,  and  lives  at  Rome,  Tennessee, 


OTHER  CONFEDERATE  HEROES  AND  MARTYRS. 

History  tells  us  of  martyrs  and  their  sacrifices  for  principle. 
Among  the  notable  in  Reformation  days  were  those  of  Ridley  and 
Latimer  who  perished  in  the  flames  in  1555.  Their  words,  as  de 
votees  to  their  convictions,  are  our  heritage.  At  the  sight  of  the 
flames,  Latimer  exclaimed,  "Be  of  good  cheer,  Master  Ridley,  and 
play  the  man;  we  shall  this  day  light  such  a  candle,  by  Goer's  grace 
in  England,  as  I  trust  shall  never  be  put  out."  Ridley  replied:  "Be 
of  good  heart,  Brother  Latimer,  for  God  will  either  assuage  the  flames 
or  else  give  us  strength  to  endure  them."  It  was  just  this  kind  of 
conviction,  although  of  a  political  nature,  that  prompted  the  soldiers 
of  the  South. 

Those  to  whom  I  refer  were  private  soldiers.  Dee  S.  Jobe  was 
a  scout,  and  of  the  famous  men  commanded  by  "Coleman."  Jobe 
lived  near  Mechanicsville,  Rutherford  county,  Tennessee.  He  was 
only  a  boy  of  twenty  years.  Detailed  from  the  Twentieth  Tennessee 
and-  ordered  into  the  lines  of  the  Federals  from  Bragg's  army,  he 
had  fallen  asleep  in  a  thicket  and  some  one  telling  of  his  hiding 
place,  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  They  dubbed  him  "bush 
whacker,"  but  offered  to  spare  his  life  if  he  would  tell  of  his  com 
rades  and  of  their  proposed  meeting  place.  Jobe  declined  and  they 
tortured  him  to  death  by  putting  out  his  eyes  and  pulling  out  his 
tongue.  The  leader  who  had-  him  killed  became  a  raving  maniac 
in  contemplating  his  bloody  deed.  He  said  that  Jobe  was  the  bravest 
man  he  ever  saw. 

Some  of  his  comrades  of  the  Coleman  Scouts  who  suivived  the 
war,  after  a  fitting  preamble,  resolved,  "That  while  we  regret,  with 
the  sorrow  of  our  inmost  souls,  D.  S.  Jobe's  cruel  fate,  we  can  frit 
recollect  with  pride  how  nobly  he  died — strangled,  beaten  and  abused  ; 
yet  he  defied  his  persecutors  to  the  end." 

"Death  makes  no  conquest  of  this  conqueror, 
For  now  he  lives  in  fame,  though  not  in  life." 

The  signatures  to  that  paper  are  given  to  show  their  member 
ship.  H.  B.  Shaw,  Captain;  Wm.  Roberts,  Geo.  D.  Hughes,  John  G. 
Davis,  James  T.  Patterson,  W.  H.  Portch,  Sam  Roberts,  Alex  Greig, 
T.  T.  Brown  ,  A.  H.  Douglas.  T.  M.  Joplin,  L.  A.  Owen,  N.  J.  Vaughn, 
W.  J.  Moore,  Richard  Anderson,  J.  M.  Shute. 

There  is  a  sequel-  to  Jobe's  tragic  end  that  in  sentiment  and  devo 


504  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

tion  is  as  beautiful  as  that  of  Damon  and  Pythias  or  of  Jonathan 
and  David.  Jobe  had  a  kinsman  and  a  brother  scout,  Dee  Smith, 
a  neighbor  and  friend.  When  he  was  told  of  Job's  torture 
and  persecution  he  grew  desperate  and  his  mind  became  unhinged. 
He  left  the  Forty-fifth  Tennessee  regiment  near  Chattanooga,  raised 
the  black  flag  and1  declared  that  henceforth  he  would  never  take  a 


DEE  8.  JOBE. 

prisoner.  It  is  asserted  that  he  slew  not  less  than  fifty  of  his  enemies 
At  last  they  surrounded  him  near  Nolensville,  Tennessee,  and  shot 
him.  Afterwards  they  brought  him  twenty  miles  from  Nolensville 
to  Murfreesboro.  Although  in  excruciating  pain  when  the  doctors 
probed  his  wounds,  he  said  that  he  would  die  before  his  enemies 
should  see  him  flinch.  Fortunately,  he  died  before  noon  of  the  next 
day,  at  which  time  he  was  to  be  hanged. 

John  Bowman,  a  member  of  Colonel  Paul  Anderson's  cavalry, 
was  cut  off  in  Hood's  retreat  and-  took  shelter  near  Murfreesboro, 
his  home.  They  caught  him  near  Drennon,  a  town  midway  between 


506 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


Murfreesboro  and  Lebanon,  and  tied  him  to  a  tree.  Instead  of  beg 
ging  for  his  life,  he  defied  and  heaped  epithets  upon  his  captors  until 
they,  in  frenzied  rage,  riddled  him  with  bullets. 

I  had  an  experience  with  Bowman  in  1864  that  showed  his 
recklessness  and  want  of  fear.  While  Hood  was  environing  Nash 
ville  and-  ForresL  was  dashing  upon  Murfreesboro,  seventy-five 


DEE  s:.:iTii. 


JOHN  BOWMAN. 


"Yanks"  had  been  in  a  block-house  near  Smyrna  depot,  guarding 
the  railroad  between  Nashvillfe  and  Murfreesboiro.  Things  were 
getting  so  "squally"  that  they  left  their  fortress  at  Murfreesboro. 


OTHER  CONFEDERATE  HEROES  AND  MARTYRS. 


507 


Four  Rebs  had  slipped  through  from  Hood's  army  to  see  homefolks. 
John  Bowman  among  them.  They  looked  up  the  pike  and-  saw  it 
black  with  blue  coats.  The  idea  naturally  was  that  they  were  so 
badly  frightened  a  shot  or  two  would  stampede  them,  and  that  we 
would  get  at  least  their  wagons  and  teams.  Knowing  every  pig  path, 
they  rushed  through  the  cedars  and  ensconced  themselves  in  a  thicket 


JOHN    M.AS8KY. 

on  Searcy's  farm  alongside  of  the  old  road.  As  the  seventy-five 
marched  along,  each  Reb  on  his  horse  drew  his  Navy  and  fired.  Did 
they  run ;  Well,  never  in  the  wide  world.  I  can  hear  that  Yankee 
officer  now  cry,  "Halt!  Right  wheel!  Fire!" 

They  peeled  the  saplings,  made  shot  holes  through  our  clothes 
and  saddles ;  it  looked  like  demons  had  turned'  loose  upon  us,  and 
it  seemed  that  they  would  kill  us  in  spite  of  fate.  We  got  over  the 
hill  after  a  time ;  they  did  not  pursue — nor  did  we.  Bowman  wanted 
to  go  back  and  attack  again,  but  the  rest  of  us  demurred.  We  dub 
bed  that  battle  "Hard-up,"  for  if  ever  there  was  a  hard  time  getting 
out  of  a  thicket,  that  was  one.  Did  we  get  wagons?  No-  did  not 
want  them.  Capture,  "Yanks?"  No,  we  were  glad  enough  to  save 
our  scalps.  It  was  John  Bowmans'  recklessness  that  induced  four 
of  us  to  attack  seventy-five !  One  of  the  young  men,  only  fourteen 
at  that  time,  (Dr.  G.  W.  Crosthwait,  of  Florence,  Tennessee,  and 
who  received  only  this  baptism  of  fire  during  the  great  war)  often 


508 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


now  speaks  of  the  battle  of  "Hardup"  as  one  which  ought  to  be  re 
corded.  An  example  of  filial  affection  is  portrayed  in  the  character 
of  John  Massey  who  was  shot  at  Fayetteville,  Tennessee.  He  came 
into  the  Federal  lines  to  visit  his  brother.  They  heard  he  was  a 
bushwhacker  and  in  attempting  his  arrest  got  hold  of  his  brother 
through  mistake.  Hearing  of  this,  Massey  went  to  Fayetteville,  gave 


TOM   JOPLTN. 

himself  up,  told  the  "Yanks"  that  they  had-  the  wrong  man,  that  his 
brother  was  a  non-combatant  of  large  family,  and  although  he  him 
self  was  not  a  bushwhacker  but  a  regular  soldier,  he  was  the  man 
they  wanted.  The  enemy  released  the  brother  and  shot  poor  Mas 
sey  in  his  stead.  Oh,  how  beautiful  a  sentiment  and  what  a  tie  of 
affection,  of  brotherly  love !  Fayetteville  ought  to  mark  the  spot 
made  sacred  by  his  martyrdom. 

Such  acts  as  these  show  the  grit  out  of  which  the  Southern 
soldier  was  made.  Will  not  some  man  favored  by  fortune  immortalize 
himself  and  do  posterity  a  service  by  paying  a  knightly  tribute  to  the 
Private's  worth?  "Some  sweet  day"  will  there  not  be  a  cenotaph  erec 
ted,  not  only  to  commemorate  Southern  valor  but  American  bravery, 
as  emphasized-  by  soldiers  of  the  South  ?  Daughters  of  the  Confed 
eracy,  will  you  not  undertake  it?  If  so,  it  will  be  well  done. 

Here   is   another   unsung   hero.     He   miraculously   escaped   the 


OTHER  CONFEDERATE  HEROES  AND  MARTYRS.          509 

perils  of  war  although  shot  many  times — Tom  Joplin,  familiarly 
known  in  the  army  as  "Jop."  There  was  no  more  faithful  scout  in 
the  service.  He  is  living  near  Franklin  now  and  in  good  health. 
It  is  a  treat  to  hear  him  tell  of  his  hairbreadth  escapes  and  peril 
ous  missions  with  Sam  Davis,  Dee  Jobe,  Dee  Smith  and  other  as 
sociate  scouts.  He  was  often  left  for  dead,  but  always  turned  up 
when  the  enemy  contemplated  a  move.  Joplin  was  shot  the  evening 
before  Sam  Davis  was  captured,  near  Bainbridge.  He  had  lett 
Davis  only  a  short  time ;  he  also  had  important  messages  for  Gen 
eral  Bragg  and  although  he  was  dangerously  wounded  he  pushed  on, 
at  the  peril  of  his  life,  until  they  were  delivered. 


THE  "OLD  GENERAL"  AND  THE   "LITTLE  CORPORAL." 

I  recollect  an  incident  in  war  times  which  impressed  me  with 
a  conviction  that  has  haunted  me  to  this  day.  After  Fort  Donelson 
fell,  in  1862,  Albert  Sidney  Johnston  retreated  from  Nashville  via 
Murfreesboro,  Shelbyville,  and  on  to  Corinth.  The  pursuing  Federal 
Army  followed.  General  Mitchell's  division  marched  by  way  of  Old 
Jefferson,  Tenn.  His  name  was  riveted  on  me,  because  [  was  told 
that  he  was  the  author  of  "Mitchell's  Geography."  As  a  sixteen ~ 
year-old1  boy  then,  I  was  fresh  from  it ;  and  to  meet  the  man,  especially 
as  a  general  in  the  army  opposing  my  people,  maJe  the  event  pecu 
liarly  interesting.  He  took  dinner  that  day  at  my  home,  as  did  also 
his  son.  As  his  division  was  passing,  a  man  dressed  hi  citizen'?, 
clothes  also  came  up  and  asked  for  dinner.  The  man's  demure  tac 
iturn  manner  attracted  me,  and  his  noncommittal  action  in  the  pres 
ence  of  General  Mitchell  and  son  led  me  to  believe  that  he  was  not 
a  Federal,  but  one  of  our  people  traveling  incog.  In  conversation 
with  him  he  told  me  that  his  name  was  Andrews;  that  he  was  a 
Confederate,  stealing  stealthily  along  with  the  Yankee  army,  and 
to  be  particular  while  the  Federals  were  there  and  not  mention  him 
I  whispered  this  to  my  mother,  an  ardent  Southern  sympathizer  who 
instinctively  recurred  to,  "Andree,"  the  British  spy,  but  during  the 
dinner  hour  he  was  royally  treated  by  us  and  not  a  word  spoken  to  or 
of  him.  He  said  that  he  was  on  his  way  South.  A  few  weeks  after 
this  the  news  came  that  a  desperate  attempt  had-  been  made  by  five 
or  six  Yankees  in  citizen's  dress  to  capture  from  the  Confederates 
at  Big  Shanty,  Ga.,  on  the  Western  &  Atlantic  Railroad,  H  railroad 
engine;  that  the  engine  was  steamed  up  when  they  mounted  it, 
threw  open  the  throttle  and  fairlv  flew  over  the  road  toward  Chat 
tanooga,  but  they  were  intercepted  near  Dalton,  tried  by  a  drum-head 
court-martial,  and  executed.  The  leader's  name  was  Andrews,  and- 
I  have  often  recalled  my  mother's  glancing  suspicion  and  wondered 
if  he  was  not  the  man  who  dined  with  General  Mitchell  and  son  at  my 
father's  home  and  palmed  himself  off  to  us  as  a  non-combatant 
"Johnnie  Reb."  The  name  of  the  engine  was  the  "General."  The 
railroad  management  keep  it  in  condition  still,  and  exhibited  it  at  the 
Chicago  Exposition,  at  the  opening  of  the  Chickamauga  Park,  and  had 
it  at  the  Centennial,  with  its  valves  and  wheels,  rods,  pistons,  and 
cylinders,  its  brazen  lungs  and  throat  of  fire,  on  which  Andrews  and 
his  party  of  Yankee  raiders  took  their  seventy-five-mile  journey  to 
death  in  Dixie.  History  records  the  adventure  as  a  most  thrilling 


THE  "OLD  GENERAL"  AND  THE  "LITTLE  CORPORAL."          511 

incident  and  one  of  the  most  reckless  and  daring  events  on  record. 
But  I  have  heard  of  a  feat  that,  if  true,  for  boldness  and  success 
ful  execution  surpasses  it,  and  it  has  but  few  parallels  in  the  chapter 
of  deeds.  It  is  said  to  have  taken  place  on  the  Hood  campaign  into 
Tennessee,  when  Forrest  environed  Murfreesboro,  in  December,  1864. 
It  was  told  to  me  by  one  of  the  prisoners  as  a  tale  around  the  camp- 


THE   "OLD  GENERAL. 


fire  after  the  escape.  The  Federal  General  Rousseau  was  shut  up 
with  ten  thousand  men  in  the  town,  when  one  day  three  of  Forrest's 
cavalry — F.  A.  (Dock)  Turner,  Alonzo  McLean,  James  Smotherman, 
of  LytleY  company,  Holman's  regiment — and  one  of  Forrests  scouts 
—were  captured  in  an  attempt  to  tear  up  the  railroad  at  Wartrace 
and  placed  by  Rousseau  in  a  fort  at  Murfreesboro,  together  with  about 
one  hundred  prisoners  that  were  picked  up  after  the  battle  of  Frank 
lin.  It  soon  became  noised  that  these  men  were  to  be  shot  as  bush 
whackers.  General  Forrest  informed  General  Rousseau,  by  flag 
of  truce,  that  those  men  were  his  regular  soldiers,  and  that  if  he  shot 
them  it  would  be  at  his  peril.  The  names  of  his  soldiers  were  sent 
in,  but  the  scout  and  Bose  Rouss  (some  called  him  Malungeon), 
who  had  killed  a  Federal  detective,  were  not  mentioned  in  the  list. 
A  pall  of  sorrow  came  over  the  prisoners  in  the  fort  when  General 
Rousseau,  in  withdrawing  charges  against  Forrest's  men,  left  out  the 
scout  and  Bose  Rouss,  who  had  no  known  identity  with  any  com 
mand-,  but  who  were  known  by  the  prisoners  to  be  true  and  tried 
soldiers.  A  court-martial  was  ordered  to  try  them.  Although  before 
a  military  court  two  distinguished  lawyers  were  summoned  to  de 
fend  the  prisoners,  yet  notwithstanding,  they  were  both  condemned 
to  die — to  be  shot  the  next  morning  at  ten  o'clock.  In  the  midst 
of  the  dense  crowd  of  soldiers  in  the  judge-advocate's  room,  the 
attorneys  adroitly  informed  their  clients  that  unless  they  could  do 
something  for  themselves  by  the  morrow  at  ten  o'clock  the  die  was 
cast.  The  victims  were  returned  to  the  fort,  where  the  hundred 
prisoners  were. 

It  was  a  dark,  freezing  night.     The  one  hundred  formed  a  cir- 


512  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

cle  and  covered  the  center  from  the  guards,  when  the  two  prisoners 
went  to  work  10  cut  out.  The  noise  of  the  tramping  circle  drowned 
the  din  of  the  working  victims,  until  Heaven  smiled  on  their  effort 
to  escape  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  They  struck  across 
the  railroad  and  passed  the  hand-car  house.  One  of  them  had  been 
a  railroader,'  and  he  said :  "Let's  get  the  corporal  hand-car,  strike 
right  down  the  railroad,  and  run  through  Rousseau's  pickets.  It 
is  a  desperate  game  to  play,  but  we  must  take  the  risk."  The  idea 
was  adopted.  Rousseau's  lines  had  been  doubled  in  looking  for  For 
rest,  and  there  was  no  time  for  parley.  They  got  the  car  out,  when 
along  came  two  railroad-  negroes  dressed  in  blue.  Those  desperate 
men  took  them  in,  placed  them  at  the  lever,  and  told  them  to  pull 
for  dear  life,  and  that  if  they  gave  warning  by  sign  or  action  they 
would  cut  their  throats  from  ear  to  ear.  The  hand-car  was  started 
and  the  work  to  throw  on  muscle  power  enough  for  a  lightning  run 
was  fearful.  All  parties  pulled  at  the  lever  as  no  mortals  e\er  pulled 
before.  Elbow  grease  was  the  motor  and  desperate  perserverance 
the  driving  wheel.  Flying  with  electric  speed,  she  approached  the 
outpost  pickets,  who  were  stationed  on  a  down  grade.  The  singular 
maneuver  as  they  passed  attracted  the  base  picket.  Day  was  break 
ing,  and  the  outposts,  four  in  number,  stood  upon  the  road  and  hal 
looed  out :  "Halt !"  The  scout  waved  to  them  a  paper  in  his  hand, 
and  as  he  came  near  threw  it  to  them,  saying:  "These  are  my  or 
ders.  The  'Rebs'  are  about  to  get  a  broken-down  caisson  between 
the  lines,  and  we  are  ordered  not  to  stop."  The  guards  picked  it  up. 
It  worked  like  a  charm.  They  turned  for  a  moment,  as  if  starting 
to  the  camp  fire  to  read  it.  All  at  once  they  discovered  the  sell. 
Overcome  in  confusion,  they  fired  in  the  distance  random  shots  at 
tfie  Corporal's  pilots,  whose  trucks  were  whizzing  like  a  circular  saw 
and  flying  like  an  arrow.  They  were  quickly  out  of  range.  It  beat 
a  shell-road  ride  at  a  two-forty  gait.  The  transit  was  unprecedented. 
Like  Harper's  "Ten  Broeck,"  the  Corporal  ran  from  "eend  to  eend," 
until  in  a  few  minutes  the  Yankee  negroes  put  the  prisoners  in  For 
rest's  domain,  and  the  ride  to  death  turned  out  a  brilliant  and  crown 
ing  triumph. 

In  reading  the  history  of  the  "Old  General,"  as  a  Federal  feat, 
don't  forget  the  ideal  picture  of  the  little  "Corporal"  as  a  Confederate 
/triumph,  for  you  can  see  her  momentum  increasing  with  the  accele 
rated  propulsion  of  muscle  applied  to  the  see-saw  lever,  her  speed 
as  rapid  as  a  glance  of  the  mind,  her  wheels  almost  hidden  in  the 
swiftness  of  the  flight,  her  cargo  borne  off  like  a  thing  of  life  from 
certain  death.  In  the  desperate  attempt  they  meet  death,  avoid  it,  and, 
the  picket  lines  safely  passed,  they  triumphantly  land  in  the  bosom 
of  friends  and  the  presence  of  Forrest  and  their  comrades. 

The  Honorable  C.  A.  Sheafe,  now  of  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  was 
orovost-marshal  of  General  Rousseau  at  the  time,  and,  on  having  the 
adventure  recalled  to  him,  he  added  that  the  next  morning  when 
he  reported  the  escape  of  the  two  prisoners  General  Rousseau  was 


THE  "OLD  GENERAL"  AND  THE  "LITTLE  CORPORAL". 


513 


morbidly  morose  and  fretful,  threw  down  the  report  and  seemed  to 
censure  everybody  until  he  found  out  that  it  was  not  the  inattention 
of  the  officers,  but  the  negligence  of  the  guards,  whose  carelessness 
was  palliated  only  on  account  of  the  frigid  weather. 


THE  FIFTH  AND  SIXTEENTH  TENNESSEE. 

Did-  you  ever  hear  of  the  Lion  of  Lucerne?  It  is  "hewn  out  of 
the  living  rock"  close  to  Lake  Lemon  near  the  beautiful  city 
of  Lucerne,  Switzerland,  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  nine  hun 
dred  mountaineer  Swiss  guards  who  in  1791  defended  Louis  XVI 
from  the  raging  mob  in  the  Palace  of  the  Tuilleries.  It  is  carved  out 
of  limestone  on  the  side  of  a  perpendicular  cliff  in  the  shape  of  a 
lion,  and  the  present  age  considers  it  the  chief  attraction  of  the 
mountains,  as  setting  before  the  eye,  the  spirit,  the  determination  and 
the  valor  of  the  people.  Did  you  ever  liken  the  device  to  the  mem 
ory  of  our  mountain  soldiers  in  the  Confederate  era  and  note  how 
upon  every  battlefield  their  deeds  were  parodied? 

We  have  a  beautiful  city  in  our  Cumberland  range  that  I  al 
ways  think  of  as  Lucerne.  Instead  of  a  lake,  it  is  environed  by  the 
limpid  waters  of  the  Collins  and  Barren  Fork  rivers  and  their  cas 
cades  and  sparkling  water  falls.  The  beautiful  mountain  of  Ben 
Lomond  overlooks  it  and  its  people  are  big  hearted  and  brave.  I 
often  think  of  the  record  made  by  two  regiments  in  that  country, 
and  of  their  comrades  coming  from  that  beautiful  mountain  town; 
the  Fifth  Tennessee,  commanded  by  Colonel  (afterwards  General) 
Ben  J.  Hill,  and  the  Sixteenth  Tennessee,  commanded  by  Colonel 
John  H.  Savage,  more  familiarly  known  as  the  "Old  Man  of  the 
Mountains."  The  Fifth  Tenneessee  (changed-  later  to  the  Thirty 
fifth)  was  made  up  from  Warren,  Grundy,  Van  Buren,  Cannon,  Bled- 
soe,  and  Sequatchie  counties ;  and-  the  Sixteenth  Tennessee,  from 
Warren,  White,  DeKalb,  Coffee,  VanBuren,  Putnam  and  Grundy. 
Through  curiosity  take  the  records  of  the  Federal  and  Confederate 
armies  in  the  war  of  secession  and  follow  the  ramifications  of  those 
regiments  until  the  surrender,  and  it  will  interest  you.  Colonel  Hill 
had  led  his  regiment  in  forty-two  skirmishes  and  battles  before  be 
ing  made  provost  marshal  general  of  Genreal  Joe  Johnston's  army  at 
Dalton.  Afterwards  he  became  brigadier-general  of  cavalry.  He 
claimed  to  his  death  that  his  was  the  last  command  to  surrender, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi.  Do  you  remember  of  having 
heard  that  compliment  paid  Hill's  regiment  at  Corinth,  Miss.,  in 
1862,  in  the  way  of  a  general  order  issued  to  the  army  and  read  at 
<iress  parade  to  our  soldiers  throughout?  Here  it  is: 

General  Orders  No.  —  — .  Headquarters  Western  Depart 
ment,  Corinth,  Miss.,  May  29th,  1862.  The  General  commanding 
mentions  with  great  pleasure  to  the  army  the  distinguished-  conduct 


THE  FIFTH  AND  SIXTEENTH  TENNESSEE.  515 

of  Colonel  B.  J.  Hill  and  his  regiment,  the  Fifth  Tennesse  volunteers, 
in  an  affair  with  the  enemy  yesterday.  This  order  is  issued  with 
the  greater  satisfaction  because  the  gallant  officer  and  his  command 
have  been  before  conspicuous  for  their  action  on  the  field.  By  com 
mand  of  General  Beauregard,  George  W.  Brent,  Acting  Chief  of 
Staff. 

On  May  28th  General  Clebttrne  ordered  Colonel  Hill  to  storm  the 
Federal  position  at  Shelton  hill,  in  front  of  Corinth.  ''  His  regi 
ment  charged  into  a  perfect  gauntlet  of  Federal  columns  concealed 
behind  a  ridge  covered  with  plum  bushes,  and  before  he  was  aware 
that  the  regiment  ordered  to  support  his  flanks  had  failed  to  charge 
he  rushed  to  the  muzzles  of  the  enemy's  cannon  and  dislodged  them. 
This  prompted  the  order  from  General  Beauregard,  and  has  ever 
been  pointed  to  as  one  of  the  most  daring  achievements  of  the  war. 
To  have  been  in  that  regiment,  or  -even  had  a  relative  there,  I  would 
have  that  order  written  in  letters  of  gold  and  hung  up  in  my  parlor 
for  my  family  and  friends  to  look  upon. 

Did  you  ever  read  the  report  of  General  Daniel  S.  Donnelson, 
on  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro  (Stone's  river)  ?  Let  me  quote  you 
what  he  says  about  Colonel  Savage's  regiment,  the  Sixteenth.  "The 
regiment,  with  three  companies  of  Colonel  Chester's  held  in  my 
judgment  the  critical  position  of  that  part  of  the  field  (this  was  the 
advance  on  the  Cowan  house,  Wednesday,  December  3ist,  1862) 
Colonel  Savage  finding  the  line  he  had  to  defend  was  entirely  too 
long  for  the  number  of  men  in  his  command,  finally  threw  out  the 
greater  part  o<f  his  command  as  skirmishers  to  deceive  the  enemy 
as  to  his  strength,  and  he  held  his  position  with  characteristic  and 
most  commendable  tenacity  for  over  three  hours.  The  point  be 
ing  held  assured  the  winning  of  Wednesday  evening's  battle."  Now*, 
if  I  had  such  distinguished  people  to  speak  of  my  actions  thus,  the 
goal  of  my  military  ambition  would  be  filled.  After  thirty-eight 
years,  when  I  see  the  "Old  Man  of  the  Mountains"  still  livng — 
General  Hill  gone  nineteen  years  ago  but  his  splendid  wife  in  good 
health — and  a  few  survivors  of  both  the  Fifth  and  Sixteenth  Ten 
nessee  regiments,  I  say,  like  Brother  Shandy  to  Uncle  Toby.  "Peace 
and  comfort  rest  forever  more  upon  thy  head." 

The  Tennessee  Division  of  U.  C.  V.'s  are  to  meet  in  McMinnville 
this  year,  and  I  am  looking  forward  with  so  much  pleasure  to  shake 
hands  with  those  old  veterans  from  the  mountains  that  contributed 
so  much  to  establish  the  people  of  our  Southland  as  among  the 
most  valiant  people  of  the  world.  I  cannot  forget  McMinnville — 
the  times,  scenes,  places  and  faces.  They  roll  before  me.  On  the 
I9th  or  2Oth  of  April,  1863,  General  Morgan  had  his  headquarters 
there,  while  his  command  was  guarding  the  right  wing  of  the  Army 
of  Tennessee  at  Liberty.  The  enemy  advanced  upon  the  place  with 
a  strong  force  of  infantry,  cavalry  and  artillery.  The  only  cavalry 
force  there  was  Morgan's  escort,  about  fifty  strong,  and  about  ninety 


516 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


infantry  under  Major  Wyckliffe,  Ninth  Kentucky.  After  skirmish 
ing,  the  enemy  dashed  into  the  town  eight  abreast,  driving  out  Gen 
eral  Morgan  and  several  officers  who  had  been  there  on  sick  leave. 
Almong  them  were  Colonel  Duke,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Martin,  and 
Major  Dick  McCann.  General  Duke  says:  "McCann's  horse  was 
shot  in  the  melee,  and  fell,  bringing  him  to  the  ground.  He  sprang 


GENERAL  B.    J.   HILL. 

to  his  feet,  and,  standing  in  front  of  the  charging  column,  shouted, 
'You  have  got  the  old  Chief  at  last!'  seeking  to  produce  the  impres 
sion  that  he  was  General  Morgan,  and  so  favor  the  latter  s  escape." 
He  was  ridden  over,  severely  sabered-,  and  captured ;  but  having  been 
placed  in  an  old  stable  and  allowed  a  canteen  of  apple  brandy,  he 
got  the  guard  drunk  and  dug  out  under  the  logs  during  the  night, 
effecting  his  escape.  All  the  officers  escaped  uninjured.  The  in 
fantry  retreated  in  perfect  order  to  the  mountain,  two  or  three  miles 
away.  "So  McMinnville  was  in  the  wake  of  the  armies  and  in  the 
disputed  territory  of  Bragg  and  Rosecrans.  Had  the  old  Fifth  and 
Sixteenth  been  there  that  day,  instead  of  a  stampede  there  would  have 
been  the  rattlhis;  of  musketry  and  'hot  times  in  the  old  town/  ' 
General  Hill  who  died  in  the  eighties,  was  in  the  practice  of  law 
there.  If  you  want  to  see  how  his  memory  is  revered  and  Colonel 


THE  FIFTH  AND  SIXTEENTH  TENNESSEE. 


517 


John  H.  Savage  is  respected,  strike  one  of  those  mountaineers,  and 
he  will  tell  you  that  Ben  Hill  was  one  of  the  boys  and  that  the  Old 
Man  of  the  Mountains  always  did  his  duty.  When  Ben  Hill 
went  into  a  fight,  instead  of  ''Forward !"  he  always  said,  ''Come  on, 
boys!  Recollect  the  mountains!"  He  had  a  smile  on  his  face  in 
battle  that  made  one  almost  forget  to  dodge  the  bullets,  and  when 


the  Fifth  was  called  upon  they  always  remembered  what  Beauregard 
said  of  them  at  Shelton  Hill  and  Corinth,  and  what  General  Pat 
Cleburne  said1  of  them  at  Shiloh. 

I  want  to  see  a  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  moun 
taineers  of  the  Cumberland  in  the  sixties,  and  McMinnville  is  the 
proper  place.  Let  the  statue  of  a  typical  Confederate  soldier  be 
placed  on  the  shaft  and  the  Lion  of  Ben  Lomond  be  sleeping  at  his 
feet. 

"A  monument  for  the  soldiers 

Built  of  a  people's  love, 
And  brazened   and   decked  and  panoplied 

With  the  hearts  ye  build  it  of, 
And  see  that  ye  build-  it  stately, 

In  pillar  and  niche  and  gate, 
And  high  in  pose  as  the  souls  of  those 

It   would   commemorate." 


DARING  DEEDS  OF  STAFF  AND  ESCORT. 


Florence  Depot,  near  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee,  is  the  home  of 
Major  Chas.  W.  Anderson,  an  interesting  character  who  was  a  faith 
ful  Aide  on  the  staff  of  the  great  "Wizard  of  the  Saddle,"  Nathan 
B.  Forrest.  In  times  of  peace  you  will  find  him,  like  Cincinnatus, 
following  his  plow,  and  like  Falstaff,  taking  his  ease  in  his  inn,  but 
in  times  of  war  he  was  the  faithful  Lieutenant  who  moved  and  acted 
with  his  great  captain. 

On  a  recent  visit  to  Major  Anderson,  after  mentioning  that  Ten 
nessee  had  two  lieutenant-generals  in  the  Confederacy — mine  of  the 
infantry  and  his  of  the  cavalry — he  said:  "Tell  me  of  the  most  im 
petuous — that  you  can  recall  of  your  staff  and  escort  in  battle." 

My  mind  readily  reverted  to  the  final  scene  when  we  routed 
the  enemy  at  Chickamauga,  forty-two  years  ago.  On  Sunday, 
Sept.  2oth,  1863,  Stewart's  division  occupied  the  right  of  the  left 
wing,  commanded  by  General  Longstreet.  A  staff  officer  informed 
General  Stewart  that  the  whole  of  the  left  would  attack  exactly  at 
five  o'clock.  As  the  Federals  in  our  front  were  covered  by  log  breast 
works  ;  and  although  we  had  been  fighting  desperately  Friday  and- 
Saturday,  the  old  division,  with  Generals  Bate,  Brown,  and  Clay 
ton,  in  conjunction  with  our  detached  General  Bushrod  Johnson  com 
manding  a  division,  responded  as  precipitately  as  if  just  entering  the 
fray.  They  leaped  the  barricades,  broke  the  Federal  lines  into  con 
fusion  and  soon  got  them  muddled.  Stewart's  staff  and  escort, 
animated  and  flushed  with  the  excitement  of  the  dawning  victory,  led 
by  Major  R.  A.  Hatcher,  Adjutant  General  and  the  brigade  staff 
joining  in,  dashed  into  the  Fourth  brigade  of  regulars,  cut  them 
half  in  two  apparently,  and  in  this  way  we  were  instrumental  in  cap 
turing  four  or  five  hundred  prisoners'. 

In  the  excitement  a  Federal  officer  shot  at  Lieutenant  Terry 
Cahal  but  the  pommel  of  his  saddle  bow  caught  it  and  saved  him, 
and  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  one  of  the  escort  brought  his  adver 
sary  down.  Oh!  the  scene  was  of  thrilling  animation,  impetuosity, 
and  dash !  General  Stewart  had  ordered  Major  I.  W.  Eldridge  to 
bring  up  the  reserved  Eufaula  battery.  I  can  hear  Eldriclge's  sten 
torian  voice  now :  "Bring  up  the  Eufaula  battery !  forward !  double 
quick !  march !"  Here  she  came  a  tumbling,  and-  Darden's,  in  con 
junction  with  Humphrey's  and  Dawson's  batteries  already  in  action, 
administered,  with  effect,  farewell  shots  to  a  badly  defeated  foe. 
It  was  a  vividly  memorable  occasion.  The  sun  of  Chickamauga  was 


DARING  DEEDS  OF  STAFF  AND  ESCORT. 


519 


setting  gloriously ;  the  sable  curtain  of  night  was  rolling  down ; 
"Hallelujah !  'tis  done !"  permeated  the  hearts  of  Bragg's  army  when 
that  old  Rebel  yell  seemed  really  to  shake  the  earth,  peal  over  the  hill 
tops,  ring  through  the  gorges,  and  hasten  the  footsteps  of  Rosecrans' 
stampeded  army.  Then  began  the  concentration  of  Generals  at  our 
point,  and  hand  shakings  and  congratulations  were  the  or- 


LIEUT.   TEKRY  CAHAL. 

der  of  the  day.  Generals  Longstreet,  Stewart,  McLaws,  Buck- 
ner,  Bushrod  Johnson,  Bate,  Clayton,  Brown,  and  others 
were  present.  I  felt  like  thanking  God — I  did  thank  Him,  not  only 
for  the  glorious  victory,  but  that  I  was  spared  the  storm  of  shot 
and  shell  through  the  long,  bloody  battle. 

Major  Anderson,  in  rejoinder,  after  a  moment's  reflection,  said: 
"I  witnessed  a  most  blood  curdling  venture  at  Paducah,  Ky.,  in 
March,  1864.  We  had  Bell's  and  Buford's  brigades  of  cavalry  with 
us  and  had  determined  to  try  to  take  the  city  and  let  the  boys  get 
some  good  clothes  and  get  back,  knowing  that  we  could  not  hold  it. 
By  General  Forrest's  order,  a  few  of  the  staff  took  nineteen  of  the 
escort  and  dashed  through  the  citv  to  the  wharf.  Two  gunboats 
were  there,  the  Teosta'  and  the  Taw  Paw.'  The  Teosta'  steamed 
down  to  get  in  range  of  our  command,  but  the  'Paw  Paw'  opened  on 
our  squad  with  shot  and  shell.  We  took  shelter  behind  and  in  the 


520 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


houses,  and  peppered  her  deck  and  penetrated  her  portholes  until  she 
set  sail  and  steamed  away,,  allowing  us  to  burn  ninety  bales  of  cot 
ton.  While  some  of  our  men  were  engaged  in  destroying  the  cot 
ton,  the  first  thing  we  knew  of  being  nearly  cut  off,  was  a  per-emp- 
tory  order  from  General  Forrest  to  'Get  out  of  there!'  The  Federals 
were  coming  in  different  directions  scattering  our  squad.  One  of 


MAJ.    K.   A.   JIATCHEK. 


our  staff  was  cut  off  entirely  an  1,  on  entering  a  street,  his  cnly  ho^" 
was   to   charge   two   cavalrymen.      Like    Richard,   he   had   set   his   life 
upon  a  cast  and  concluded  that  he  would  stand  the  hazard  of  the  die. 
He  did  so,  and-  at  close  quarters,  one  S  r  Knight  dr  >} '-n  d   ft"  MH 
horse,   severely  wounded.     A   ha  .d  to-hand  encounter   followed  with 
the  other  who  at  last  broke  and  ran.     The  officer  followed  at  his  heels 
and   threw   at   him   one   empty   pistol.      Thinking  the  fire   exhausted, 
the  Yankee  suddenly  wheeled  on  the  Rebel,  who  then  fi  ?  c1   \\v   ' 
reserved   cartridges   from   his   other  navy,   but   with   no  apparent  ef 
fect.    The  Yankee  also  emptied  his  pistol  at  the  officer.  They  then  drew 


DARING  DEEDS  OF  STAFF  AND  ESCORT.  521 

$ 

sabers ;  the  tug  of  war  had  fairly  come,  swords  gleamed  in  the  sun 
light  and,  like  trained  glad:ators,  the  death  struggle  between  them 
Vgan.  The  Yankee  must  have  been  a  skilled  swordsman;  the  Rebel 
was  not  but  somehow  parried  the  blows,,  struck  him  in  the  side  of  the 
neck,  dropped  him  in  the  middle  of  the  street  and  got  away/' 

After  detailing  this  thrilling  encounter,  Major  Anderson  grew 
eloquent  over  the  many  hair-breadth  escapes  and  startling  adventures 
of  General  Forrest  who  is  believed  to  have  been  the  greatest  cavalry 
commander  the  world  has  ever  known ;  he  had  the  dash  of  a  Murat, 
the  determination  of  a  Cambronne.  He  necurrec}  to  the  scene  the 
day  after  the  Chickamauga  battle,  when  Forrest  fought  his  way  to 
Missionary  Ridge,  climbed  a  tree  and  saw  Chattanooga  blocked 
with  retreating  soldiers,  the  streets  impacted-  with  wheels,  the  pontoon 
bridge  broken  and  -everything  a  tumultuary  mass.  He  directed  his 
Adjutant  to  dispatch  General  Bra^g  for  permission  to  go  into  Chat 
tanooga  for  "every  hour  lost  was  the  loss  of  a  thousand  men."  The 
army,  however,  was  allowed  to  lay  in  torpor  which  was  derpessinsr. 
Had  Forrest  been  permitted  to  make  the  dash,  Bragg's  armv  would 
doubtless  have  captured  or  a  ni  ilated  the  Army  of  the  Cumber 
land. 


CHAMP  FERGUSON. 


A  typical  mountaineer — such  was  Champ  Ferguson.  The  times 
in  which  he  lived-  called  forth  physical  energy,  egged  en  by  passion. 
The  acts  of  his  adversaries  prompted  his  course,  and  raging  war 
made  his  career  in  the  strife  of  i86i-'65  one  of  blood-. 

Champ  was  a  citizen  at  his  home  when  the  tocsin  was  sounded, 
and  stayed  there  until  his  own  precincts  were  invaded.  A  rabid  fire 
eater  passed  his  house  with  a  troop  of  Blues.  You  ask  why  he  was 
so  desperate.  It  was  told  in  camp  that  Champ  Ferguson's  little  three- 
year-old  child  came  out  into  the  porch  waving  a  Confederate  flag.  One 
of  the  men  in  blue  leveled  his  gun  at  Chanm  and  Hl1ed  the  child.  O,  an 
guish  !  how  that  father's  he  rt  b'ed !  His  spirit  welled  up  like  the 
indomitable  will  of  the  priiritive  Norseman.  In  a  moment  of  frenzy 
he  said  that  the  death  of  his  bibv  would  cost  the  "blue  coats"  a  hun 
dred  lives.  And  it  did.  One  hundred  pnd  twenty  is  believed  to  be 
the  number  he  put  to  death.  (Coir.rade  S.  H.  Mitchell  got  this  from 
Champ  himself). 

He  took  to  the  wood's  .and  for  four  years,  his  war  upon  them  was 
unrelenting,  and  vengeance  was  never  nr-peased.  It  increased  like 
the  raging  torrent,  as  his  f airily  arcl  friends  were  vilified  and  abused. 
In  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  clans  formed  and  terrorized  the  sec 
tion  by  petty  warfare,  until  the  caldron  of  fear  and  apprehension  in 
vaded  every  home.  The  hunger  for  vengeance  grew  with  the  years, 
and  Champ  became  the  terror  of  the  Northern  side,  while  Hudd-les- 
ton  and  Tinker  Dave  Beatty  were  the  same  to  the  Southern.  The  acts 
of  the  latter,  because  they  belonged  to  the  victorious  side,  are  buried 
in  the  tomb,  and  the  government  perhaps  honors  their  memory; 
but  the  acts  of  Champ  Ferguson,  because  of  the  misfortunes  of  war, 
are  bruited  as  the  most  terrible  in  history. 

If  the  sea  could  give  up  its  dead,  and  the  secrets  of  men  be 
made  known,  Champ  Ferguson's  actions  as  bushwhacker,  in  compari 
son,  would  excite  only  a  passive  and  not  an  active  interest.  Champ 
was  a  mountaineer ;  rude  and  untrained1  in  the  refinements  of  moral 
life,  he  had  entertainec;  that  strict  idea  of  right  that  belongs  to  the 
mountain  character.  Nature  had  instilled  into  him  a  consuming  pas 
sion  for  vengeance  for  a  wrong.  His  method  was  indiscreet,  his  war 
fare  contemptible ;  but,  in  pal'iation,  how  was  it  compared  to  the 
open  murder  of  starving  out  our  women  and  children,  burning  our 
houses,  and  pillaging  our  homes?  Champ  Ferguson  was  well  to  do 
in  this  world's  goods  when  the  war  began.  Had  he  been  let  alone, 


CHAMP  FERGUSON.  523 


a  career  of  good  citizenship  would  have  been  his  portion.  Had  he 
lived  in  the  days  of  the  Scottish  Chiefs,  the  clans  would  no  doubt 
have  crowned  his  efforts ;  but  now,  since  his  flag  has  fallen,  history 
marks  his  career  as  more  awful  than  that  of  John  A.  Murrell,  and 
caps  it  with  a  hangman's  noose.  The  times  in  which  he  lived  must 
be  considered,  the  provocation,  the  surroundings,  and  then  let  historv 
record  Champ's  actions. 

In  his  zeal  for  the  South  to  win,  he  became  hardened ;  and  the 
more  steeped  in  blood  the  more  his  recklessness  increased-  until  irri 
tability  occasioned  by  treatment  of  his  home  folk  drove  him  to  man 
iacal  desperation. 

In  encountering  these  mountain  bushwhackers,  it  became  the  cus 
tom  with  the  armies  of  both  sides  to  help  them  when  called  upon  to 
wage  the  war  of  extermination.  A  comrade  has  given  me  an  account  of 
the  killing  oi  Huddleston,  the  }F]ederaL  brshwhacl-*-r,  whose  company 
was  afterwards  commanded'  by  Tinker  Dave  Beatty.  I  mention  it  to 
show  the  madness  of  these  mountaineers  toward  each  other.  This  sol 
dier  friend  says,  "My  recollection  is  that  we  traveled  pround  Lebanon, 
Kentucky,  on  the  night  of  Dec.mLer  25111,  1862,  and  the  next  day  we 
went  to  Columbia,  Kentucky,  and  it  was  then  that  Captain  Ferguson 
went  to  General  Morgan  and  asked  for  two  companies  to  scout  with 
him  that  night,  having  heard  that  thev  were  going  to  bushwhack 
Morgan's  rear  the  next  day.  I  did  not  know  that  Captain  Ferguson 
was  with  us  until  we  had  traveled  some  hours.  We  went  into  a 
house  where  they  were  having  a  Christmas  dance — this  wi'.s  a  short 
distance  from  Captain  Huddleston's  house.  When  we  reached  it, 
he  was  upstairs  shooting  at  us.  The  house  was  a^  new  log  one  and 
not  completed.  It  had  no  floor  upstairs  but  a  few  planks  on  the  joists. 
I  thought  that  it  was  an  outhouse  where  no  one  was  living,  and  that 
he  had  gone  there  for  protection.  One  of  my  companions  got  Cap 
tain  Huddleton's  horse  after  they  had  run  it  to  the  house  from  a 
thicket  near  by.  The  animal  was  a  splendid  bay  mare,  and  could  run 
very  fast.  While  Huddleston  wa^s  shoqting  out  of  the  window 
upstaairs,  and  we  were  responding,  some  one  ordered  the  house 
burned ;  but  I  was  close  behind1  a  small  meat  house  and  told  him  to 
come  down — that  we  would  give  him  quarter.  vHe  replied  that  he 
was  true  blue  himself  and  would  not  come  down.  Then  the  house 
was  set  on  fire  but  someone  within  pnt  it  out  with  water.-  About  this 
time  Captain  Huddleston  was  shot,  and  fell  between  the  joists  to  the 
floor  below.  He  was  brought  out  of  the  house,  and  then  Captain  Fer 
guson  shot  him.  At  the  time  Huddleston  was  shot,  some  one  in  the 
house  said :  'You  killed  him.'  There  was  but  one  other  man  in  the 
house,  anc-  he  claimed  to  be  sick.  Ferguson  killed  him.  We  then  went 
about  three  or  four  miles  farther  to  a  house  where  two  bitter  enemies 
of  Ferguson's  were  in  bed-  in  a  room  by  themselves.  Captain  Fer 
guson  went  in  advance  to  the  house  and  into  the  room,  pulled  his 
dirk  out  of  his  boot  leg  and  fell  in  the  bed  with  them  and  commenced 


524 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


cutting  them.  He  killed  one  in  bed  and  shot  one  as  he  went  out  the 
door,  and  our  company  captured  a  third  man  as  he  came  out  of  the 
house.  One  of  my  companions  was  guarding  the  prisoner  when 
some  one  told  him  that  he  would  guard'  him,  and  took  him  off.  In 
a  few  minutes  Captain  Ferguson  came  up  and  asked  where  the  pris 
oner  was,  and  said  that  he  would  have  the  man  jshot  who  turned 


him  loose.  This  seemed  to  frighten  the  guard  who  asked  me  what 
to  do.  He  said  that  he  thought  Captain  Ferguson  was  the  man  who 
took  the  prisoner  from  him.  I  told'  him  I  had  no  doubt  of  it,  and  that 
I  thought  he  had  killed'  him  and  then  was  talking  for  effect.  We 
then  went  to  Creelsboro,  on  the  Cumberland  river,  reaching  there 
about  daylight,  after  the  hardest  and  coldest  night  oi  our  lives, 
and  joined  the  command  near  Burkesville." 

In  the  "History  of  Morgan's  Cavalry"  General  Duke  says: 
"The  great  opponent  of  Champ  Ferguson  in  the  bushwhacking  busi 
ness  was  Tinker  Dave  Beatty.  The  patriarchal  old  man  lived  in  a 
cove  surrounded  by  high  hills  at  the  back  of  which  was  a  narrow 


CHAMP   FERGUSON.  525 


path  leading  to  the  mountains.  Surrounded  by  his  clan,  he  led  a 
pastoral  life  which  must  have  been  fascinating,  for  many  who  entered 
into  the  cove  never  came  away  again.  The  relentless  ferocity  of  all 
that  section  made  that  of  Bluebeard  and  the  Welch  giants,  in  com 
parison,  sink  into  insigiificance.  Sometimes,  Champ  Ferguson  with 
his  band,  would  enter  the  cove,  carry  off  old  Dave's  stock  and  drive 


DAVID  BEATTY,   KNOWN  AS  TINKER  DAVE 

BEATTY,— FERGUSON'S  ADVERSARY. 

him  to  his  retreat  in  the  mountains,  to  which  no  man  ever  followed 
him.  Then,  when  he  was  strong  enough,  he  would  lead  his  hench 
men  against  Champ  and  slay  all  who  did  not  escape.  He  did  not 
confine  his  hostility  to  Champ  Ferguson.  There  were  not  related  of 
Beatty  so  many  stories  illustrative  of  his  personal  courage  as  of 
Ferguson.  I  heard  of  the  latter,  on  one  occasion,  having  gone  into 
a  room  where  two  of  his  bitter  enemies  lay  before  the  fire,  both 
strong  men  and  armed,  and  throwing  himself  upon  them,  he  killed 
both,  after  a  hard  struggle,  with  a  knife.  Beatty  possessed  a  cunning 
and  subtlety  which  Ferguson,  in  a  great  manner,  lacked.  Both  of  the 
men  are  known  to  have  spared  life  on  some  rare  occasions.  Champ 
caused  a  Union  man  to  be  released,  savin?  that  he  did  not  b.lieve  him 
to  be  a  bushwhacker.  Subsequently,  after  a  fit  of  silence,  Fergu 
son  said :  'I  have  a  good  notion  to  go  back  and  hunt  that  man.  I 
am  afraid  I  have  done  wrong,  for  he  is  the  very  best  shot  in  this 


526  BATTLES  ANl)  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

part  of  the  country;  and  if  he  does  turn  bufehwhacker,  he  will  kill 
a  man  at  every  shot.' ' 

Such  is  the  story,  in  part,  of  the  feats  of  Champ  Ferguson,  a 
bushwhacker  of  the  mountains  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  He  was 
hanged  by  the  Federals  at  Nashville  after  the  war. 

Tinker  Dave  Beatty  and  Champ  Ferguson's  men  were  the  terror 
of  'either  sid'e  throughout  eastern  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  until  the 
close  of  the  war. 

The  Republican  Banner,  published  at  Nashville,  edited  by  Henry 
Watterson  and  Albert  Roberts,  dated  October  2ist,  1865,  contains 
the  charge  against  Ferguson  read  at  the  gallows.  The  .war  had 
ceased,  and  Ferguson  had  been  promised  his  life  to  surrender;  but 
passions  were  up,  and  bad  faith  led  him  to  his  dx)om. 

"Colonel  Shafter  read  aloud  the  charges,  specifications,  and  find 
ings  of  the  Court.  Ferguson  listened  intently,  his  head  askance  and 
his  eyes  fixed  musingly  on  his  boots.  The  list  was  long  and  bloody, 
embracing  twenty-three  separate  cases — how  the  prisoner  about  to 
be  executed  had  cut  the  throats  of  the  wounded  soldiers.  Again, 
how  he  had  murdered  an  old  father  whilst  the  arms  of  his  daughter 
were  flung  about  his  neck ;  how  he  had  pursred  a  victim  and  killed 
him,  saying:  'That's  ninety-seven  of  the  Yankees  gone,  and  I'll  go 
and  kill  three  more  to  make  it  an  even  hundred  ;'  how  he  had  mangled 
wounded  men  with  knives ;  how  he  had  murdered  citizens  as  well 
as  soldiers,  running  through  four  years  of  desperate  cruelty  and 
wrong — were  clearly  read  by  Colonel  Shafter,  embracing  over  one 
hundred  and  twenty  human  beings.  Champ  nodded  approval  to  ten 
of  the  charges.  To  one  he  said:  T  could  tell  it  better  than  that.' 
Colonel  Shafter  replied:  'No  doubt  you  could,  for  you  saw  it.' 

"When  he  had  finished  reading  the  charges  Colonel  Shafter  said : 
'Well,  Champ,  you  hear  what  these  say,  and  I  am  about  to  carry  them 
out  and  execute  you.  I  hope  you  bear  me  no  malice  for  the  discharge 
of  my  duty/  Champ  replied:  'Not  the  least — none  in  the  world/ 
The  Colonel  then  said:  'Do  you  want  to  say  anything?'  'No/  re 
plied  the  prisoner,  'That  is,  I  can't  say  what  I  want  to  say  here, 
and  maybe  it's  no  matter  anyway/  'Have  you  no  last  requests  to 
make?'  'Well,  I  don't  want  to  be  cut  up  by  anybody;  and  when 
you've  done  with  me  I  want  you  to  put  my  body  in  the  coffin  and 
give  it  to  my  wife.  She'll  take  me  home  to  White  county,  on  the 
Calf  Killer.  There  I  wish  to  be  buried— not  on  such  soil  as  this. 
There  is  a  little  graveyard  near  my  house  (she  knows  it),  and  1 
want  to  lie  there.  If  I  had  my  own  way,  I'd  be  there  now  and  not 
here.  I  wish  you  would  wipe  my  face  before  I  go/ 

"The  Colonel  did  as  requested.  The  wife  and  daughter  remained' 
near  by. 

"Almost  unconsciously,  the  daughter  said  after  the  execufcon- 
cution :  'I  hope  they  are  satisfied,  and  that  now  we  will  be  let  alone/  ' 

The   article   thus   winds   up:      "That   Champ   Ferguson's   career 


CHAMP  FERGUSON.  52? 


was  an  epitome  of  blood  seems  evident,  but  he  possessed  the  nerve, 
if  he  did  not  the  magnanimity,  of  manhood ;  and  the  same  courage, 
fortitude,  and  purpose,  directed-  by  education  and  good  intent,  might 
have  crowned  a  noble  life  instead  of  a  death  upon  the  gallows  tree." 
Captain  S.  J.  Johnston,  of  the  Confederate  Army,  in  sending 
me  the  picture  of  Ferguson, '  says :  "This  picture  was  taken  in  Nash 
ville  just  before  Ferguson  was  hanged.  My  farm  and  home  were 
once  owned  by  Champ  Ferguson.  He  is  buried  near  my  home,  in 
White  county,  Tennessee,  on  the  Calf  Killer.  I  can  sfand  on  my 
front  piazza  and  see  the  tall  gray  tombstone,  that  was  cut  from  rock 
in  the  mountain  not  over  a  mile  from  his  grave." 

"The  dead  should  be  sacred' — in  peace  let  him  rest — 
Nor  trample  in  scorn  o'er  the  prayer  hallowed  sod ; 

The  green  turf  is  holy  that  covers  his  breast ; 

Give  his  faults  to  the  pnst,  leave  his  soul  with  his  God." 

CHAMP    FERGUSON    SHOOTS    A    FEDERAL    PRISONER    IN    A    CONFEDERATE 

HOSPITAL. 

By  Dr.  L.  B.  Murfree,  Ss.,  Murfreesboro,  Tenn. 

During  the  year  1864  and  the  early  part  of  1865  I  was  stationed 
at  Emory,  Virginia,  as  the  Surgeon  in  charge  of  the  Confederate 
Hospital  located  at  that  place. 

In  the  fall  of  1864  a  large  force  of  Federal  cavalry  from  Ken 
tucky  under  command  of  General  Stoneman  made  a  raid  through 
Southwestern  Virginia  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the  railroad  be 
tween  Bristol  and  Lynchburg.  They  were  met  by  Morgan's  command 
and  a  fierce  and  bloody  battle  was  fought  near  Max  Meadow  in 
which  the  Federals  were  defeated  and  driven  back  into  Kentucky. 
A  large  number  of  Federals  were  taken  prisoners,  many  of  them 
being  wounded,  some  very  badly. 

The  wounded  were  sent  to  the  General  Hospital  at  Emory  and 
Henry  College,  of  these  there  were  150  or  200  Federal  prisoners. 
The  Hospital  was  on  the  railroad-,  nine  miles  from  Abingdcn,  beau 
tifully  located  and  in  a  fine  section  of  country.  The  college  build 
ings  were  large  and  commodious  and  were  occupied  by  the  Con 
federates  as  a  hospital,  containing  350  beds  and  was  under  my  care 
as  the  surgeon  in  charge.  The  Federal  wounded  were  placed  on  the 
third  and  fourth  floors  of  the  main  building  which  could  be  only 
reached  by  two  stairways,  one  at  either  end  of  the  building.  In  order 
to  prevent  the  escape  of  any  of  the  Federal  prisoners  guards  were 
placed  at  the  foot  of  each  of  the  stairways. 

On  a  cold  and  bleak  Saturday  in  November,  1864,  Champ  Fer 
guson  with  twelve  or  fifteen  of  his  men  fuietly  rod  eup  to  the  hospi 
tal,  dismounted,  hitched  their  horses  and  .entered  the  hospital  almost 
unnoticed.  They  attempted  to  ascend  one  of  the  stairways  to  the  ward 


52S  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE". 

on  the  third  floor  where  Lientenant  Smith,  a  wounded  Federal  pris 
oner,  was  confined. 

The  guard  halted  them  and  told  them  that  thev  could  not  go  up 
those  steps  (this  guard  was  an  Irishman  and  as  brave  as  Julius 
Caesar).  Champ  Ferguson  followed  by  his  men  advanced  on  the 
guard  swearing  that  they  would  go  up  the  steps  in  spite  of  him. 


DR.   J.   W.  MURFREE. 

But  the  guard  undaunted  by  their  threats,  raised  his  gun  and  level 
ing  it  at  Champ  Ferguson  coolly  yet  firmly  told  him  that  he  would 
shoot  him  if  he  came  any  farther. 

Unable  to  scare  this  guard  they  left  him  and  went  to  the  other 
stairway  where  they  overpowered  the  guard  stationed  then?  and  as 
cended  the  stairs  to  the  ward  where  Smith  was  in  bed  suffering 
with  a  severe  wound.  Champ  Ferguson  went  directly  to  Smith, 
sat  down  on  his  bed,  and  patting  his  gun  with  his  hand  said,  "Smith, 
do  you  see  this?  Well,  I'm  going  to  kill  you"  and  without  another 
word  placed  the  gun  at  Smith's  head,  fired,  sending  a  rmnnie  ball 
through  Smith's  head  instantly  killing  him. 

I  was  busily  engaged  in  the  office  of  the  hospital  when  a  nurse 
came  rushing  in  saying  a  lot  of  soldiers  had  killed  a  man  in  the 
hospital.  I  immediately  went  to  the  hospital  followed  by  Major 
Stringfield  of  the  Army  of  Virginia  (who  was  visiting  in  that  neigh 
borhood).  On  reaching  the  hospital  we  rapidly  ascended  the  steps 
to  the  second  floor  where  we  were  halted  by  one  of  Ferguson's 
men  with  a  drawn  revolver.  I  promptly  told  him  to  go  down  the 
stairs,  to  which  he  replied  that  "Captain  Ferguson  had  ordered  me 
to  let  no  one  pass  up  the  steps."  I  pushed  by  him  going  en  up  the 
steps  while  Major  Stringfield  remained  behind  contending  with  the 
guard.  On  the  next  flight  of  steps  I  met  Champ  Ferguson  and  his 
men,  and  I  said  to  them,  "Gentlemen,  you  must  go  down  from  here, 
this  is  a  place  for  the  sick  and  wounded,  and  you  must  not  disturo 
them,"  to  which  Champ  Ferguson  said  with  an  oath,  "I  will  shoot 
you."  Standing  within  a  few  feet  of  each  other  I  said  to  him,  "This 


CHAMP   FERGUSON. 


529 


is  a  Confederate  hospital,  I  am  in  charge  of  it,  I  command  here,  you 
must  go  down  from  here."  Champ  Ferguson  then  advanced  to  with 
in  three  feet  of  me,  raised  his  cocked  pistol  and  pointed  directly  at 
my  breast  saying,  "I  don't  care  who  you  are,  damn  you,  I  will  kill 
you."  Realizing  the  desperate  character  I  had  to  deal  with  and  be 
ing  myself  unarmed,  yet  impelled  by  a  sense  of  duty,  I  again  said  to 


COLONEL  M.  L.  GORE, 

DIBRELL'S  CAVALRY,  ARMY  OF  TEN 
NESSEE,  *c.  S.  A. 

him,  "You  must  go  down  from  here  and  out  of  this  hospital."  While 
we  were  standing  in  this  threatening  attitude,  face  to  face  with 
Ferguson's  pistol  at  my  breast  and  swearing  he  would  kill  me,  Lieu 
tenant  Philpot  of  Ferguson's  company  stepped  in  between  us  at  the 
same  time  motioning  with  his  hand  to  Ferguson  when  they  all  went 
down  the  steps,  I,  going  down  with  them,  Ferguson  cursing  and 
swearing  as  he  went.  They  passed  out  of  the  hospital,  mounted  their 
horses  and  as  they  rode  off  shouted,  "We  have  killed  the  man  that 
killed  Hamilton." 

Afterwards  I  was  told  that  Lieutenant  Smith,  whom  Champ  Fer 
guson  had  just  killed,  had  mistreated  Ferguson's  family;  that  he 
made  Ferguson's  wife  undress  and  marched  her  before  him  along  the 
public  road  in  a  nude  state. 

The  killing  of  Smith  was  promptly  reported  to  General  Breck- 
enridge  at  Abingdon,  he  being  in  command  of  the  Department  of 


530  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Southwestern  Virginia.  Champ  Ferguson  was  arrested,  a  court-mar 
tial  ordered  and  held,  but  it  was  so  near  the  close  of  the  war  that 
nothing  more  than  this  was  done  with  him. 


ONE  OF  JOHN  MORGAN'S  SCOUTS. 

Did  you  ever  hear  of  the  battle  of  "Snatch;1?"  It  was  described 
to  me  once  by  a  scout  in  John  Morgan's  cavalry.  It  was  the  theme 
of  the  cavaliers  who  regaled  us  around  the  campfire,  and  its  novelty 
interested  me.  So  I  will  give  it  to  you  as  I  got  it.  "Snatch"  is  a 
hamlet  in  Williamson  county,  Tennessee.  General  Morgan's  cavalry 
was  stationed  at  Liberty,  and  General  Forrest's  at  Columbia,  when 
Bragg's  army  was  at  Tullahoma.  The  commands  of  these  two  gen 
erals  guarded  for  a  time  the  left  and  right  outposts  of  the  Army 
of  Tennessee.  An  order  came  to  a  Lieutenant  in  Morgan's  cavalry 
(George  C.  Ridley  now  of  Florence,  Texas)  from  the  general 
commanding,  to  select  ten  picked  men  to  go  via  Alexandria,  Lebanon 
and  Goodletsville,  and  as  near  to  Edgefield  as  practicable,  and  send 
in  a  messenger  sub  rosa  to  Nashville  to  ascertain  the  location  of 
the  Federals,  their  force  and4  the  approaches.  It  was  but  little 
trouble  always  to  find  some  woman  of  Southern  blood  who  was  not 
only  willing  but  glad  to  do  anything  to  promote  the  Southern  cause; 
accordingly  the  scouts  pursued  their  way  across  the  Cumberland, 
near  Payne's  Ferry,  and  found  a  trusty  young  lady  for  the  mission. 
They  scattered  in  the  vicinity  until  her  return.  In  twelve  hours  she 
came  back  with  a  complete  diagram  of  the-  Federal  works  around 
Nashville,  with  the  location  of  every  regiment  and  battery,  and  the 
exact  force.  The  Lieutenant,  upon  receiving  it,  started  back  post 
haste  for  Liberty,  but  to  his  astonishment  found  out  that  General 
Wilder,  with  a  large  force  of  Federal  cavalry,  had  marched  from 
Murfreesboro  via  Lebanon  and  was  then  on  his  way  via  Alexandria, 
to  meet  Morgan  at  Liberty.  He  had  received  private  instructions 
from  General  Morgan  that  if  he  should  be  cut  off  after  gaining  the 
information,  to  make  his  way  as  rapidly  as  possible  to  General  For 
rest  at  Columbia,  as  the  two  commands  contemplated  a  dash  on 
Nashville.  So  he  changed  his  course  and  started  for  Columbia  via 
Triune.  He  struck  a  place  called  "Snatch,"  a  little  hamle-;  in  Wil 
liamson  county,  now  changed  to  Peytonville.  It  was  nearly  nightfall 
when  he  reigned  up  at  a  farm  hous'e  which  was  a  two-storied  frame. 
The  Orderly  Sergeant  was  sent  to  the  house  for  a  guide,  making  his 
approach  through  a  lawn.  A  lady  came  to  the  door,  and,  although 
the  Sergeant  had  seen  a  man  yet  she  said  there  was  no  one  there 
to  pilot  them.  It  was  at  a  time  when  the  citizens  did  not  know  who 
was  a  Federal  or  who  was  a  Confederate.  His  dress  did  not  indicate 
it.  The  Confederate  capturing  the  Federal  would  invariably  take  his 


632  BATTLES  ANl)  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

overcoat,  so  that  they  could  not  with  assurance  tell  friend  from  foe; 
besides,  the  Federals  were  killing  many  of  those  they  caught  on 
suspicion,  being  in  an  enemy's  country.  The  scout  assured-  the  old 
lady  that  they  were  "Rebel  Scouts"  trying  to  get  to  Columbia,  but 
they  could  get  no  guide.  The  Lieutenant  went  up  and,  notwith 
standing  his  earnest  protestation,  met  with  the  same  response.  Fin 


ally,  he  told  her  that  he  was  lost  and  must  have  a  guid^,  that  he 
had  seen  a  man  about  the  house  and  would  have  him.  She  slammed 
the  door  in  his  face,  and  hallooed  to  her  "girls"  who  occupied  a  porch 
in  the  second  story,  to  "ring  the  bell  and  blow  th?  horn."  In  an 
instant  a  big  old  farm  bell  began  to  ring,  sounding  like  th,  "bell  of 
doom,"  and  a  girl  blew  that  horn  with  the  skill  of  an  old  time  chicken 
peddler.  In  the  stillness  it  could  have  been  heard  for  miles.  The 
officer  said:  "Madam,  we  are  not  to  be  frightened  in  this  way,  the 
guide  must  come."  The  bell  kept  ringing,  the  horn  kept  blowing, 
and  there  sat  the  scout  parleying  for  a  guide,  when  suddenly  a  pat 
tering  gallop  of  horsemen  was  heard,  and  the  sound  of  approaching 
footsteps.  Horses  were  mounted-  and  navies  were  drawn;  it  was  a 
company  charging  upon  them,  and  a  running  fire  ensued  for  miles. 
They  ran  the  scouts  two  hours;  it  looked  like  surrender,  but  the 
sudden  thought  availed,  the  night  being  dark,  to  sidle  off  into  a  wood 
land  and  let  them  pass.  This  was  done,  and  the  pursuers  were 
evaded;  but  they  were  out  in  a  strange  woodland  without  food-  or 
shelter  and  lost.  They  lay  there  until  near  daybreak,  not  knowing 
"whence  they  came  nor  whither  they  were  going."  After  parleying 
over  the  proposed  venture  they  saw  across  the  fields  which  encir- 


ONE  OF  JOHN  MORGAN'S  SCOUTS. 


533 


cled  the  woodland  a  dim  burning  light  in  a  farm  house.  Nothing 
daunted,  they  all  ventured  to  try  again  for  more  light ;  so  as  cau 
tiously  as  possible  they  approached  this  house.  A  few  dismounted 
and  ventured  to  knock  at  the  door.  A  female  voice  inside  answered 
in  excited  tones:  "Who's  that?"  "Madam,  we  are  Rebel  soldiers  try 
ing  to  get  to  Columbia ;  we  are  lost  and  want  a  guide."  "No  guide  here  ! 


SERGEANT  W.  L.   KEMP,  JR. 

Poke  your  head  in  that  door  and  I'll  blow  your  brains  out!"  "Ma 
dam,  we  must  have  a  guide,  and  if  you  don't  open  the  door,  we  will 
break  it  down."  Said  she:  "Martha  Ann,  ring  that  bell!"  O,  a 
big  bell  again  broke  forth,  aknell-a-clang-a-dole.  It  was  not  the 
quick  tap  of  the  fire  bell,  but 

"Its   clanging  peals  armunced  the  doom, 

Lost  one  !  outcast !  und-one !  undone ! 

Outcast  from  grace  and  life  and  light!    Undone! 

Outcast  from  love  and  prayer  and  heaven!     Undone! 

Outcast  from  hope  and  God!     Undone!" 

They  mounted  their  horses,  and  by  the  time  all  hands  were  in 
the  saddle,  a  pattering  of  horses'  feet  again  beat  upon  the  air.  In  a 
moment  bang !  bang !  went  the  carbines,  and  for  two  solid  hours 
this  party  was  scattering  down  the  road  pursued  by  a  persistent  set 
of  devils  bent  on  their  capture.  The  next  mornmg  the  Lieutenant 
met  an  acouaintnace  who  had  been  to  see  his  son  in  the  Confederate 
Army,  and  was  slipping  back  through  the  lines  home.  After  being 
told  that  they  were  on  the  right  road  to  Columbia,  some  one  of  the 


534  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AKMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

scouts  asked  him  "what  they  meant  down  here  at  'Snatch'  by  ring 
ing  bells  and  blowing  horns?"  The  old  gentleman  said  that  it  was 
a  warning  that  the  Southern  citizens  gave  to  "Cross's  bushwhacking 
company,"  and  that  our  own  men  had  been  firing  into  us  all  night. 
I  ventured  to  submit  this  to  Sergeants  Seth  Corley  and  Kemp,  W.  S. 
Knapp  and  to  the  First  Lieutenant  of  Company  F,  Ward's  regiment, 
John  Morgan's'  cavalry,  to  know  if  what  I  remembered  was  substan 
tially  correct.  They  replied,  "in  the  main,  your  account  of  it  is  correct, 
yet  you  stop  'in  the  middle  of  the  road.'  After  we  had  reached  Co 
lumbia  and  delivered  the  message  to  General  Forrest,  we  were  mak 
ing  our  way  back  to  General  Morgan  ,  near  McMininville.  On  the 
day  following,  about  sundown,  the  scouts  dispersed  to  farm  houses 
for  something  to  eat,  with  a  view  of  afterwards  traveling  all  night. 
The  Lieutenant  and  Sergeant  Corley  were  waiting  on  the  pike  lead 
ing  from  Eagleville  to  Shelbyville  for  said  scouts  to  come  up  when 
a  man  dressed  in  citizen's  clothes  came  up  to  us  through  a  lane 
approaching  the  pike.  It  being  twilight,  we  halted  him,  and  at  once 
grew  suspicious  that  his  accent  was  not  that  of  a  Southern  man, 
his  manner  uneasy  and  demeanor  strained.  We  demanded  of  him 
to  give  up.  He  said  that  he  was  a  citizen  and  that  he  was  going 
about  ten  miles  above  there  to  see  some  of  his  people.  Sergeants 
Corley  and  Kemp  began  to  investigate  him,  and  discovered4  that  he 
rode  a  cavalry  saddle  and  brbidle,  and  a  horse  freshly  randed  U.  S. 
By  this  time  the  other  men  had  gotten  their  square  meals  and  re 
ported.  This  would-be  citizen  we  found  had  a  pair  of  saddle  bags 
and  in  one  side  a  Confederate  Captain's  uniform,  in  the  other,  a  Fed 
eral  Major's,  brand-  new.  We  took  from  him  two  finely  mounted 
six  shooters,  and  prepared  to  resume  our  journey  with  him  to  Mor 
gan's  camp.  The  Lieutenant  concluded  to  ride  side  by  side  with  the 
captive  and  pump  him  a  little,  the  scouts  following  a  distance  behind. 
After  riding  two  or  three  miles  through  the  country,  taking  the 
shortest  cuts  for  our  destination,  we  came  into  a  dark,  thick  place 
in  a  woodland,  when  bang!  went  a  small  derringer  pistol  seemingly 
in  the  Lieutenant's  face.  The  ball  penetrated  his  hat,  and,  as  quick 
as  lightning,  the  Lieutenant,  on  the  qui  vive,  dropped  him,  and  the 
scouts  riddled  him  with  balls.  One  of  the  men  appropriated  his 
boots,  and,  on 'examination,  found  concealed  in  top  between  the  lin 
ing  and  outer  leather,  some  orders  from  the  Commander  at  Nash 
ville  to  go  to  Shelbyville  and  to  Tullahoma,  find  out  the  roads  across 
the  mountain  and  the  force  of  the  enemy.  These  papers,  together  with 
a  fine  black  mare,  were  turned  over  to  General  Morgan,  who,  upon 
finding  the  Lieutenant's  horse  worn  out,  had  him  keep  the  mare." 

Thus  ended  a  dangerous  scout  between  the  Federal  Army  at 
Murfreesboro,  and  Nashville  their  base  of  supplies,  and  would  have 
proven  fruitful  of  results  had  not  Morean  been  so  quickly  there 
after  called  to  look  after  Burnside  near  Burkesville  and  Forrest  had 
been  sent  to  West  Tennessee.  Both  of  these  gentlemen,  the  Lieuten 
ant  and  Sergeant,  recollect  enough  of  that  escapade  to  have  been  im- 


ONE  OF  JOHN  MORGAN'S  SCOUTS  535 

pressed  with  what  became  of  the  spy  and  of  the  old  woman's  earn 
estness  when  those  girls  were  made  to  "ring  that  bell  and  blow  that 
horn." 


THE  TENNESSEE  SOLDIERS'  HOME. 


A  comrade  who  had-  been  in  hard  lines  ever  since  the  sixties  said 
to  me:  "If  I  can't  navigate  farther,  won't  you  see  that  I  am  sent  to 
the  Soldiers'  Home?" 

This  remark  has  lingered  with  me,  and  I  have  been  moved  by 
its  meaning  to  visit  the  Tennessee  Soldiers'  Home  and  see  how  the 
decrepit  monuments  of  militarv  valor  are  being  cared  for.  I  now 
realize  the  soldier's  hope.  The  place  is  beautiful,  the  surroundings 
lovely.  It  is  eleven  miles  from  Nashville,  on  the  Lebanon  Pike, 
near  the  historic  Stone's  river,  and  is  the  "dream  of  ease  and 
comfort"  that  the  old  comrade  who  has  been  drinking  the  dregs  of 
The  Hermitage,  the  former  home  of  the  greatest  character  in 
American  history,  is  now  dedicated  by  his  State  as  the  resting  place 
for  the  weary  sons  who,  in  hours  of  danger,  buckled  on  armor  in 
her  defense  and  yielded  only  "when  the  news  of  the  battle  was  over 
and  the  bugle  no  more  called  to  war."  It  is  also  known  as  "Clover 
Bottom,"  and  the  blue  grass  region  covered  with  majestic  hickories, 
towering  poplars  and  strong  armed  oaks,  is  the  place  from  which 
spring  some  of  the  most  notable  .memories  of  Tennessee  history 
And  now,  to  add  to  its  sacredness,  comes  the  Southern  Soldiers' 
Home,  where  the  aged  "cease  from  trouble  and  the  weary  may  rest." 
I  am  reminded  of  the  visits  of  great  characters  to  the  Hermitage — 
Aaron  Burr  in  his  mythical  role ;  Lafayette  as  a  guest  of  honor ; 
James  K.  Polk,  Felix  Grundy,  Generals  Coffee  and  Wilkinson,  the 
Bentons,  and  many  others  of  national  fame — all  to  honor  the 
renowned  Andrew  Jackson.  No  grander  character  ever  entered  that 
honored  abode  than  the  war  worn  Southern  Soldier.  What  a 
knightly  courtesy  it  was  for  Tennessee  to  say:  "old  soldiers — 
without  pensions,  comfort  or  means — enter ;  and  as  long  as  we  are 
worth  one  dollar  to  pay  the  weeder  thy  path  from  thy  door  to  thy 
bowling  green  shall  never  grow  up." 

Nearly  every  state  of  the  south  has  come  to  the  rescue  of  her 
sons  who  battled  for  her  in  the  sixties,  and  it  shows  the  tie  which 
binds  the  offspring  to  the  father;  while  the  general  government  still 
refuses  to  recognize  their  merits,  each  State  will  care  for  and  cherish 
the  deeds  of  her  sons.  The  women  of  the  South  are  ever  regardful 
of  the  homes  of  these  Confederate  soldiers,  and  still  hover  around 
them  like  angels  of  mercv  to  comfort  and  bless  the  inmates 
Recently  the  State's  appropriation  gave  out,  and  since  it  is  a  year 
before  the  Legislature  meets  the  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy  and 


THE  TENNESSEE  SOLDIERS    HOME. 


537 


CAPT.  MARK  COCKRELL, 

CHAIRMAN—  SOLDIER'S 
HOME  COMMITTEE. 


UNIV.PRS55 


j.  B.  O'BRYAN,  MEMBER— SOLDIER'S  HOME  COMMITTEE, 


538 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


DR.    J.     W.    MCMUKEAY, 
MEMBER-SOLDIER'S  HOME 

COMMITTEE, 


E.  R.  RICHARDSON  OF  NASHVILLE,  MEMBER— 

SOLDIER'S  HOME  COMMITTEE. 


539 

other  friends  are  at  work.  Fiddlers'  Contests,  suppers  and  various 
kinds  of  entertainments  are  given.  The  money  comes  so  that  the 
old  soldier  never  misses  a  meal.  If  I  had  millions,  I  would 
contribute  most  of  it  to  the  Soldiers'  Home.  Another  part  of  it 
would  be  devoted  to  a  monument  to  the  women  of  the  South.  On 
the  shaft  should  be  placed  an  unpretentious  Southern  matron  looking 
to  the  base,  where  lay  the  sick  soldier,  with  little  angels  of  mercy, 
like  fairies,  hovering  around  him. 

The  management  of  this  home,  in  its  thorough  business  system, 
is  like  clockwork.  You  can  go  to  the  books  and  find  what  has  been 
used  and  what  is  on  hand  at  any  time,  and  every  employe  "knows 
his  place." 

The  farm  contains  over  four  hundred  acres,  and  is  so  utilized 
as  to  contribute  largely  to  the  support  of  the  home.  The  State  of 
Tennessee  owns  it,  and  it  is  in  care  of  a  board  of  trustees  chosen 
from  the  Bivouacs  of  the  State.  The  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy 
help  to  maintain  it.  The  executive  Committee  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  have  entire  charge  of  it.  These  men,  without  any  pay,  are 
looking  after  it  with  untiring  diligence.  Among  those  "whom  love 
of  God  hath  blest,  and  in  good  works  leading  all.  the  rest,"  will  be 
found  the  names  o<f  Dr.  McMurray,  Captain  Mark  S.  Cockrill,  Major 
R.  H.  Dudley,  and  the  late  Joseph  B.  O'Bryan  and  G.  H.  Barkette 
and  E.  R.  Richardson. 

r    r::  ;;""-;     i 

:       ' 


ARTICLE  TO  SHOW  THE  NAMES  OF  SOME  OF  THE  MONU 
MENTS  OF  MILITARY  VALOR  IN  189T. 


THE  GRAND  REUNION  AT  NASHVILLE. 


The  reunion  of  Confederates  to  be  held  in  Nashville  in  June  is 
an  assured  success.  Our  war-worn  veterans  whose  visages  will  tell 
each  other  of  many  a  bloody  campaign,  will  be  there  in  force.  Ten- 
nesseeans  will  lift  their  hats  to  salute  them  and  in  unbosomed  hos 
pitality  welcome  them.  Generations  of  sons  and  daughters  of  the  bat 
tle-scarred  sires  will  come  to  us,  and  in  profound  reverence  will  look 
upon  the  gray-haired  monuments  of  military  valor.  We  are  flat 
tered  with  a  promise,  too,  the  realization  of  which  will  imprint  recol 
lections  never  to  be  erased  from  the  memories  of  those  who  wit 
nessed  it ;  the  presence  of  living  female  celebrities  of  the  slumber 
ing  cause.  They  are  especially  invited  to  be  the  guests  of  the  city, 
and  they  will  accept ;  they  cannot  stay  away.  The  dream  of  the  old 
soldiers  who  fought  for  them  and  for  their  cherished  cause,  to  see 
them  again  before  they  die,  will  be  realized. 

Mrs.  President  Davis  (our  mother)  and  her  'daughters,  Mrs. 
Hayes  and  Miss  Winnie  Davis,  will  be  there.  Mrs.  Braxton  Bragg. 
General  R.  E.  Lee's  daughters,  Mesdames  Stonewall  Jackson,  Ben 
Hardin  Helm,  Holmes,  Longstreet,  Buckner,  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  A.  P. 
Stewart,  Picket,  Gordon,  A.  P.  Hill,  Heth,  S.  D.  Lee,  Fitzhugh  Lee 
(President  of  the  United  Daughters),  Basil  Duke,  Newton  Brown 
(whose  husband  commanded  the  famous  Arkansas  ram),  the  daugh 
ter  of  Admiral  Semmes  (of  Alabama  fame),  and  others  disin- 
guished  in  the  great  conflict  are  expected  to  be  present. 

The  happiest  visit  of  my  life  was  to  the  Richmond  Reunion. 
My  feelings  on  entering  the  city  that  the  world  tried  for  four  years 
to  take  was  inexpressible.  The  names  of  R.  E.  Lee,  Beauregard,  Joe 
Johnson,  Stonewall  Jackson,  grew  upon  me  as  I  contemplated  their 
military  prowess,  and  also  those  of  their  lieutenant  subordinates: 
Early,  Ewell,  Longstreet,  A.  P.  Hill,  Gordon,  Hampton,  Ashby, 
Stuart,  and  others.  How  must  our  enemies  have  felt  on  entering 
Richmond,  when  it  cost  them  so  much  life,  treasure  and  blood? 

When  you  visit  Nashville,  you  may  not  be  so  impressed,  yet 
when  you  contemplate  the  military  struggles  in  her  vicinage,  notably 
among  which  are  Fort  Donelson,  Fishing  Creek,  Shiloh,  Richmond, 
Perryville,  Murfreesboro,  Chickamauga,  Mission  Ridge,  Franklin, 
Nashville,  and  hundreds  of  minor  battles,  seeing  still  lines  of  breast- 


THE  GRAND  REUNION  AT  NASHVILLE.  541 

works  and  frowning  fortresses  dotting  the  state,  you  will  find  it  con 
secrated  also  as  a  fixed  western  outpost  in  the  stupendous  military 
drama. 

Every  living  General  on  the  Confederate  side  who  can  come, 
will  be  at  Nashville.  Its  central  location  will  bring  them  from  the 
East,  South,  North,  and  West,  and  hallowed  reminiscences  that 
cluster  around  her  will  induce  many  to  come  at  inconvenience.  Rec 
ollections  of  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  Bragg,  Hardee,  Buckner,  Breck- 
inridge's,  Polks,  Stewart,  Bushrod,  Johnson,  Pillow  Harris,  S.  D.  Lee, 
Cheatham,  Cleburne,  Stevenson,  Withers,  McCown,  Bate,  Walthall, 
Loring,  Clayton,  French,  Hanson,  Helm,  Gist,  Adams,  Rains,  Zolli- 
coffer,  Kirby-Smith,  Brown,  Hills,  Pettus,  Ector,  Govan,  Strahl, 
Cranberry,  Cockrell,  Reynolds,  Palmer,  Maney,  Carter,  Quarles, 
Sears,  Vaughn,  McNair,  Gregg,  Featherston,  the  Smiths,  Gordon, 
Chalmers,  Buford,  Harrison,  Bell,  Morton,  Forrest,  Wheeler,  Jack 
son,  Dibrell,  Wharton,  Lyon,  Duke,  and  other  braves  will  be  recalled 
by  the  great  occasion.  Followers  also  of  Price,  Pemberton,  Magruder, 
Dick  Taylor,  McCullough,  Tom  Green,  Thompson,  and  Joe  Shelby, 
will  be  partakers  in  Tennessee's  greeting.  In  fact,  Federal  soldiers 
have  also  become  enlisted  in  our  annual  "house  warmings,"  and  many 
of  them  are  expected  to  be  witnesses  to  our  eternal  devotion. 

The  Centennial  will  be  in  full  blast,  and  the  outpouring  will  be 
phenomenal.  No  extortion  in  prices  need  be  looked  for,  and  every 
facility  for  your  comfort,  comrades,  is  promised. 

And  now  a  little  secret  touching  the  reception  to  you.  It  shall 
be  credited  to  where  it  belongs:  to  our  women.  They  are  busy  in 
the  back  ground,  busy  for  your  entertainment,  and  you  know  it  will 
be  thorough.  While  the  citizens,  the  Centennials  Committee,  and  the 
bivouac  are  in  the  forefront,  they  are  but  the  tools  of  the  Daughters 
of  the  Confederacy  and  of  the  Old  Revolution,  and  of  the  ladies  of 
Tennessee.  So,  veterans,  it  will  not  cost  you  much.  Let's  get 
together  a  little  while  and  live  in  the  glory  of  conviction,  if  not  in 
triumph ;  let's  leave  the  business  and  line  up  for  a  few  days  under  the 
spirit  stirring  and  soul-inspiring  strains  of  "Dixie,"  "My  Old  Ken 
tucky  Home,"  "Maryland,"  "Happy  Land  of  Canaan,"  "Bonnie  Blue 
Flag,"  and  "The  Girl  I  left  Behind  Me." 

In  encountering  the  surging  masses  upon  our  streets,  tip  your 
hats  freely,  lest  you  pass  an  unknown  heroine,  and  don't  forget  a 
pleasant  greeting  to  every  old  fellow  you  meet,  for  fear  of  overlook 
ing  an  old  comrade  who  shot  with  you. 

The  keys  of  the  city  will  be  given  you.  If  you  strike  "moun 
tain  dew"  or  "old  Robertson,"  sip  it;  or  "old  Lincoln,"  laugh  and 
linger  while  the  game  goes  on.  If  a  Tennessee  damsel  makes  you  feel 
at  home,  just  kill  yourself  to  please  her;  if  a  Kentucky  thoroughbred 
smiles  on  you,  do  not  forget  your  raising;  or  if  any  Southern  belle 
gets  ardent  in  her  devotion  and  vehement  in  expression  over  pleasing 
you,  bow  to  her  if  mental,  apoplexy  attacks  you.  Recollect  that  you 


542  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

are  in  the  hot  bed  of  Southern  sentiment  and  among  brethren  and 
sisters  who  swore  in  their  wrath,  and  confirmed  it  in  their  delibera 
tion,  that  they  would  seal  their  faith  with  their  blood  before  they 
would  do  an  act  or  cherish  a  thought  prejudicial  to  the  Southern 
rights.  Do  not  fail  to  meet  some  of  our  ladies  whom  you  met  when 
the  death  shot  rattled;  Mesdames  Overton,  Nicholson,  Goodlett, 
Williams,  Hume,  Gaut,  Clare,  Johns,  Battle,  Polk,  Gale,  Cahal, 
Guild,  McMurray,  Hickman,  Nichol,  Rains,  Brown,  Childress,  Ewing, 
Fall,  Thompson,  Pilcher,  McAlister,  Morgan,  Berry  Cockrell, 
Ewing,  Allen,  Armstead,  Foster,  Lytton,  O'Bryan,  Porter,  Misses 
Jane  Thomas,  Sallie  Brown,  Cahal,  and,  indeed,  all  not  only  of  the 
organized  Daughters,  but  the  ladies  of  Nashville ;  and  not  only  these, 
but  of  the  whole  State  of  Tennessee  and  of  the  Sunny  South,  for  they 
will  be  there  looking  for  you  to  sweeten  your  bread  with  arrack  and 
your  milk  with  honey,  and  are  determined  to  make  this  reunion  a 
climatic  triumph  over  all  reunions  ever  held  or  that  may  be  expected. 
Veterans  of  the  blue  might  come  down  and  shake  hands  with  us 
over  the  memories.  It  will  be  our  feast,  and  in  the  Christian  spirit 
Confederates  would  bid  you  welcome — not  as  if  forced,  like  Them- 
istocles  to  court  favor  with  the  Persian  King;  or  Napoleon,  to  sit 
down  to  the  table  of  the  English  people,  but  through  a  desire  to  ce 
ment  our  bonds  of  American  citizenship. 

One  of  our  Southern  songsters,  A.  S.  Morton,  St.  Paul,  Minn., 
has  invoked  the  muses  over  my  prosing.  The  divine  afflatus  through 
his  facile  pen  is  drawn  out  in  the  following  beautiful  epic: 


NASHVILLE  INVITATION. 


Come,  you  hoary-headed   "gray-backs,"   though  with   feeble,   halting 
gait  — 

Come  and  warm  your  age-iced  blood  at  eternal  mem'ry's  fire, 
Swap  a  lie  and  crack  a  joke  with  any  olden-time  messmate, 

Share  our  grub,  and    drain    our    canteens    if  a  "nip"  you    should 

desire ; 
For  the  portals  of  our  city  open  wide  to  let  you  pass, 

And  the  latchstrings  of  the  houses  dangle  outside  in  the  air; 
While  upon  the  threshold  smiling,  matrons  staid  and  rosy  lass 

Stand  with  open  arms,  inviting  you  to  halt  and  enter  there. 


Widows,  mothers,  sisters,  d-aughters,  cheer    us    with    your    presence 
rare. 

Let  the  unforgotten  glories  of  the  South's  undying  past 
Temper  grief,  and  for  the  moment  smooth  away  the  lines  of  care. 

Since  for  many  you  shall  smile  at,  this  parade  will  be  the  last. 


THE  GRAND  REUNION  AT  NASHVILLE.  543 

Shades  of  Jackson,  Lee,  and  Johnston,  Stuart,  Forrest,  Morgan,  too. 
Come  and  mingle  with  our  spirits,  lead  once  more  your  dwindling 

hosts ; 
Let  us  feel  again  inspiring,  magic  force  of  hearts  so  true; 

Make  of  glories  past  conception  something    more    than    shiv'ring 
ghosts. 

Chickamauga,   Appomattox,   roll  your   battle   clouds   away; 

Gettysburg  and  Lookout  Mountain,  halt  before  this  history  page; 
Ribs  of  sunken  "Alabama,"  from  your  bed  in  Cherbourg's  Bay, 

Wraiths  of  war,   "eyes   front,"  beholding  greatest  wonder  of  this 

age. 

From  the  Southland's  farthest  corners  come  the  men  who  wore  the 
gray— 

Come  to  write  again  their  story  on  the  leaf  of  history, 
Come  to  mingle  precious  memories  with  the  sorrows  of  to-day, 

And  triumph,  though   defeated,   chant  the  magic  name  of  "Lee/' 

Here's   a  welcome   for  you   "blue-coats" — you  who   faced  us  in  the 
field; 

Come,  and  in  fraternal  greetings  bury  passions  of  that  strife. 
Hearts  and  hands  are  open  to  you — don't  refuse  us ;  simply  yield. 

Such  impulses  as  this  greeting  give  and  feed  a  nation's  life. 
We  will  welcome  you  as  warmly  as  we  did  in  sixty-one ; 

But  instead  of  whistling  bullets  and  destruction's  dealing  shell, 
We  will  spread  the  festal  table  underneath  our  Southern  sun. 

Come  and-  hear  once  more  the  music  of  that  curdling  "Rebel  yell." 

Come  then,  "Rebels,"  "Johnnies,"  "Gray-backs,"  "Yanks,"  and  "Blue- 
coats,"  come  along. 

Tears  for  noble  dead  and  cheering  for  the  heroes  with  us  yet. 
Hearty  grips  from  former  foemen,  wealth  of  beauty,  bursts  of  song — 

All  combined  will  make  a  picture  that  the  coldest  can't  forget. 
And  the  sun  will  shine  the  brighter,  and  the  rose,  in  proud  array, 

Will  give  forth  a  richer  fragrance ;  while  the  violets  in  their  dells 
Joyous  lift  their  lowly  heads  upon  the  memorable  day 

When  the  Tennessean  heavens  ring  once  more  with  "Rebel  Yells." 


A  TENNESSEE  STORIETTE. 

Living  all  her  young  life  in  one  of  the  numerous  coves  of  the 
Cumberland  Mountains,  Lena  Paxton  was  a  true  child  of  nature 
where  its  moods  are  fitfullest,  strangest,  and  strongest.  She  was  like 
the  mountain  Flora,  wild  and-  fair,  and  in  the  blue  deeps  and  liquid 
softness  of  her  eyes  were  mirrored  the  cloudless  mountain  sky  and 
the  leaping  light  of  the  mountain  stream.  She  was  unfamiliar  with 
the  outside  world;  she  was  as  remote  from  the  wiles  of  men  and  the 
arts  of  women  as  the  rhododendrons  of  the  steeps  about  the  cabin 
home. 

Many  a  time  she  had  stood  on  Storm  King  Rock  and  gazed  upon 
the  vast,  varied  panorama  with  its  hazy  limits,  wondering  what  sort 
of  people  lived  away  down  in  the  green  valleys  and  by  the  streams 
whose  shimmer  streaked  with  silver  the  living  map  of  earth,  that 
from  the  top  of  the  rock  was  ever  open  to  her  study.  She  wondered 
if  the  people  down  there  had  such  hopes  and  fears  as  she.  But  little 
indeed  did  the  child-woman  know,  from  what  she  had  seen  of  the 
outside  world.  Almost  as  alien  and  strange  to  her  understanding  as 
the  fancied  inhabitants  of  the  skies,  were  the  denizens  of  the  seem 
ingly  limitless  lower  earth.  She  apprehended  as  little  of  the  motives 
and  interests  of  the  real  as  she  didi  of  the  ideal  creatures.  But  just 
now  she  was  beginning  to  add  to  the  undefined  figments  of  her  know 
ledge,  and  the  acquisition  affected  her  more  seriously  than  all  the  rest 
of  her  experience  with  the  stranger  world.  The  ingenious  annals  of 
the  cove  never  until  now  had  suffered  a  hint  of  it.  It  was  coming  in 
a  stupendous  drama,  whose  fell  genius  brooded  over  a  dreadful  widen 
ing  domain  of  hideous  shapes,  piteous  scenes,  and  infernal  confusion; 
coming  to  her  as  it  came  to  many  thousands  of  the  simple  people  of 
the  United  States.  The  girl  recoiledi  from  what  was  ominous  of  ruin 
to  her  one  great  joy. 

It  was  an  evening  of  May,  1862,  that  Lena  Paxton  stood  on  the 
big  rock,  looking  long  and  wistfully  toward  the  wide  westward 
sweep  of  land  and  sky,  which  met  in  the  lurid  glow  of  the  setting  sun. 

The  girl's  face  was  like  the  changeful  gloaming  sky — an  arena 
tfor  the  contending  forces  of  light  and  darkness.  The  waning  -day 
was  ominous  of  something  somberer  than  the  dusk.  It  was  the  world- 
old,  world-wide  pathos  of  a  young  girl's  love. 

She  was  thinking  of  John  Gueron,  her  little  mountain  kingdom's 
crown  prince;  thinking  of  him  with  a  vague,  pained  premonition 
that  some  dreadful  harm  was  to  come  to  him  and  to  her,  out  of  the 


A  TENNESSEE  STORIETTE.  545 

blackening  curse  of  the  war.  For  now  the  mutterings  of  the  Ameri 
can  civil  strife  grated  upon  the  long  peace-embowered  nooks  of  the 
cove,  and  its  reverberations  quivered  among  the  very  rocks  of  Eagle 
Pass. 

Lena  had  ceased  to  wonder  what  it  was  all  about;  its  portents 
alone  concerned  her.  The  men  of  her  family — her  father  and  two 
older  brothers — wore  the  gray,  and  were  far  away  from  their  home 
somewhere  with  the  armies  of  Lee  and  Bragg.  She  knew  that  their 
enemies  were  those  who  wore  the  blue  or  who  gave  sympathy  to  the 
Unionists — enemies  of  her  father  and  brothers — and  the  great  trouble 
was,  as  everybody  said,  that  John  was  one  of  those  enemies.  And  as 
she  thought  of  him,  a  tender  witchery  played  in  the  red!  of  her  lips 
and  the  light  of  her  eyes,  while  her  fancy  caressed  the  memory  of 
the  fierce  clasp  of  his  strong  arms,  when  at  their  last  meeting  down 
by  the  creek,  they  had  discussed  the  cruel  dangers  of  separation  be 
cause  of  the  war;  and  he  had  sworn  that  nothing  should  part  them. 
Vexatious  and  incomprehensible  to  her  were  politics  and  war.  She 
knew  there  was  nothing  under  heaven  more  glorious  than  to  be  loved 
by  him,  nothing  sweeter  than  to  love  him.  And  now  these  meddling 
people,  grown  crazy  over  politics  and  war,  meant  to  part  him  and  her 
because  John  stuck  to  his  opinion  that  it  was  "wrong  to  try  to  break 
up  the  Union."  "The  Union,"  he  had  said  to  her,  "that  your  great 
grandfather  and  mine  together  at  Cowpens  and  King's  Mountain 
helped  to  make." 

What  must  she  do?  What  could  she  do?  Only  to-day  she  had 
heard  his  name  reviled  by  the  gossips  of  the  cove.  They  had  called: 
him  "a  homemade  Yankee."  She  knew  better ;  he  was  a  native-born ; 
he  was  as  much  a  Southerner  and  Tennesseean  as  her  father  and 
brothers,  and  she  knew  that  they  at  least  liked  and  respected  the 
manly,  athletic  young  fellow  who  brought  trophies  of  the  chase  and 
hunt  to  the  girl-pet  of  their  home.  And  she  recalled  that,  before 
they  went  off  to  the  war,  they  had  never  any  contention  with  him,  as 
others  did,  on  account  of  his  views.  O  that  they  were  here,  some 
how,  to  take  his  part! 

In  the  cove  and  on  the  mountain  were  young  men  who  envied 
and  hated  John  Gueron  for  the  distinct  favor  he  had  from  the  girl. 
It  had  been  ever  since,  when,  as  a  strapping  lad,  he  had  borne  her 
home,  senseless  and  bleeding,  from  a  fall  she  had  received  by  climb 
ing  after  a  rhodedendron  at  Storm  King  Rock.  The  little  girl  had 
said:  "The  wee  flower  looked  so  lonesome  away  up  there  by  itself." 
And  she  had  said,  too,  long  afterwards,  when  they  were  debating 
the  more  serious  problems  of  life,  and  he  had  kissed  on  her  brow  the 
scar  left  by  that  fall,  saying  it  was  "a  white  blossom  of  courage" 
that  he  kissed — she  had  looked  at  him  with  frank,  wide,  trusting  eyes 
and  said :  "If  I'd  risk  so  much  for  a  little  wild  flower,  what  wouldn't 
I  do  for  John  ?" 

John's  jealous  fellows,  although  none  of  them  had  ever  donned 


546  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

a  uniform,  or  ventured  other  manful  avowal  of  partisanship,  omitted 
no  opportunity  to  magnify  his  political  perverseness.  It  was  clear 
to  Lena  that  they  meant  to  undermine  him  and  to  drive  him  away, 
or  worse.  The  mischief  was  growing.  Some  even  said  that  he  was 
engaged  in  secret  missions  for  the  Yankees;  that  he  advised  those  he 
thought  hesitating  as  to  their  course,  to  take  the  oath  to  join  the 
enemy;  they  actually  said4  that  when  he  got  through  with  his  devil 
ment  in  the  neighborhood,  he  would  himself  go  to  join  the  blue  coats. 
And  in  Lena's  mind  kept  running  the  silly  jingle  with  which  a 
pretended  friend  had  sought  to  plague  her  with  the  bruiting  about 
of  the  stories  on  John : 

"First   somebody   told   it; 

Then  the  room  couldn't  hold  it, 
And  busy  tongues  rolled  it 

Till  they  got  it  outside." 

All  this  and  more  had  been  brought  strenuously  to  bear  upon 
Lena,  even  her  mother  whose  heart  was  with  her  husband  and  sons, 
helping  to  add  to  the  pressure.  But  it  served  only  to  draw  her  closer 
to  him — to  link  her  very  fate  with  that  of  John  Gueron.  Frequently 
now,  perforce,  listening  to  what  the  snuff-dipping  mountain  harpies 
had  to  say  of  the  character  of  her  hero,  as  she  lapsed  into  an  inunda 
tion  of  tenderness  for  him,  and  then,  thinking  of  his  traducers,  the 
arched  mouth  straightened,  and  she  shook  with  a  fiery  tempest  of  hate. 

She  had  much  cause  for  worry  and  sadness  to-day.  John  was 
gone  somewhere  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain.  He  was  fre 
quently  away  of  late,  and  his  departures  now  more  than  ever 
depressed  her,  for  they  gave  fresh  license  to  the  malicious  tongues 
of  the  foes.  He  had  promised  to  return  on  the  morrow,  but  Lena 
knew  that  he  must  come  back  to  encounter  new  perils  all  around. 

At  last  the  girl  turned  from  the  rock,  and  as  she  made  her  way 
homeward  in  the  gathering  darkness,  she  looked  over  her  shoulder 
at  the  rising  new  moon  and  made  a  wish,  and  her  bosom  shook  with 
sobs.  It  was  that  she  and  John  might  live  and  die  together. 

John  Gueron  came  back  the  next  day,  grave  and  silent.  Tena 
ciously  he  kept  at  his  simple  occupation,  reserved  and  forbearing, 
although  he  could  not  help  hearing  and  seeing  how  surely  his  former 
popularity  was  giving  place  to  suspicion  and  ill-concealed  enmity. 
It  was  to  the  young  man  a  bitter  thing  to  see  the  passing,  of  the  time 
when  his  prowess,  his  cleverness,  his  good  looks,  and  his  generous 
nature  held  him  in  that  general  esteem  which  was  most  grateful, 
because  it  was  the  pride  of  the  girl  he  loved.  Yet  nobody  could  get 
from  him  a  word  of  approval  of  the  Confederate  cause.  The  com 
mon  answer  to  the  common  question,  Why,  if  he  was  so  opposed  to 
the  attitude  of  the  community,  he  did  not  go  North,  or  join  the  enemy, 
was  plain  enough  to  most  people  in  his  infatuation  for  that  incor- 


A  TENNESSEE  STORIETTE. 


rigible,  impulsive  Lena  Paxton.  His  enemies  said  he  was  a  fool  as 
well  as  a  would  be  spy.  His  friends  told  him  he  was  indeed  a  fool 
to  risk  his  life  just  because  of  a  sentimental  mountain  girl,  who,  on 
other  occasions,  had  created  much  trouble  among  the  boys  —  just 
because  she  didn't  want  him  to  leave  her. 

In  less  than  a  week  a  squadron  of  troopers  in  gray  halted  John 
Gueroii  in  the  road  that  wound  into  the  cove,  and  sternly  warned 
him,  on  pain  of  death,  to  leave  the  country. 

On  horseback,  within  the  limit  of  the  time  they  had  set,  he  rode 
away,  supposedly  for  the  Union  lines.  But,  whatever  affected  his 
discretion,  he  came  back  in  three  days.  Fortunately  the  departure 
of  the  Confederates  for  other  fields  of  action  made  his  return  less 
hazardous.  The  conspirators  against  him  lacked  assurance  when  the 
soldiers  of  the  bushwackers  were  not  around. 

He  had  been  gone  long  enough  for  Lena  to  have  gone  well  nigh 
distracted  with  dread  and  grief;  but  now  that  John  was  in  reach, 
how  she  laughed  at  the  lightest  thing,  and  how  clear  and  true  rang 
her  voice  as  she  lifted  it  to  try  if  the  echo-spirits  of  the  cove  were  at 
home. 

Among  their  acquaintances  up  the  mountain  were  a  few  partial 
to  their  suit,  and  who  helped  it  along  whenever  chance  afforded. 
With  the  connivance  of  these  loyal  friends  many  a  secret  meeting  was 
arranged  for  them.  It  was  even  contrived  to  have  John  and  Lena 
together  at  a  dancing  party  of  young  people  up  the  mountain,  at  the 
Widow  Martin's,  where  John  had  formerly  boarded,  when  he  came 
back  from  school  in  the  valley  and  went  into-  the  business  of  buying 
and  selling  cattle. 

Uncle  Billy,  the  dusky  "laughing  fiddler  of  the  cove"  was  on 
hand,  with  scores  of  rosy  girls  and  ruddy  boys  to  "chase  the  glowing 
hours  with  flying  feet."  Among  them,  when  Uncle  Billy  called 
"Podriuh  fo'  de  comtilyom,"  was  John  Gueron,  straight  and  lusty, 
and  with  black  eyes  gleaming  amid  the  conscious  clumsiness  oi  the 
throng,  and  at  his  side,  laughing  and  beautiful  with  happiness,  was 
Lena  Paxton. 

Uncle  Billy's  "instrument"  was  "chunec!'  up  en  put  in  cir'mstance," 
as  he  expressed  it,  and,  because  he  was  especially  fond  of  Miss  Lena 
and  Marse  John,  who,  for  his  faithful  carrying  of  their  notes,  had 
contributed  liberally  of  his  slender  revenues,  gave  exceptional  zest 
to  his  performance  of  the  favorite  airs  of  the  place  and  time,  such  as 
"Old  Zip  Coon,"  "Billy  in  de  Low  Ground,"  "The  Devil's  Dream," 
and  "Chicken  in  de  Bread  Tray."  The  jocund  fiddler  chuckled  over 
the  bubbling  bliss  of  the  twain,  and  he  lent  a  livelier  crescendo  than 
usual  to  his  customary  vocal  interjections. 

The  talk  of  the  grove  was  the  Widow  Martin's  party,  and  people 
soon  learned  all  about  the  dance  and  the  supper,  what  was  said,  what 
was  done. 

The  story  was  that  John  Gueron  had  brought    that    Rio    coffee 


548  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

from  the  Yankee  camp,  and  brought  with  it  "white  sugar"  to  sweeten 
it. 

The  bushwhackers  were  advised  anew  as  to  John  Gueron. 
They  were  told  that  he  had  the  assurance  to  stay  at  the  pass  for 
the  purpose  of  furnishing  important  information  to  the  Yankees. 

Guided  by  Tom  Sharpe,  the  boldest  and  most  persistent  of  John's 
rivals,  they  set  out  to  hunt  him  and  to  kill  him  on  sight. 

Early  one  morning,  through  the  narrow  gorges,  up  Eagle  Creek, 
came  the  man  hunters  looking  for  John  Gueron. 

Lena  was  one  of  the  first  to  descry  the  band  of  armed  horsemen 
moving  cautiously  along  the  road  down  by  the  creek.  Stricken  with 
terror,  she  sped  homeward  A  group  of  neighbors  were  on  the  porch 
with  her  mother  exchanging  conjectures  as  to  the  purpose  of  the 
"cavalry"  in  the  cove.  Springing  to  the  door,  she  snatched  from  its 
accustomed  peg  the  old  dinner  horn,  ran  to  the  end  of  the  porch, 
heaved  a  long  breath,  and,  facing  the  pass,  she  blew  a  blast  that  turned 
all  of  the  cove  into  pandemonium  of  echoes,  to  which  was  added  the 
howling  of  startled  dogs. 

John  Gueron  heard  that  wild  blast.  He  was  just  emerging  from 
Widow  Martin's  front  door,  prepared  for  the  worst,  but  he  was  too 
late.  Many  Confederates  were  entering  the  front  gate,  and  some 
were  running  around  the  house.  He  turned,  hoping  to  escape  by  the 
rear,  to  where  his  horse  was,  but  a  dozen  Confederates  were  in  his 
path  and  demanded  his  surrender. 

His  answer  was  a  cry  of  defiance :     "Take  me,  if  you  can." 

The  clash  was  short  and  bloody.  The  leader  of  the  party  was 
killed  and  another  wounded  by  two  shots — all  that  came  from  his 
navy  pistol.  John  Gueron  was  riddled  by  the  pistols  and  carbines  of 
the  soldiers.  Other  troopers  ran  to  the  spot.  The  smoke  of  the  guns 
had  scarcely  cleared  away  from  where  they  bent  above  their  stricken 
comrades  when  a  wild  cry,  mingling  with  the  hoof  beats  of  a  gallop 
ing  horse,  smote  the  air.  It  was  a  woman's  voice. 

Straight  to  the  group,  with  flying,  disheveled  hair,  she  dashed. 
She  jerked  the  foaming  horse  to  his  haunches,  and,  leaping  to  the 
ground,  flung  herself  upon  the  prostrate  form  of  her  lover.  And 
there,  dabbling  her  white  hands  in  his  blood  and  uttering  strange, 
heart-curdling  cries,  Lena  Paxton  became  for  a  time  a  maniac. 

The  hardened  troopers  looked  on  in  wonder  and  pity.  Suddenly, 
with  an  unearthly  shriek  and  with  John  Gueron's  pistol  in  her  hand, 
she  sprang  to  her  feet  among  the  startled  men,  and  before  they  could 
recover  from  the  effect  of  her  piercing  cry,  fired  upon  them  point- 
blank  again  and  again.  Ere  the  frenzied  woman  could  be  disarmed, 
three  more  men  lay  bleeding  on  the  ground.  One  was  fatally  and  the 
others  badly  wounded.  The  man  mortally  hit  was  the  first  she  shot, 
John  Gueron's  relentless  rival,  Tom  Sharpe. 

The  soldiers  bound  the  crazed  woman,  who  begged  piteously  only 
to  be  allowed  to  kill  herself.  Delivering  the  now  fainting  girl  to  the 


A  TENNESSEE  STORIETTE.  549 

care  of  Mrs.  Martin,  into  whose  house  the  dead  and  wounded  had 
been  removed,  the  troopers  mounted  their  horses  and  rode  away. 
When  the  awe  stricken  neighbors,  who  had  been  summoned  to  the 
scene,  had-  recovered  as  well  as  they  could  from  its  horrors,  they  found 
in  John  Gueron's  pockets  a  little  love  note  addressed  to  Lena,  a  new 
jeweler's  box  containing  a  diamond  ring,  and  another  quaint  ring  of 
gutta-percha,  within  its  circle,  in  letters  of  silver,  being  just  the  name 
"Lena."  They  gave  the  things  to  the  poor  girl,  but  she  seemed  to 
care  for  none  of  them  so  much  as  the  little  black  ring  with  its  crude 
carving.  It  had  been  a  token  of  John's  boyhood  fancy. 

One  balmy  springtide  evening,  ere  the  worn  spirit  of  the  girl  had 
quit  its  wasted  frame,  she  lay  looking  from  her  window  that  over 
looked  the  great  valley,  now  flooded  with  moonlight.  Her  younger 
brother  stood  watching  her  with  sad,  wistful  eyes.  Seeing  that  she 
wished  to  speak,  he  bent  near,  asking:  "What  is  it,  little  sister?" 

"I've  seen  the  new  moon,  and  I've  made  a  wish."  Then  she 
whispered  to  him  as  he  bent  near.  It  was  a  simple  wish  which  the 
brothers  faithfully  kept,  by  which  she  and  John  Gueron  were  buried 
side  by  side  down  by  the  creek. 

ANOTHER  STORIETTE. 

The  following  startling  adventure  is  furnished  me  by  J.  H. 
Watts,  Clerk  and  Master  at  Cookeville,  Tennessee.  I  use  it  to  show 
that  sentiment  of  love  in  the  human  heart  that  spans  from  the  "cradle 
to  the  grave."  This  simple  and  unvarnished*  story  has  hardly  a  parallel 
in  the  page  of  fiction.  Its  strict  truth  is  beyond  question: 

Near  Murfreesboro,  June  28,  1864. — To  the  Editor  of  the  Times: 
The  original  of  the  following  letter  is  in  my  possession.  The  events 
so  graphically  narrated  transpired  in  Putnam  County,  Tennessee.  I 
knew  Dr.  Sadler  from  a  small  boy.  The  men  who  murdered  him 
were  noted  guerrillas,  and  kiled-  him  from  no  personal  grudge,  but  on 
account  of  his  sentiments.  I  have  no  personal  acquaintance  with  the 
young  lady,  but  have  the  highest  authority  for  stating  that  she  is  a 
pure,  high-minded  girl,  the  daughter  of  a  plain  farmer  in  moderate 
circumstances.  It  only  remains  to  state  that  Poteet  was  killed  Janu 
ary  30,  and  Gardienhire  February  4,  1864,  so  that  the  vengeance  they 
invoked  has  overtaken  all  three  of  the  murderers  of  M.  G.  Sadler. 

JOHN  w.  BOWEN. 

Martin's  Creek,  April  30,  1864. 

Major  Clift :  According  to  promise  I  now  attempt  to  give  you 
a  statement  of  the  reasons  why  I  killed  Turner,  and  a  brief  history 
of  the  affair.  Dr.  Sadler  had,  for  two  years  previous  to  his  death, 
seemed  equally  as  near  and  dear  to  me  as  a  brother,  and  for  several 
months  nearer  than  any  person — my  parents  not  excepted.  If  he  had 
not,  I  never  would  have  done  what  I  did — promise  to  be  his. 

The    men    who    killed    him    had    threatened  his    life  often    be- 


550 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


cause  he  was  a  Union  man ;  they  said  he  should  not  live,  and  after 
taking  the  oath  they  arrested  him,  but  Lieutenant  Oakley  released 
him  at  Pa's  gate.  He  stayed  at  Pa's  till  bed  time,  and  I  warned  him 
of  the  danger  he  was  in,  told  him  I  had  heard  his  life  threatened  that 
day.,  and  that  I  felt  confident  he  would  be  killed,  if  he  did  not  leave  the 
neighborhood  and  stay  off  until  these  men  became  reconciled.  He 


MISS   LIVERNIA   WEBB,    WHO   SLEW   THE 
MURDERER   OF  HER   LOVER. 

promised  to  go;  said  he  had  some  business  at  Carthage,  and  would- 
leave  the  neighborhood  that  night,  or  by  day-light  next  morning,  and 
we  felt  assured  he  had  gone.  For  some  unaccountable  reason  he  did 
not  leave.  About  3  o'clock  p.  m.  next  day  news  came  to  me  at  Mr. 
Johnson's,  where  I  had  gone  with  my  brother,  that  Dr.  Sadler  was 
killed.  I  had  met  Poteet,  Gardenhire,  and  Turner  on  the  road,  and 
told  my  brother  there  that  they  were  searching  for  Dr.  Sadler  to  kill 
him.  Sure  enough  they  went  to  the  house  where  he  was,  and  strange 
to  me,  after  his  warning,  he  permitted  them  to  come  in.  They  met 
him  apparently  perfectly  friendly,  and  said  they  had  come  to  get  some 
brandy  from  Mr.  Yelton,  which  they  obtained,  and  immediately  after 
drinking,  they  all  three  drew  their  pistols  and  commenced  firing  at 
Sadler.  He  drew  his,  but  it  was  snatched  away  from  him.  He  then 
drew  his  knife,  which  was  also  taken  away  from  him.  He  then 


ANOTHER  STORIETTE.  551 


ran  round  the  house,  and  up  a  stairway,  escaping  out  of  their  sight. 
They  followed,  however,  and  searched  till  they  found  him,  and  brought 
him  down  and  laid  him  on  a  bed,  mortally  wounded  He  requested 
some  of  his  people  to  send  for  Dr.  Dillin  to  dress  his  wounds.  It  is 
strange  to  me  why,  but  Sadler's  friends  had  all  left  the  room,  when 
Turner  went  up,  and  put  his  pistol  against  his  temple,  and  shot  him 
through  the  head.  They  all  rejoiced  like  demons,  and  stood  by  till  he 
had  made  his  last  struggle.  They  then  pulled  his  eyes  open,  and  asked 
him  in  a  loud  voice  if  he  was  dead  They  then  took  his  horse  and 
saddle,  and  pistols,  and  robbed  him  of  all  his  money,  and  otherwise 
insulted  and  abused  his  remains. 

Now,  for  this,  I  resolved  to  have  revenge.  Poteet  and  Garden- 
hire  being  dead,  I  determined4  to  kill  Turner,  and  to  seek  an  early 
opportunity  of  doing  it.  But  I  kept  that  resolution  to  myself  knowing 
that  I  would  be  prevented.  I  went  prepared,  but  never  could  get  to 
see  him. 

On  Thursday  before  I  killed  him,  I  learned  that  he  was  preparing 
to  leave  for  Louisiana,  and  I  determined  he  should  not  escape,  if  I 
could  prevent  it.  I  arose  that  morning,  and  fixed4  my  pistols  so  that 
they  would  be  sure  fire,  and  determined  to  hunt  him  all  that  day. 
Then  sitting  down,  I  wrote  a  few  lines  so  that  if  I  fell,  my  friends 
might  know  where  to  look  for  my  remains.  I  took  my  knitting,  as 
if  I  were  going  to  spend  the  day  with  a  neighbor  living  on  the  road 
towards  Turner's.  It  rained  very  severely,  making  the  roads  muddy, 
so  that  I  became  fatigued,  and?  concluded  to  go  back  and  ride  the  next 
day,  or  Saturday.  But  Ma  rode  my  horse  on  Saturday,  and  left  me 
to  keep  house.  We  had  company  Sunday  a.  m.,  so  that  I  could  not 
leave ;  but  the  company  left  about  noon,  and  I  started  again  in  search 
of  Turner.  I  went  to  his  house,  about  two  and  a  half  miles  from  Pa's. 
I  found  no  one  at  home,  and,  therefore,  sat  down  to  await  his  return. 
After  waiting,  perhaps,  one  and  a  half  hours,  a  man  came  to  see 
Turner,  and  not  finding  him,  he  said  he  supposed  he  and  his  wife  had 
gone  to  Mrs.  Christian's,  his  sister-in-law,  who  lived  about  one-half 
mile  distant. 

I  concluded  to  go  there  and  see,  fearing  the  man  would  tell  him 
I  was  waiting  for  him,  and  he  would  escape  me.  I  found  him  there, 
and  a  number  of  other  persons,  including  his  wife,  and  her  father 
and  mother.  'Most  of  them  left  when  I  entered  the  house.  I  asked 
Mrs.  Christian  if  Turner  was  gone.  She  pointed  to  him  at  the  gate 
just  leaving.  I  looked  at  the  clock,  and  it  was  4:30  o'clock  p.  m.  I 
then  walked  out  into  the  yard,  and  as  Turner  was  starting,  called  to 
him  to  stop.  He  turned  and  saw  I  was  preparing  to  shoot  him;  he 
started  to  run.  I  fired  at  the  distance  of  about  twelve  paces,  and 
missed.  I  fired  again  as  quick  as  possible,  and  hit  him  in  the  back 
of  the  head,  and  he  fell  on  his  face  and  knees.  I  fired  again  and  hit 
him  in  the  back,  and  he  fell  on  his  right  side.  I  fired  twice  more,  only 
one  of  these  shots  taking  effect.  By  this  time  I  was  within  five  steps 


552  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

of  him,  and  stood  and  watched  him  till  he  was  dead,  and  then  turned 
round  and  walked  toward  the  house,  and  met  Mrs.  Christian  and  her 
sister,  his  wife,  coming  out.  They  asked  me  what  I  did?  that  for.  My 
response  was  "You  know  what  that  man  did  the  I3th  o-f  December 
last — murdered  a  dear  friend  of  mine.  I  have  been  determined  to 
do  this  deed  ever  since,  and  I  never  shall  regret  it."  They  said  no 
more  to  me,  but  commenced'  hallooing  and  blowing  a  horn.  I  got 
my  horse  out,  and*  started  home,  where  I  shall  stay  or  leave  when  I 
choose,  going  where  I  please,  and  saying  what  I  please. 

L.  J.  W. 

The  picture  accompanying  this  sketch  is  that  of  Miss  Webb. 
Perhaps  no  feature  would  suggest  to  the  casual  observer  the  un 
daunted  spirit  that  enabled  her  to  perform  an  act  so  foreign  to  woman's 
heart.  But,  we  may  confidently  aver,  she  was  not  actuated  alone  by 
revenge,  and,  if  this  be  true,  then  she  was  the  chosen  agency  of  that 
Nemesis  that  avenges  every  evil  deed.  Miss  Webb's  people  were  on 
the  Southern  side  in  the  great  struggle — Dr.  Sadler  an  avowed 
Union  man. 


THE  TENNESSEE  ARMY  IN  1865. 

Colonel  J.  L.  Power,  the  efficient  Secretary  of  State,  of  Missis 
sippi,  who  is  thoroughly  overhauling  that  office,  has  furnished  the 
following  valuable  data  touching  the  Tennessee  Army  (Confederate) 
on  April  24,  1865. 

"Colonel  Kinloch  Falconer  was  Adjutant  General  of  the  Ten 
nessee  Army.  His  name  was  familiar  as  household  words  in  all  this 
section  in  war  times.  He  was  filling  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State 
in  1878,  and  when  Holly  Springs  was  threatened  with  yellow  fever, 
he  went  to  render  what  service  he  could,  and  fell  a  victim  to  the 
epidemic.  He  left  in  this  office  some  very  valuable  military  papers, 
some  of  which  have  already  been  given  to  the  public,  and  will  assist 
in  making  up  a  correct  history  of  the  civil  war. 

"At  the  windup  of  the  conflict  the  effective  strength  of  this 
splendid  army  was  reduced  to  20,821.  Comparing  this  with  the 
Federal  'department  of  Tennessee/  embracing  fifty-two*  well  equipped 
regiments,  it  will  be  seen  how  greatly  the  Confederates  were  out 
numbered1. 

The  report  is  dated  April  26,  1865 : 

HARDEE'S  CORPS. 

Eff.  Total  P. 

Cheatham's    Division    I>727  2,414 

Biown's   Division    !>527  2,102 

Hoke's    Division    2,102  2,760 

5.356  7>279 
STEWART'S  CORPS. 

Eff.  Total  P. 

Loring's   Division    1,980  2,627 

Walthall's  Division   2,102  2,747 

Anderson's  Division   890  1,276 

4,972  6,650 
LEE'S  CORPS. 

Eff.  Total  P. 

Stephenson's  Division 987  1,271 

Hill's  Division   !,93i  2,442 


2,9*8  3713 

Total  Army    13,246  17,639 


554  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


ARTILLERY. 

Eff.  Total  P. 

Hardee's  Corps   184  194 

Stewart's  Corps   469  590 

Lee's   Corps    89  no 


Total    742  894 

Hardee's  corps,  Cheatham's  division — Palmer's  and  Gist's 
brigades. 

Brown's  division — Govan's  and  Smith's  brigades. 

Hoke's  division — Kirkland's ,  Clingman's,  Colquit's  and)  Hay- 
good's  brigades. 

Stewart's  corps,  Loring's  division — Lowrey's  and  Shelley's 
brigades. 

Anderson's  division — Rhett's  and  Elliott's  brigades. 

Walthall's   division — Harrison's  and  Conner's  brigades. 

Lee's  corps,  Hill's  division — Sharpe's  and  Brantley's  brigades. 

Stephenson's  division — Pettus'  and  Henderson's  brigades. 

Three  corps.     Eight  divisions.     Nineteen  brigades. 

Palmer's  brigade— 18,  3,  32,  45,  36,  10,  15,  37,  2,  30,  and  23rd 
Tennessee  battalons,  consolidated,  under  Colonel  A.  Searcy ;  4,  15, 
19,  24,  31,  33,  35,  41,  and  35th  Tennessee,  consolidated,  under  Colonel 
Tillman;  u,  12,  13,  29,  47,  51,  52,  54,  and  5oth  Tennessee,  consoli 
dated,  under  Colonel  Rice;  i,  6,  8,  9,  16,  27,  28,  34,  and  24th  Ten 
nessee  battalions,  under  Colonel  Field. 

Gist's  brigade — 46  and  65th  Georgia,  and  21  and  8th  Kentucky 
battalions,  consolidated,  under  Colonel  Foster;  i6th  and  24th,  consoli 
dated,  under  Major  B.  B.  Smith. 

Smith's  brigade —  i,  57,  and  63rd,  consolidated,  under  Colonel 
Almstead ;  54,  37,  and  4th  battalions,  S.  S.,  consolidated,  under  Colonel 
Caswell. 

Arkansas  and  3  Conf.,  consolidated,  under  Colonel  Howell;  6,  7, 
10,  15,  17,  1 8,  24,  and  25th  Texas,  consolidated,  under  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Ryan. 

Kirkland's  brigade — 17,  42,  50,  and  66th  North  Carolina. 

Clingman's  brigade — 8,  31,  51,  61,  40,  and  36th  North  Carolina. 

Colquitt's  brigade — 6,  19,  23,  27,  and  28th  Georgia. 

Haygood's  brigade — 7th  South  Carolina  battery,  n,  21,  25,  and 
27th  South  Carolina. 

Featherston's  brigade — ist  Arkansas,  i,  2,  4,  9,  25,  consolidated, 
3  and  22nd  Mississippi,  and  ist  Mississippi  batalions. 

Lowrey's  brigade — I2th  Louisiana,   14  and   I5th  Mississippi. 

Shelley's  brigade— 27th  Alabama  (27,  35,  49,  55,  57),  16,  33,  45th 
Alabama. 

Elliott's  brigade — 2nd  South  Carolina  artillery,  22nd  Georgia 
battery,  'Manigault's  battery. 


THE  TENNESSEE  ARMY  IN  1865.  555 

Rhett's  brigade — ist  South  Carolina  artillery,  1st  South  Carolina 
infantry,  Lucas'  battery. 

Harrison's  brigade — i,  47,  32,  and-  5th  Georgia,  and  Bonand's 
battery. 

Conner's  brigade — 2,  3,  and  7th  South  Carolina. 

Sharpe's  brigade — 8th  Mississippi  (5,  8,  32nd  Miss.,  3Oth  Miss, 
battery),  9th  Mississippi  (7,  9,  10,  41,  44,  and  9th  Mississippi  bat 
teries  S.  S.)  24th  Alabama  (24,  28,  34),  loth  South  Carolina  battery 
(10,  I9th  S.  C.  regiments). 

Brantley's  brigade — 22nd  Alabama  (22,  25,  39  and  5oth  Ala.), 
37th  Alabama  (37,  42,  and  54th  Ala.),  24th  Mississippi  (24,  27,  29, 
30,  and  34th  Miss.),  58th  North  Carolina  (58  and  6oth  N.  C.) 

Henderson's  brigade — 39th  Georgia  regiment  (34,  39,  and  56th 
Ga.),  42nd  Georgia  (42,  36,  56,  34,  and  36th  Ga.),  4Oth  Georgia  bat 
talion  (40,  41,  and*  43rd  Ga.),  Con.  Ga.  Batt.  (-  Con.,  Ga.i  Batt, 
S.  S.  66,  39,  29,  25  Ga.  regiments). 

Artillery — Hardee's  corps — Paris'  and  Atkins'  (Manly's  bat 
tery)  brigades,  Zimmerman's  and  Water's  batteries. 

Stewart's,  Anderson's  and  Brooks'  (Anderson's  battery),  Stew 
art's  Legardeur's  Rhett's  Barton's  Lee's  Kanapaux's,  Parker's,  and 
Wheaton's. 

Starr's  battalion — Kelley's  Cummings',  Ellis',  Baddhann's,  South- 
erland's,  Batten's,  Darden  detachment. 

Palmer's  battalion — Yates',  Flore's,  Moseley's,  and  Adler's  bat 
teries  (22),  (i)  detachment. 

The  following  statement  of  date  a  few  days  later: 

April  26,  1865 : 

HARDEE'S  CORPS. 

Eff. 

Cheatham's  Division   1,94-1 

Brown's   Division    !>53° 

Hoke's  Division   1,54-8 

Total  corps,  infantry 5,019  6,680 

Artillery,  Hardee's    122  133 

Escorts  .  100  126 


Grand  total  corps   .........................   5,241  6,939 

STEWART'S  CORPS. 

Eff.  Total  P. 

Loring's   Division    ...........................  .  .    1,976  2,725 

Walthall's  Division   ............................    J,937  2>777 

Anderson's  Division   ...........................      845 


Total  infantry    ...............  .  ......  .......  4,758  6,898 


556  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Artillery    444  59° 

Grand  total  corps   5,202  7,488 

LEE'S  CORPS. 

Eff.  Total  P. 

Hill's  Division   2,169  2,722 

*Stephenson's   Division    994  1,274 

Infantry 3,163  3,996 

Artillery 91  104 

Escorts 47  5 1 

Lee's   Corps    3,301  4,151 

*Pettus'  brigade  omitted,  detached  at  Saulsbury  on  guard. 

Eff.  Total  P. 

*Starr's  Battalion  Artillery  315  330 

*  Palmer's  Battalion  Artillery   267  302 

*Unattached.                                                                    582  632 

GRAND  TOTAL  ARMY  PRESENT. 

Eff.  Total  P. 

Infantry 12,940  i?,574 

Artillery , 1,239  M59 

Escorts 147  J77 

Cavalry 6,495  7>95° 

20,821  27,160 

TOTAL    PRESENT    AND    ABSENT. 

Hardee's    (all)    30,982 

Stewart's   (all)    26,071 

Lee's    (all) 16,452 

Total  7^381 
April  10,  1865: 

HAMPTON'S  CAVALRY. 

Total  Total 

Eff.  Pres. 

Wheeler's  Corps    4,39°  5473 

Butler's  Division   1,917  2,251 

Cavalry 6,307  7,724 

Horse  Artillery   188  226 

Total  Hampton's  6,495  7>95° 

Correct  from  record.           KINLOCH  FALCONER,  A.  A.  Gen. 

Colonel   Power  takes   an   active   and   patriotic   interest  in   these 
things.     He  suggests  that  every   Southern  State  should  take  steps, 


THE  TENNESSEE  ARMY  IN  1865.  557 

without  further  delay,  to  compile  its  civil  war  history,  and  adds: 
"Costly  monuments  to  the  great  leaders  are  well  enough,  but  the 
name  and  record  of  every  man  who  enlisted)  in  the  Confederate  Armies 
should  be  rescued  from  the  oblivion  into  which  they  are  fading." 


GENERAL  ROBERT  LEE'S  WAR  HORSE  "TRAVELER."  . 

One  of  my  friends  has  kindly  permitted  me  to  use  the  following 
sent  her  by  her  Uncle,  Captain  J.  N.  Broun,  graphically  portraying 
the  history  of  Robert  Lee's  War-horse,  "Traveler." 

Beckley,  W.  Va.,  Mch.  9th, 
My  Dear  Martha : 

You  asked  me  to  give  you  some  facts  about  General  Robert  E. 
Lee's  noted  war-horse  "Traveler,"  as  he  wrote  the  name.  This  horse 
was  a  steel  gray  gelding,  nearly  sixteen  hands  high,  having  a  perfect 
form,  great  strength  and  durability  and  noble  carriage ;  moving  grace 
fully  and  rapidly,  with  ease  to  himself  and  his  rider.  "Traveler"  was 
known  and  admired  by  all  of  Lee's  army.  The  General  was  a  splendid 
rider,  a  handsome  man,  more  impressive  as  "our  commander"  when 
mounted,  especially  on  "Traveler."  This,  his  favorite  horse,  faith 
fully  served  General  Lee  to  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  taken  to 
Lexington,  Virginia,  and  used  by  the  General  while  President  of 
Washington-Lee  University  till  his  death,  as  his  saddle  horse.  The 
horse  afterwards  died  from  lockjaw,  caused  by  treading  upon  a  nail 
which  pierced  his  foot.  He  was  about  six  years  old  when  General 
Lee  bought  him  from  me  in  January  or  February  1862.  This  horse  was 
bred  in  Greenbrier  County,  Virginia,  (now  West  Virginia)  near  the 
Blue  Sulphur  Springs,  by  the  father  of  Captain  James  W.  Johnston ; 
the  Captain  still  survives,  a  prosperous,  influential  citizen,  residing 
in  his  native  Greenbrier  County  which  is  noted  for  its  well  bred  horses, 
its  blue  grass,  its  White  Sulphur  and  other  Springs,  etc. 

This  colt,  when  Mr.  Johnston,  Sr.,  owned  him  before  the  war,  was 
known  as  "Jeff  Davis,"  and  took  first  two  premiums  at  the  County 
Fair  at  Lawrenceburg,  the  County  seat  oif  Greenbrier,  as  a  two  and 
three  year  old. 

In  the  fall  of  1861,  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  with  the  Brigades  of 
Generals  Floyd  and  Wise,  and  others,  were  camped  on  Sewell  Moun 
tain  in  Fayette  County,  West  Virginia. 

I  had  been  commissioned  Captain  and  Assistant  Quartermaster. 
James  W.  Johnston,  above  mentioned,  then  a  private,  was  acting  as 
my  quarter  master  sergeant.  We  belonged  (Johnston  and  I)  to  the 
6oth  Virginia  Regiment  of  Infantry  (previously  called  the  3rd  Regi 
ment  of  Wise's  Legion).  Johnston,  as  forager,  went  to  his  father's 
home  and  returned  with  several  wagon  loads  of  corn,  etc.,  riding  his 
colt  "Jeff,"  afterwards  "Traveler."  He  sold  me  "Jeff"  for  $175.00 
some  time  in  October  1861,  and  delivered  possession,  with  this  under- 


559 


stand-ing,  that  the  property  and  title  to  the  horse  should  remain  with 
Johnston  until  I  paid  him  therefor,  which  I  did  about  December  7th, 
1861  (as  soon  as  I  drew  my  pay),  in  Virginia  bank  notes. 

I  well  remember  the  first  time  General  Lee  summoned  me  to  his 
presence.  It  was  upon  a  raw  wet  morning  in  November  1861.  Gen 
eral  Lee  and  staff  were  standing  by  a  fire  in  front  of  his  tent  on  the 


CAPT.  JOSEPH  M.  BROUN,  OF  CHARLESTON,  W. 

VA.,   FROM  WHOM  GENERAL  LEE  PURCHASED 

HIS  NOTED  WAR-HORSE,    "TRAVELER". 

North  side  of  the  road.  A  dead  mule  lay  stretched  across  the  road 
just  opposite  this  group.  I,  mounted  on  "Jeff,"  was  riding  briskly 
to  my  regiment,  and  must  pass  this  mule  obstructing  my  way,  under 
the  very  eye  of  my  General.  What  should  I  do  ?  What  would  "Jeff" 
do?  Without  halting,  or  breaking  his  gait,  or  unseating  me,  upon 
my  touching  "Jeff,"  he  gracefully  leaped  over  the  mule  and  moved 
on  without  fear.  Upon  reaching  my  regiment,  Captain  Glover  of 
General  Lee's  staff  soon  appeared,  stating  that  the  General  desired 
me  and  my  horse  forthwith  at  his  tent.  I  was  somewhat  startled  at 
this  "invitation"  and  urged  Glover  to  explain.  But  he  did  not  know 
or  would  not  tell  (he  and  I  had  been  fellow  students  at  College). 
Upon  my  appearance  before  General  Lee,  he  was  most  gracious  and 


560  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AftMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

pleasing ;  commending  my  horsemanship  and  praising  my  horse. 
Where  did  I  get  so  beautiful,  fearless  and  useful  an  animal?  He 
wanted  one  just  like  it,  and  I  must  get  it  for  him.  I  was  tempted  then 
to  offer  "Jeff"  to  him,  but  concluded  that  such  would  be  bold  and 
unbecoming. 

In  December,  1861,  my  regiment  (63rd  Infantry)  went  to  South 
Carolina,  and  again  encamped  near  General  R.  E.  Lee's  Headquarters 
at  Coo-saw-hatch-ie,  and  also  at  Po-co-tal-i-go,  on  the  railroad  about 
midway  between  Charleston,  S.  C.  and  Savannah,  Ga. 

While  riding  "Jeff"  near  Pocotaligo  shortly  after  my  arrival 
there,  I  met  General  Lee  in  the  road.  He  at  once  recognied  me, 
probably  my  horse  more  impressed  him.  He  spoke  to  me, 
calling  me  Captain  Broun ;  congratulated  me  upon  the  safe  arrival 
of  "his  Virginia  regiment,"  was  glad  I  had  brought  "his  colt"  along, 
and  that  it  had  so  well  stood  the  trip,  etc.  Upon  returning  to  camp 
I  left  the  horse  at  General  Lee's  stable  in  charge  of  his  hostler,  with 
directions  to  let  General  Lee  know  that  the  horse  was  at  his  service 
so  long  as  he  saw  fit  to  keep  him ;  designing  thus  to  give  the  horse  to 
General  Lee.  General  Lee  used  the  horse  for  about  a  fortnight,  and 
then  returned  him  to  me,  led  by  a  groom,  in  charge  of  a  staff  officer, 
who  delivered  to  me  the  horse  and  a  note  written  and  signed  in  Gen 
eral  Lee's  hand  and  addressed  to  me,  thanking  me  for  the  use  of 
"Traveler"  (this  was  the  first  of  my  knowing  Jeff's  new  name;) 
further  stating  that  the  horse  suited  him,  but  that  he  could  not  longer 
keep  or  use  another's  property,  especially  when  so  valuable,  and  so 
exposed  in  such  perilous  times.  But  if  I  would  sell  the  horse,  his 
Aide  would-  pay  me  therefor. 

I  again  offered,  through  the  Aide,  to  give  the  horse  to  General 
Lee ;  but  the  Aide  replied  that  the  General  fully  appreciated  the  offer, 
and  had  anticipated  it  by  instructions  to  decline  it  wth  thanks,  and  to 
return  the  horse  to  me,  unless  I  was  wiling  to  sell  him.  I  then  stated 
that  General  Lee  could  buy  the  horse  for  what  he  cost  me,  $175.00. 
The  reply  was  that  General  Lee  had  previously  learned  from  me  that 
I  had  paid  $175.00  for  the  horse;  and  had  sent  $200.00  for  his  pur 
chase  on  account  of  the  depreciation  in  our  paper  money.  The  Aide 
then  handed  me  two  Confederate  notes  of  one  hundred  dollars  each, 
and  my  "Jeff"  became  General  Lee's  ''Traveler." 

At  General  Lee's  direction,  the  Aide  then  required  a  written 
receipt  and  bill  of  sale  signed  by  me,  describing  the  horse,  stating 
the  sale  thereof,  the  payment  of  the  price,  my  individual  ownership 
of  the  horse,  and  my  absolute  right  to  sell  him. 

Afterwards,  in  1868,  I  was  teaching  at  Glendale  Academy,  a 
Baptist  Institution  under  General  Perry  of  Alabama,  situated  on  the 
L.  &  N.  R.  R.  south  of  Elizabethtown,  Ky.  At  General  Perry's  re 
quest,  I  wrote  to  General  Lee  (while  he  was  President  of  Washington 
and  Lee  University  at  Lexington,  Va.)  asking  him  to  name  a  suitable 


TWO  IMMORTALS,  WHOSE    MEMORY  WILL   EVER  BE  LOVED  BY  CONFEDERATES 
AND  THEIR  DESCENDANTS. 


GEN.   ROBERT  LEE*S  WAR  HORSE  "TRAVELER".  561 

young  man  for  a  teacher's  place  in  General  Perry's  Academy ;  remind 
ing  General  Lee  of  my  indentity  by  inquiry  about  "Traveler." 

General  Lee  replied  to  me  most  pleasantly  in  his  own  handwrit 
ing;  was  always  glad  to  hear  from  any  of  his  former  soldiers,  com 
mended  me  for  working  in  my  own  Southern  country;  "Traveler" 
was  still  his  useful  saddle-horse;  would  I  furnish  the  horse's  pedi 
gree,  etc? 

This  led  to  another  letter  of  thanks  from  General  Lee  to  me  about 
the  horse's  pedigree.  I  also  received  letters  from  him  about  the 
teacher  wanted  by  General  Perry.  General  Lee  named  young  Mr. 
Brokenborough,  of  Lexington,  Va.  whom  General  Perry  employed, 
and  who  taught  at  Glendale  with  me. 

All  these  letters  from  General  Lee  were  long  since  lost,  given 
away  or  misplaced  by  me.  I  wish  I  now  had  them,  that  I  might  send 
you  at  least  one  of  them. 

In  visiting  you  and  your  people  in  1897,  and  again  in  1903,  I, 
on  the  L.  &  N.  R.  R.,  -passed  by  Glendale  in  near  view  of  the  old 
Academy  (still  in  use),  and  was  much  impressed  by  reminiscences  of 
my  year's  sojourn  there,  especially  of  events  herein  narrated. 

The  "Memoirs  of  Robert  E.  Lee"  by  Generals  Long  and  Wright 
(1886),  page  131-133,  contains  a  picture  of  General  Lee  mounted  on 
"Traveler,"  and  a  description  of  the  horse. 

I  sent  Edward  Betts  an  enlarged  copy  of  this  picture  last  fall, 
and  now  send  you  a  copy  of  this  description  of  "Traveler"  attached 
hereto. 

I  trust  from  these  "facts,"  you  may  be  able  to  cull  a  satisfactory 
"tradition." 

Your  affectionate  uncle, 

JOSEPH  M.  BROUN. 
To  Miss  Martha  Knott  Ordway, 
Murfreesboro,  Tennessee, 
March  9th,  1904. 

LONG'S  MEMOIRS  OF  ROBERT  E.   LEE  PAGES  131-133. 

"In  connection  with  this  West  Virginia  company,  we  may  revert 
to  another  matter  of  considerable  interest,  that  relating  to  Lee's 
favorite  horse  "Traveler,"  a  noble  animal  which  attained  almost  as 
much  celebrity  in  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  as  the  gallant  form 
which  he  bore  through  as  many  fields  of  battle.  He  was  purchased 
during  this  campaign,  and  served  his  master  royally  throughout  the 
whole  duration  of  the  war  and  for  many  years  afterwards. 

We  are  fortunately  able  to  give  a  history  and  description  of  this 
celebrated  charger  from  Lee  himself.  It  was  directed  to  his  daughter 
Agnes,  with  corrections  in  his  own  hand-writing,  apparently  in  re 
sponse  to  some  artist  who  had  asked  for  a  description  of  the  animal. 

The  enthusiasm  with  which  the  General  speaks  of  his  companion 


562  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

of  so  many  days  of  peril  and  hardship,  shows  the  spirit  of  a  true  horse 
man  and  a  nature  capable  of  kindly  affection  and  companionship  for 
every  creature  with  which  he  came  into  intimate  relations. 

If  I  was  an  artist  like  you,  I  would  draw  a  true  picture  of  "Travel 
er,"  representing  his  fine  proportions,  muscular  figure,  deep  chest 
and  short  back,  strong  haunches,  flat  legs,  small  head,  broad  fore 
head,  delicate  ears,  quick  eye,  small  feet,  and  black  mane  and  tail. 
Such  a  picture  would  inspire  a  poet  whose  genius  could  then  depict 
his  worth  and  describe  his  endurance  of  toil,  hunger,  thirst,  heat,  cold, 
and  the  dangers  and  sufferings  through  which  he  has  passed.  He 
could  dilate  upon  the  sagacity  and  affection  and  his  invariable  response 
to  every  wish  of  his  rider.  He  might  even  imagine  his  thoughts 
through  the  long  night — marches  and  days  of  battle  through  which 
he  had  passed. 

But  I  am  no  artist  and  can  only  say  he  is  a  Confederate  Gray. 

I  purchased  him  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia  in  the  autumn  of 
1 86 1,  and  he  has  been  my  patient  follower  ever  since — to  Georgia, 
the  Carolinas,  and  back  to  Virginia.  He  carried  me  through  the  seven 
days  battle  around  Richmond,  the  Second  Manassas,  at  Sharpsburg, 
Fredericksburg,  the  last  day  at  Chancellorsville,  to  Pennsylvania,  at 
Gettysburg,  and  back  to  the  Rappahannock.  From  the  commence 
ment  of  the  Campaign  in  1864  at  Orange  till  its  close  around  Peters 
burg,  the  saddle  was  scarcely  off  his  back,  as  he  passed  through  the 
fire  of  the  wilderness,  Cold  Harbor,  and  across  the  James  River.  He 
was  almost  in  daily  requisition  in  the  winter  of  1864-65  on  the  long 
line  of  defense  from  the  Chickahominy  north  of  Richmond  and 
Hatcher's  Run  south  of  the  Appomatox.  In  the  campaign  of  1865 
he  bore  me  from  Petersburg  to  the  final  days  at  Appomatox  Court 
house. 

You  must  know  the  comfort  he  is  to  me  in  my  present  retirement. 
He  is  well  supplied  with  equipments.  Two  sets  have  been  sent  to  him 
from  England,  one  from  the  ladies  of  Baltimore,  and  one  was  made 
for  him  in  Richmond,  but  I  think  his  favorite  is  the  American  Saddle 
from  St.  Louis.  Of  all  his  companions  in  toil,  "Richmond,"  Brown 
Roan,  Ajax  and  "Quiet  Lucy  Long,"  he  is  the  only  one  that  retained 
his  vigor  to  the  last.  The  first  two  expired  under  their  owners 
burden,  and  the  last  two  failed. 

You  can,  I  am  sure,  from  what  I  have  said,  paint  his  portrait. 

To  General  Lee's  description  of  his  noble  horse  may  be  added 
some  few  further  particulars  of  his  appearance  and  history.  He  was 
sixteen  hands  high,  of  a  dark  iron-gray  color,  and  when  purchased 
about  five  years  old.  He  was  strong  and  active,  but  perfectly  docile, 
and  as  calm  as  his  master  under  fire.  General  Lee  had  always  a  strong 
affection  for  him,  which  he  manifested  on  many  occasions.  Six  years 
after  the  war,  "Traveler"  had  become  almost  milk-white,  having 
grown  hoary  with  age  and  honors.  He  died  very  soon  after  the 
decease  of  his  master,  his  death  arising  from  lock-jaw  caused  by  his 


GEN.   ROBERT  LEE'S  WAR  HORSE   "TRAVELER5'.  563 

treading  on  a  nail  which  penetrated  his  foot  and  could  not  be  with 
drawn." 

Copied  from  Long's  "Memoirs  of  Robert  E.  Lee,"  page  131-133, 
at  Beckley,  W.  Va.  March  9,  1904,  by  Joseph  M.  Broun  for  his  great- 
niece,  Martha  Knott  Ordway,  of  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee. 

JOSEPH  M.  BROUN. 
March  9th,  1904. 


UNSWERVING  DEVOTION  TO  DUTY. 


Miss  Elizabeth  Ryall,  the  daughter  of  an  Ex-Confederate  who 
has  always  cherished  the  cause  of  the  Southern  Confederacy  and  who 
eagerly  sought  information  or  incidents  relative  to  the  struggle  her 
native  Southland  made  to  gain  her  independence,  remembers  a  touch 
ing  scene  enacted  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  as  related  to  her  by 
her  father,  while  that  glorious  Chieftain,  Robert  E.  Lee  was  in 
Virginia : 

"On  a  beautiful  autumn  day  while  the  two  armies  were  confront 
ing  each  other  and  only  divided  by  this  historic  stream,  General  Lee 
accompanied  u  only  by  a  staff  officer,  was  riding  along  the  front,  on 
"Traveler,"  and'  when  he  had  reached  an  eminence  which  commanded 
a  view  of  the  country  across  the  river,  and  which  was  occupied  by 
the  enemy,  dismounted  from  his  horse,  and  with  his  field-glasses 
peered  long  and  earnestly,  and  involuntarily  the  glasses  dropped  from 
his  hands — he  came  down  on  bended  knees  with  his  face  turned  to 
heaven  and  silently  sought  intercession  with  his  God; — finally  aris 
ing  with  tears  streaming  down  his  face,  his  manly  form  trembling  with 
emotion,  his  voice  choking  and  almost  inaudible — Adjutant,  he  said, 
this  is  the  most  trying  ordeal  of  my  life — In  that  house  on  yonder  hill 
I  first  met  my  wife,  under  its  roof  and  on  that  veranda  I  wooed  and 
won  her  love,  under  the  shade  of  the  trees  my  children  have  played, 
the  enemy  has  discovered  its  commanding  view  to  gain  vantage  ground 
and  thus  imperil  the  result  of  our  success  in  the  coming  conflict — 
they  must  be  dislodged  at  any  cost,  although  the  dearest  spot  on  earth 
to  me,  it  must  and  shall  be  done.  Order  those  batteries  to  this  point 
and  have  them  to  storm  with  shot  and  shell,  if  necessary,  until  not  one 
vestige  of  the  house  is  left." 

Thus  giving  another  instance  of  unswerving  devotion  to  duty  at 
the  cost  of  personal  sacrifice. 


THE  CONFEDERATE  GUN-BOAT  "ARKANSAS". 

By  her  Commander  Isaac  N.  Brown,  Captain  C.  S.  N.  (Published  by 

permission). 

Afer  the  Appomatox  capitulation,  the  observance  of  which,  nobly 
maintained  by  General  Grant,  crowns  him  as  the  humane  man  of  the 
age,  I  took  to  the  plow,  as  a  better  implement  of  reconstruction  than 
the  pen ;  and  if  I  take  up  the  latter  now,  it  is  that  justice  may  be  done 
to  the  men  and  the  memory  of  the  men  of  the  Arkansas. 

On  the  28th  of  May,  1862,  I  received  at  Vicksburg  a  telegraphic 
order  from  the  Navy  Department  at  Richmond  to  "proceed1  to  Green 
wood,  Miss.,  and  assume  command  of  the  Confederate  gun-boat 
Arkansas,  and  to  finish  and  equip  the  vessel  without  regard  to  ex 
penditure  of  men  or  money."  I  knew  that  such  a  vessel  had  been 
under  construction  at  Memphis,  but  I  had  not  heard  until  then  of  her 
escape  from  the  general  wreck  of  our  Mississippi  river  defenses. 
Greenwood  is  at  the  head  of  the  Yazoo  river,  160  miles  by  river  from 
Yazoo  City.  It  being  the  season  of  overflow,  I  found1  my  command 
four  miles  from  dry  land.  Her  condition  was  not  encouraging.  The 
vessel  was  a  mere  hull,  without  armor;  the  engines  were  apart;  guns 
without  carriages  were  lying  about  the  deck ;  a  portion  of  the  railroad 
iron  intended  as  armor  at  the  bottom  of  the  river,  and  the  other  and 
far  greater  part  was  to  be  sought  for  in  the  interior  of  the  country. 
Taking  a  day  to  fish  up  the  sunken  irons,  I  had  the  Arkansas  towed 
to  Yazoo  City,  where  the  hills  reach  the  river.  Here,  though  we  were 
within  fifty  miles  of  the  Union  fleets,  there  was  the  possibility  of 
equipment.  Within  a  very  short  time  after  reaching  Yazoo  City  we 
had  two  hundred  men,  chiefly  from  the  nearest  detachment  of  the 
army,  at  work  on  the  deck's  shield  and  hull,  while  fourteen  black 
smith  forges  were  drawn  from  the  neighboring  plantations  and 
placed  on  the  bank  to  hasten  the  iron-work.  Extemporized  drilling 
machines  on  the  steamer  Capitol  worked  day  and  night  fitting  the 
railway  iron  for  the  bolts  which  were  to  fasten  it  as  armor.  This  iron 
was  brought  from  many  points  to  the  nearest  railroad  station  and 
thence  twenty-five  miles  by  wagons.  The  trees  were  yet  growing 
from  which  the  gun-carriages  had  to  be  made — the  most  difficult 
work  of  all  as  such  vehicles  had  never  been  built  in  Mississippi.  I 
made  a  contract  with  two  gentlemen  o<f  Jackson  to  pay  each  his  own 
price  for  the  full  number  of  ten.  The  executive  officer,  Mr.  Stevens, 
gave  the  matter  his  particular  attention,  and  in  time,  along  with  the 
general  equipment,  we  obtained1  five  good  carriages  from  each  con- 


566 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


tractor.  This  finishing,  armoring,  arming,  and  equipment  of  the 
Arkansas,  within  five  weeks  working-time,  under  the  hot  summer 
sun  from  which  we  were  unsheltered,  and  under  the  depressing  thought 
that  there  was  a  deep  channel,  oi  but  six  hours'  steaming  between  us 
and  the  Federal  fleet,  whose  guns  were  within  hearing,  was  perhaps 
not  inferior  under  all  the  circumstances  to  the  renowned  effort  of 


CAPT.  I.  N.  BROWN,  COMMANDER- -ARKANSAS 
RAM,   C.   S.   N. 

Oliver  Hazard  Perry  in  cutting  a  fine  ship  from  the  forest  in  ninety 
days.  We  were  not  a  day  too  soon,  for  the  now  rapid  fall  oi  the  river 
rendered  it  necessary  for  us  to  assume  the  offensive  without  waiting 
for  the  apparatus  to  bend  the  railway  iron  to  the  curve  of  our  quarter 
and  stern,  and  to  the  angles  of  the  pilot-house. 

On  Monday  a.  m.,  July  I4th,  1862,  we  started  from  Satartia. 
Fifteen  miles  below,  at  the  mouth  of  Sunflower  river,  we  found  that 
the  steam  from  our  imperfect  engines  and  boiler  had  penetrated  our 
forward  magazine  and  wet  our  powder  so  as  to  render  it  unfit  for  use. 
We  were  just  opposite  the  site  of  an  old  saw-mill,  where  the  opening 
in  the  forest,  dense  everywhere  else,  admitted  the  sun's  rays.  The  day 
was  clear  and  very  hot ;  we  made  fast  to  the  bank,  head  down  stream, 
landed  our  wet  powder  (expecting  the  enemy  to  heave  in  sight  every . 


THE  CONFEDERATE  GUN-BOAT  "ARKANSAS".  567 

moment),  spread  tarpaulins  over  the  old1  saw-dust  and  our  powder 
over  these.  By  constant  shaking  and  turning  we  got  it  back  to  the 
point  of  ignition  before  the  sun  sank  below  the  trees,  when,  gathering 
it  up,  we  crowded  all  that  we  could  of  it  into  the  after  magazine  and 
resumed  our  way,  guns  cast  loose  and  men  at  quarters,  expecting 
every  moment  to  meet  the  enemy.  I  had  some  idea  of  their  strength, 
General  Van  Dorn,  commanding  our  forces  at  Vicksburg,  having  writ 
ten  to  me  two  days  before  that  there  were  then,  I  think  he  said,  thirty- 
seven  men-of-war  in  sight,  and  more  up  the  river.  Near  dark  we 
narrowly  escaped  the  'destruction  of  our  smoke  stack  from  an  immense 
overhanging  tree.  From  this  disaster  we  were  saved  by  young  Grim- 
ball,  who  sprang  from  the  shield  to  another  standing  tree,  with  rope's- 
end  in  hand,  and  made  it  fast.  We  anchored  near  Hayne's  Bluff  at 
midnight  and  Tested  till  3  a.  m.,  when  we  got  up  anchor  for  the  fleet, 
hoping  to  be  with  it  at  sun  rise,  but  before  it  was  light  we  ran  ashore 
and  lost  an  hour  in  getting  again  afloat.  At  sunrise  we  gained  Old  riv 
er — a  lake  caused  by  a  "cut-off"  from  the  Mississippi ;  the  Yazoo  enters 
this  at  the  north  curve,  and,  mingling  its  deep  waters  with  the  wider 
expanse  o>f  the  lake,  after  a  union  of  ten  miles,  breaks  through  a  nar 
row  strip  of  land  to  lose  itself  finally  in  the  Mississippi  twelve  miles 
above  Vicksburg.  We  were  soon  to  find  the  fleet  midway  between 
these  points,  but  hid  from  both  by  the  curved  and  weeded  eastern 
shore.  As  the  sun  rose  clear  and  fiery  out  of  the  lake  on  our  left,  we 
saw  a  few  miles  ahead,  under  full  steam,  three  Federal  vessels  in  line 
approaching.  These  as  we  afterwards  discovered,  were  the  iron-clad 
Carondelet,  Captain  Henry  Walke,  the  wooden  gun-boat  Tyler,  Lieu 
tenant  William  Gwin,  and  a  ram,  the  Queen  of  the  West,  Lieutenant 
James  M.  Hunter.  Directing  our  pilot  to  stand  for  the  iron-clad,  the 
center  vessel  of  the  three,  I  gave  the  order  not  to  fire  our  bow  guns, 
lest  by  doing  so  we  should  diminish  our  speed,  relying  for  the  moment 
upon  our  broadside  guns  to  keep  the  ram  and  the  Tyler  from  gaining 
our  quarters,  which  they  seemed-  eager  to  do.  I  had  determined, 
despite  our  want  of  speed,  to  try  the  ram  or  iron  prow  upon  the  foe, 
who  were  gallantly  approaching ;  but  when  less  than  half  a  mile 
separated  us,  the  Carondelet  fired  a  wildly  aimed  bow  gun,  backed 
round,  and  went  from  the  Arkansas  at  a  speed  which  at  once  percep 
tibly  increased  the  space  between  us.  The  Tyler  and  ram  followed 
this  movement  of  the  iron-clad,  and  the  stern  guns  of  the  Carondelet 
and  the  Tyler  were  briskly  served  on  us.  Grimball  and  Gift,  with 
their  splendid  sixty-fours,  were  now  busy  at  their  work,  while  Barbot 
and  Wharton  watched  for  a  chance  shot  abeam.  Read  chafed  in 
silence  at  his  rifles.  The  whole  crew  was  under  the  immediate  direc 
tion  of  the  first  Lientenant,  Henry  Stevens,  a  religious  soldier,  of  the 
Stonewall  Jackson  type,  who  felt  equally  safe  at  all  times  and  places. 
I  was  on  the  shield-  directly  over  our  bow  guns,  and  could  see  their 
shot  on  the  way  to  the  Carondelet,  and  with  my  glasses  I  thought  that 
I  could  see  the  white  wood  under  her  armor.  This  was  satisfactory 
for  I  knew  that  no  vessel  afloat  could  long  stand  rapid  raking  by 


568  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

8-inch  shot  at  such  short  range.  We  soon  began  to  gain  on  the  chase, 
yet  from  time  to  time  I  had  to  steer  first  to  starboard,  then  to  port, 
to  keep  the  inquistive  consorts  of  the  Carondelet  from  inspecting  my 
boiler  plate  armor.  This  gave  the  nearer  antagonist  an  advantage, 
but  before  he  could  improve  it  he  would  be  again  brought  ahead. 
While  our  shot  seemed  always  to  hit  his  stern  and  disappear,  his  mis 
siles,  striking  our  inclined  shields  were  reflected  over  my  head  and 
lost  in  air.  I  received  a  severe  contusion  on  the  head,  but  this  gave 
me  no  concern  after  I  had  failed  to  find  any  brains  mixed  with  the 
handful  of  clotted'  blood  which  I  drew  from  the  wound  and  examined. 
A  moment  later  a  shot  from  the  Tyler  struck  at  my  feet,  penetrated 
the  pilot-house,  and,  cutting  off  a  section  of  the  wheel,  mortally  hurt 
Chief  Pilot  Hodges  and  disabled  our  Yazoo  river  pilot,  Shacklett, 
who  was  at  the  moment  much  needed,  our  Mississippi  pilots  knowing 
nothing  of  Old  river.  James  Brady,  a  Missourian  of  nerve  and  equal 
to  the  duty,  took  the  wheel,  and  I  ordered  him  to  "keep  the  iron-clad 
ahead."  All  was  going  well,  with  a  near  prospect  of  carrying  out 
my  first  intention  of  using  the  ram,  this  time  at  a  great  advantage, 
for  the  stern  of  the  Carondelet  was  now  the  objective  point,  and  she 
seemed  to  be  going  slow  and  unsteady.  Unfortunately  the  Tyler 
also  slowed,  so  as  to  keep  near  his  friend,  and  this  brought  us  within 
easy  range  of  his  small  arms.  I  saw  with  some  concern,  as  I  was  the 
only  visible  target,  outside  our  shield,  that  they  were  firing  by  volleys. 
I  ought  to  have  told  Stevens  to  hold  off  Grimball  and  Gift  from  the 
iron-clad  till  they  could  finish  the  Tyler,  but  neither  in  nor  out  of 
battle  does  one  always  do  the  right  thing.  I  was  near  the  hatchway 
at  the  moment  when  a  minnie-ball,  striking  over  my  left  temple, 
tumbled  me  down  among  the  guns.  I  awoke  as  if  from  sleep,  to  find 
kind  hands  helping  me -to  a  place  among  the  killed  and  wounded.  I  soon 
regained  my  place  on  the  shield.  I  found  the  Carondelet  still  ahead, 
but  much  nearer,  and  both  vessels  entering  the  willows,  which  grew 
out  on  the  bar  at  the  inner  curve  of  the  lake.  To  have  run  into  the 
mud,  we  drawing  13  feet,  the  Carondelet  only  6,  would  have  ended 
the  matter  with  the  Arkansas. 

The  Carondelet's  action  could  only  be  accounted  for  by  supposing 
her  steering  apparatus  destroyed.  The  deep  water  was  on  our  starboard 
bow,  where  at  some  distance  I  saw  the  Tyler  and  the  ram,  as  if  await 
ing  our  further  entanglement.  I  gave  the  order  "hard  a-port  and 
depress  port  guns."  So  near  were  we  to  the  chase  that  this  action  of 
the  helm  brought  us  alongside,  and  our  port  broadside  caused  her  to 
heel  to  port  and  then  roll  back  so  deeply  as  to  take  the  water  over  her 
deck  forward  of  the  shield.  Our  crew,  thinking  her  sinking,  gave 
three  hearty  cheers.  In  swinging  off  we  exposed  our  stern  to  the 
Cardondelet's  broadside,  and  Read  at  the  same  time  got  a  chance  with 
his  rifles.  The  Carondelet  did  not  return  this  fire  of  our  broadside 
and  stern  guns.  Had  she  fired  into  our  stern  when  we  were  so  near, 
it  would  have  destroyed  or  at  least  disabled  us. 

Though  I  stood  within  easy  pistol  shot,  in  uniform,  uncovered, 


569 

and  evidently  the  commander  of  the  Arkansas,  no  more  notice  was 
taken  of  me  by  the  Carondelet  than  had  been  taken  of  my  ship,  when, 
to  escape  running  into  the  mud,  I  had  exposed  the  Arkansas  to  being 
raked.  Their  ports  were  closed,  no  flag  was  flying,  not  a  man  or 
officer  was  in  view,  not  a  sound  or  shot  was  heard.  She  was  appar 
ently  "disabled." 

We  neither  saw  nor  felt  the  Carondelet  again,  but  turned1  toward 
the  spiteful  Tyler  and  the  wary  ram.  As  these  were  no  longer  a  match 
for  the  Arkansas,  they  very  properly  took  advantage  of  a  speed  double 
our  own  to  gain  shelter  of  their  fleet,  the  Tyler  making  good  practice 
at  us  while  in  range  with  her  pivot  gun,  and  getting  some  attention 
in  the  same  way  from  our  bows.  Under  the  ordinary  circumstances 
of  war  we  had  just  got  through  with  a  fair  hour's  work;  but  knowing 
what  was  ahead  of  us,  we  had  to  regard  it  in  the  same  light  as  our 
Missouri  militia  did,  as  "a  pretty  smart  skirmish." 

On  gaining  the  Mississippi  we  saw  no  vessels  but  the  two  we  had 
driven  before  us.  While  following  these  in  the  direction  of  Vicks- 
burg  I  had  the  opportunity  of  inspecting  engine  and  fire  rooms,  where 
I  found  engineers  and  firemen  had  been  suffering  under  a  tempera 
ture  of  1 20  degrees  to  130  degrees.  The  executive  officer,  while 
attending  to  every  other  duty  during  the  recent  firing,  had  organized 
a  relief  party  from  the  men  at  the  guns,  who  went  down  into  the  fire 
room  every  fifteen  minutes,  the  others  coming  up  or  being,  in  many 
instances,  hauled  up,  exhausted  in  that  time;  in  this  way,  by  great 
care,  steam  was  kept  to  service  gauge,  but  in  the  conflict  below  the 
fire  department  broke  down.  The  connection  between  furnaces  and 
smoke-stack  (technically  called  the  breechings)  were  in  this  second 
conflict  shot  away,  destroying  the  draught  and  letting  the  flames  come 
out  into  the  shield,  raising  the  temperature  there  to  120  degrees, 
while  it  had  already  risen  to  130  degrees  in  the  fire-room.  It  has  been 
asked  why  the  Arkansas  was  not  used  as  a  ram.  The  want  of  speed 
and  of  confidence  in  the  engines  answers  the  question.  We  went  into 
action  in  Old-  river  with  120  pounds  of  steam,  and  though  every  effort 
was  made  to  keep  it  up,  we  came  out  with  but  20  pounds,  hardly 
enough  to  turn  the  engines. 

Aided  by  the  current  of  the  Mississippi,  we  soon  approached  the 
Federal  fleet — a  forest  of  masts  and  smoke-stacks,  ships,  rams,  iron 
clads,  and  other  gun-boats  on  the  left  side,  and  ordinary  river  steamers 
'and  bomb-vessels  along  the  right.  To  any  one  having  a  real  ram  at 
command  the  genius  of  havoc  could  not  have  offered  a  finer  view, 
the  panoramic  effect  of  which  was  intensified  by  the  city  of  men 
spread  out  with  innumerable  tents  opposite  on  the  right  bank.  We 
were  not  yet  in  sight  of  Vicksburg,  but  in  every  direction,  except 
astern,  our  eyes  rested  on  enemies.  I  had  long  known  the  most  of 
these  as  valued  friends,  and  if  I  now  had  any  doubts  of  the  success  of 
the  Arkansas  they  were  inspired  by  this  general  knowledge  rather 


570  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

from  any  awe  of  a  particular  name.  It  seemed  at  a  glance  as  if  a  whole 
navy  had4  come  to  keep  me  away  from  the  heroic  city,  six  or  seven  rams, 
four  or  five  iron-clads,  not  including  one  accounted  for  an  hour  ago, 
and  the  fleet  of  Farragut  generally,  behind  or  inside  of  this  fleet. 
The  rams  seemed  to  have  been  held  in  reserve,  to  come  out  between 
the  intervals.  Seeing  this  as  we  neared  the  head  of  the  line,  I  said  to 
our  pilot,  "Brady,  shave  that  line  of  men-of-war  as  close  as  you  can, 
so  that  the  rams  will  not  have  room  to  gather  head-way  in  coming  out 
to  strike  us."  In  this  way  we  ran  so  near  to  the  wooden  ships,  that 
each  may  have  expected  the  blow  which,  if  I  couLd  avoid  it,  I  did  not 
intend  to  deliver  to  any,  and  probably  the  rams  running  out  at  slow 
speed  across  the  line  of  our  advance  received  in  the  smoke  and  fury 
of  the  fight  more  damage  from  the  guns  of  their  own  men-of-war 
than  from  those  of  the  Arkansas. 

As  we  neared  the  head  of  the  line  our  bow  guns,  trained  on  the 
Hartford,  began  this  second  fight  of  the  morning  (we  were  yet  to 
have  a  third  one  before  the  day  closed),  and  within  a  few  minutes,  as 
the  enemy  was  brought  in  range,  every  gun  of  the  Arkansas  was  at 
its  wo<rk.  It  was  calm,  and  the  smoke  settling  over  the  combatants, 
our  men  at  times  directed  their  guns  at  the  flashes  of  those  of  their 
opponents.  .As  we  advanced,  the  line  of  fire  seemed  to  grow  into  a 
circle  constantly  closing.  The  shock  of  missiles  striking  our  sides 
was  literally  continuous,  and  as  we  were  now  surrounded,  without 
room  for  anything  but  pushing  ahead,  and  shrapnel  shots  were  coming 
on  our  shield  deck,  twelve  pounds  at  a  time,  I  went  below  to  see  how 
our  Missouri  Backwoodsmen  were  handling  their  loo-pounder  Colum- 
biads.  At  this  moment  I  had  the  most  lively  realization  of  having  steam 
ed  into  a  real  volcano,  the  Arkansas  from  its  center  firing  rapidly  to 
every  point  of  the  circumference,  without  the  fear  of  hitting  a  friend 
or  missing  an  enemy.  I  got  below  in  time  to  see  Read  and  Scales 
with  their  rifled  guns  blow  off  the  feeble  attack  of  a  ram  on  our  stern. 
Another  ram  was  across  our  way  ahead.  As  I  gave  the  order,  "Go 
through  him,  Brady,"  his  steam  went  into  the  air,  and  his  crew  into 
the  river.  A  shot  from  one  of  our  bow  guns  had  gone  through  his 
boiler  and  saved  the  collision.  We  passed  by  and  through  the  brave 
fellows  struggling  in  the  water  under  a  shower  of  missiles  intended 
for  us.  It  was  a  little  hot  that  morning  all  around ;  the  enemy's  shot 
frequently  found  weak  places  in  our  armor,  and-  their  shrapnel  and  min- 
nie  balls  also  came  through  our  port  holes.  Still,  under  a  temperature 
of  1 20  degrees,  our  people  kept  to  their  work,  and  as  each  one,  acting 
under  the  steady  eye  of  Stevens,  seemed  to  think  the  result  depended 
on  himself,  I  sought  a  cooler  atmosphere  on  the  shield,  to  find,  close 
ahead  and  across  our  way,  a  large  iron-clad,  displaying  the  square 
flag  of  an  admiral.  Though  we  had  but  little  headway,  his  beam  was 
exposed,  and  I  ordered  the  pilot  to  strike  him  amidships.  He  avoided* 
this  by  steaming  ahead,  and,  passing  under  his  stern,  nearly  touch 
ing,  we  gave  him  our  starboard  broadside,  which  probably  went 


THE  CONFEDERATE  GUN-BOAT  "ARKANSAS".  571 

through  him  from  rudder  to  prow.  This  was  our  last  shot,  and  we 
received  none  in  return. 

We  were  now  at  the  end  of  what  had  seemed  the  interminable 
line,  and  also  past  the  outer  rim  of  the  volcano.  I  now  called  the 
officers  up  to  take  a  look  at  what  we  had  just  come  through  and  to 
get  the  fresh  air;  and  as  the  little  group  of  heroes  closed  around  me 
with  their  friendly  words  of  congratulation,  a  heavy  rifle  shot  passed 
close  over  our  heads:  it  was  the  parting  salutation,  and  if  aimed  two 
feet  lower  would*  have  been  to  us  the  most  injurious  of  the  battle. 
We  were  not  yet  in  sight  of  Vicksburg,  but  if  any  of  the  fleet  followed 
us  farther  on  our  way  I  did  not  perceive  it. 

The  Arkansas  continued  toward  Vicksburg  without  further 
trouble.  When  within  sight  of  the  city,  we  saw  another  fleet  pre 
paring  to  receive  us,  or  recede  from  us,  below ;  one  vessel  was  aground 
and  in  flames.  With  our  firemen  exhausted,  our  smoke-stack  cut  to 
pieces,  and  a  section  of  our  plating  torn  from  the  side,  we  were  not  in 
condition  just  then  to  begin  a  third  battle  ;  moreover  humanity  required 
the  landing  of  our  wounded — terribly  torn  by  cannon-shot, — and  of  our 
dead.  We  were  received  at  Vicksburg  with  enthusiastic  cheers. 
Immediate  measures  were  taken  to  repair  damages  and  to  recruit  our 
crew,  diminished  to  one-half  their  original  number  by  casualties,  and 
by  the  expiration  of  service  of  those  who  had  volunteered  only  for  the 
trip  to  Vicksburg. 


THE  APPROACHING  CHARLESTON  REUNION,  1899. 

"Charleston  is  a  pretty  place,  the  girls  look  sweet; 
Charleston  is  a  pretty  place,  the  girls  dress  neat. 

Off  to  Charleston,  so  early  in  -the  morning, 
Off  to  Charleston,  'fore  the  break  of  day. 
Give  my  respects  to  all  the  pretty  Lina  Gals, 
Off  to  Charleston,  'fore  the  break  of  day." 

When  I  read  General  Walker's  article  that  old  song  rang  in  my 
ears  and  the  historic  memories  of  that  old  city  crowded  upon  me.  I 
thought  of  Sumter,  where  the  first  shot  was  fired,  of  Moultrie,  of 
Battery  Wagner,  and  of  the  battles  of  the  harbor  in  Confederate  times, 
and  of  its  rich,  historic  events  in  revolutionary  history. 

Old  soldiers  let  us  go  and  see  the  old  city  where  the  ordinance  of 
secession  was  first  passed,  and  where  South  Carolina  sprung  an  idea 
that  got  us  into  war,  the  bloodiest  in  the  annals  of  American  history. 
I  have  danced  in  boyhood  to  that  old  song,  and  now  I  want  to  see  the 
city  that  gave  it  inspiration. 

"Off  to  Charleston  so  early  in  the  Morning." 

The  fiddlers  and  banjo  pickers  brought  us  up  under  it,  and  I 
know  that  the  people  who  made  it  so  popular  were  frolicky  and  full 
of  fun.  The  air  throughout  the  Union  was  permeated  with  it. 

Let's  go  down  and  break  bread  and  -drink  "water"  with  the  peo 
ple  who  gave  it  birth.  The  scions  of  the  hospitality  of  those  days  are 
few.  They  are  there,  though,  enough  of  them  to  make  the  embers 
of  Southern  hospitality  and  South  Carolina  greeting  a  pleasing  recol 
lection.  The  Rhetts,  the  Gists,  the  Hamptons,  the  Pickenses,  et  id 
omme  genus,  will  kindle  the  flames  of  the  days  that  are  gone  and  make 
us  feel  good. 

As  a  soldier  boy,  I  saw  a  pretty  girl  in  that  State  once,  and  it 
left  such  a  happy  impression  upon  me  that  I  want  to  go  back  and  see 
if  the  "glowing  rose  has  faded  into  a  lily;"  or  if  she  is  not  living, 
anything  connected  with  her  memory  will  be  worthy  of  my  visit. 

She  had  eyes  like  the  fish  pools  of  Heshbon  by  the  gate  o-f  Bath- 
rabbim,  a  neck  like  a  tower  o-f  ivory — aye,  "the  dimple  in  her  chin, 
was  like  a  flower  a  bee  sat  in." 


THE  APPROACHING  CHARLESTON  REUNION. 


First,  gallant  South  Carolina  nobly  made  her  stand; 
And  quickly  Alabama  took  her  by  the  hand. 

These  and  memories  of  "coming  home  from  Greensboro,"  crowd 
upon  me.  The  men  of  to-day  cannot  realize  the  pleasure  of  the  sol 
dier  boys  of  yesterday.  O  those  nice  tobacco  bags  and  little  nothings 


for  a  soldier's  comfort,  and  those  ginger  cakes  for  the  haversack! 
The  ways  of  those  South  Carolina  girls  were  ways  of  pleasantness, 
and  their  paths  seemed  paths  of  peace,  and  so  much  appreciated  by 
the  Tennesseean,  Kentuckian,  and*  Missourian  who  were  torn  away 
from  "the  girls  they  left  behind  them." 

So,  boys,  wake  up  and  don't  miss  it,  for  Charleston  will  kill  her 
fatted  calf.     She  will  chant  the  festal  song  and  vie    with    Houston, 


574  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Richmond  and  Nashville  in  making  the  reunion  visit  a  pleasant  recol 
lection  through  their  reverence  for  your  services  in  the  sixties,  by 
fighting  for  a  cause  the  truth  of  which  will  die  only  with  the  last 
echoes  of  time. 

Off  to   Charleston,   so  early  in  the  morning! 
Off  to   Charleston,   'fore    the    break    of    day. 
Give  my  respects  to  all  the  pretty  'Lina  gals, 
Off  to  Charleston,   'fore    the    break    of    day. 


RIDLEY,  THE  PIONEER. 

(By  R.  A.  Halley.) 

It  has  been  said4  that  none  but  the  brave  ever  started  to  California 
in  the  pioneer  days,  and  that  none  but  the  strong  ever  got  there.  It 
is  probably  true  of  all  pioneers  of  the  days  when  traveling  was  not 
what  it  is  now.  Certainly  it  was  true  of  the  men  and  women  who  first 
came  to  Middle  Tennessee  by  long  and-  perilous  voyages,  and  made 
their  homes  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness.  A  few  of  those  hardy 
ones  survived  to  see  what  they  found,  a  wilderness  transformed  into 
a  city  of  many  attractions,  and  in  the  first  half  of  the  last  century  there 
was  quite  a  number  of  them  dwelling  in  Nashville.  Some  of  them 
lived  to  be  almost  a  hundred  years  old,  and  a  few  passed  the  century 
mark.  It  must  have  been  interesting  to  talk  to  them  of  their  eventful 
lives. 

One  of  the  old1  pioneers  who  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age  was  Daniel 
Ridley,  who  was  a  most  entertaining  character,  and  who  married  a 
second  wife  when  forty  years  of  age.  He  was  a  native  of  Williams- 
burg,  Va.,  had  been  a  soldier  in  Braddock's  army  and  became 
thoroughly  inured  to  toil  and  fatigue.  He  emigated  to  Tennessee,  on 
marrying  for  the  second  time,  and  establishing  himself  on  the  north 
fork  of  the  Holston,  where  he  and  his  wife  lived  ten  or  twelve  years, 
engaged  in  constant  contests  with  the  Indians.  He  did  not  mind  this, 
being  by  nature  very  industrious,  his  first  wife  having  left  him  eight 
children  to  work  for.  He  heard  of  the  Cumberland  settlement  and 
joined  a  large  party  which  made  the  800  mile  journey  down  the  Hols- 
ton  and  Tennessee  and  up  the  Cumberland  to  Nashville.  They 
arrived  in  1790. 

Selecting  a  tract  of  land  south  of  the  settlement,  four  miles  from 
the  present  city  limits,  he  cleared  one  acre  for  his  fort  and  built  a 
strong  stockade  around  it,  with  a  gate,  as  the  Choctaw,  Chickasaw 
and  Cherokee  Indians,  were  bitterly  contesting  this  intrusion  of  their 
hunting  grounds.  Within  this  stockade  he  built,  in  the  regular  pio 
neer  style,  a  double  log  house,  consisting  of  two  rooms  with  a  spa 
cious  passage  between  them,  the  whole  under  a  single  roof.  One  of 
these  rooms  served  to  sleep  in,  and  the  other  for  a  kitchen,  the  pas 
sageway  between  convenient  to  sit  in  and  to  eat  in.  At  three  corners 
of  his  square  stockade  he  erected  block  houses  of  the  peculiar  type 
that  long  drew  the  attention  of  all  who  traveled  that  way. 

Within  the  stockade  were  also  built  the  other  structures  necessary 
for  the  horses  and  cattle.  It  was  the  general  plan  adopted  by  the 


576  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OP  TENNESSEE. 

settlers,   very   convenient   and  efficacious   for  the    purposes    sought.' 
They  were  usually  a  little  over  twenty  feet  square. 

The  method  of  construction  was  simple.  Next  to  the  ground 
were  laid  six  logs,  one  on  the  other,  for  each  side,  well  mortised, 
tvhich  made  a  log  wall  higher  than  a  man  standing.  Then  logs 
twenty-four  feet  long  were  placed  on  top  of  these,  giving  a  projec 
tion  on  each  side,  the  top  even  with  the  floor  of  the  room  to  be  con 
structed  above.  On  the  ends  of  these  logs  the  building  up  with  mor 
tised  logs  continued  until  the  required  height  was  attained.  Then  the 
gables  were  constructed  and-  the  roof  put  on.  On  the  roof,  pieces  of 
wood  were  fixed  for  the  garrison  to  step  upon,  and  to  extinguish  the 
flames,  should  the  Indians  succeed  in  setting  fire  to  it.  There  were 
loop-holes  in  the  upper  story  as  well  as  in  the  projecting  floor,  so  that 
the  settlers  could  fire  down  at  the  Indians. 

Mr.  Ridley's  daughter,  Sallie,  married  a  son  of  John  Buchanan; 
John  Buchanan  had  a  fort  not  far  away  from  Fort  Ridley.  The 
Buchanan  fort  was  the  scene  of  an  affair  memorable  in  the  annals  of 
the  early  settlement  of  Nashville.  The  fort  had  been  surprised  by 
Choctaws  and'  Cherokees,  when  the  Indians  rushed  into  the  room 
where  the  old  pair  had  taken  refuge,  butchered  the  old  man  in  the  pres 
ence  of  his  wife,  who,  kneeling  with  her  back  to  the  wall  and  implor 
ing  their  mercy,  had  the  muzzles  of  their  guns  pushed  close  to  her 
face  to  frighten  her.  She  was  spared.  There  was  another  attack  on 
the  fort  in  1792,  when  it  was  occupied  by  Ridley's  son-in-law, 
Buchanan,  and  this  is  the  fight  in  which  Mrs.  Buchanan,  who*  was  a 
daughter  of  Ridley,  moulded  the  bullets  for  the  men  who  were  de 
fending  the  fort. 

Mrs.  Buchanan  weighed-  260  pounds,  and  she  was  as  courageous 
as  she  was  large.  Trained  from  her  earliest  youth  amid  dangers,  she 
was  remarkable  for  her  personal  resolution  and  for  her  patient  endur 
ance  of  hardships.  Her  help  in  1792  saved  the  forts  which  the  Indians 
had  planned  to  attack,  one  after  the  other  in  rapid  succession.  She 
cast  the  bullets  while  a  female  relative  clipped'  the  necks  off  of  them. 
She  would  run  out  of  the  kitchen,  where  they  were  being  made,  carry 
ing  them  still  hot,  in  her  apron,  and  saying  to  them:  "Here  boys, 
here's  bullets  for  you ;  but  mind  you  don't  sarve  'em  out  till  you're 
sure  of  knocking  some  of  them  screaming  d'evils  over."  And  this  fight 
was  kept  up  until  the  Indians  feared  the  noise  of  the  firing  would  bring 
aid;  but  before  daylight  they  withdrew. 

Ridley  was  not  the  first  settler  in  this  locality,  as  Buchanan  had 
preceded  him,  and  Andrew  Jackson  had  been  about  two  years  earlier. 
Four  of  Ridley's  sons  went  with  Jackson  against  the  Creeks  in  1813. 
"The  boys  would  go,"  said  the  old  man  long  afterwards;  "I  couldn't 
have  stopped  them  if  I  had  wished  to ;  but  I  did  not  wish  to."  "Ay," 
added  his  wife,  "I  told  my  boys  they  were  as  welcome  to  go  with  Jack 
son  as  they  were  to  sit  down  to  dinner." 

A  visitor  to  Tennessee  who  saw  Daniel  Ridley  in  1834,  when  he 


RIDLEY,  THE  PIONEER.  577 


was  in  his  95th  year,  mentions  that  his  second  wife,  a  woman  of  very 
slender,  build,  still  survived  at  the  age  of  80,  and  that  a  daughter, 
Miss  Betsy,  by  his  first  wife,  was  living  with  her  father,  her  age  be 
ing  then  62.  She  called  her  step-mother  "Mammy,"  as  the  Tennessee 
pioneers  were  given  to  doing.  Though  known  as  "Miss  Betsy"  by 
the  others  on  the  place,  she  had  been  married  twice  and  had  great- 
grand-children  of  her  own.  Ridley,  of  course,  had  great-great,  grand 
children,  one  of  whom  was  married  in  the  following  year,  1835.  Asked 
how  many  descendants  he  had,  he  saidj  that  he  had  once  begun  count 
ing  them,  but  after  counting  up  three  hundred  of  them  the  task 
wearied  him  and  he  stopped.  He  had  had  sixteen  children,  and  all  of 
these  were  fathers  and  mothers  of  some  number  of  children,  making1 
his  grand-children  very  numerous. 

Fort  Ridley,  so  far  as  I  have  heard,  was  the  last  one  of  these 
structures  to  remain  standing  in  the  vicinity  of  Nashville,  and  was  an 
object  of  great  interest  to  people  long  after  it  had  ceased  to  serve  its 
original  purpose.  To  any  one  passing  along  the  road  the  antique  and 
strange  looking  building  could  but  cause  wonder,  and  one  of  the  early 
visitors  to  Nashville,  Featherstonehaugh,  took  the  trouble  to  draw  it 
accurately  and  reproduce  it  in  his  book  describing  travels  through 
this  section  of  country. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SABINE  PASS,  SEPT.  8,  1863. 


The  Confederate  cruiser  Alabama  was  built  by  Messrs.  Laird  of 
Birkenhead,  and  it  left  Liverpool  in  August,  1862,  as  an  unmanned, 
defenseless  vessel.  She  was  converted  into  a  man-of-war  outside  of 
English  jurisdiction  and  armed  and  manned  in  Portuguese  waters. 
Under  the  command  of  Captain  Raphael  Semmes,  she  led  a  career 
which  Farragut  nor  Dahlgren  nor  any  other  sea-king  has  ever  equaled, 
nor  Nilson,  nor  Cochrane  could  have  surpassed4.  She  left  on  one  occa 
sion  for  Galveston,  where  she  expected  to  find  a  fleet  of  trans 
ports  under  General  Banks,  but  before  she  got  there, 
General  Magruder  captured  the  city  with  his  horse  ma 
rines  surprised  the  blockading  fleet,  and  took  the  most 
powerful  of  its  vessels ;  the  rest  escaped.  To  retrieve  this  disas 
ter,  a  large  naval  and  military  force  was  sent  against  Sabine  Pass,  a 
fort  held  by  the  Davis  guard's,  forty-three  Irish  men  only,  under 
Lieutenant  Richard  (Dick)  W.  Dowling,  who  drove  back  the  fleet, 
crippled  a  gun-boat,  compelled  two  others  with  the  commander  of  the 
flotilla  to  surrender,  and  saved  Texas  from  an  invading  army  of  fif 
teen  thousand  It  is  said  that  there  were  so  many  prisoners  captured 
that  Lieutenant  Dowling  resorted  to  stratagem  to  take  possession  of 
them  for  fear  that  they  would  find  out  his  small  force  before  they  could 
be  disarmed.  This  exploit  and  that  of  Magruder's  Texans  in  Gal 
veston  is  one  of  the  most  dashing  and  daring  in  the  annals  of  Confed 
erate  history,  and  soldiers  point  to  it  as  one  of  the  crowning  and  most 
brilliant  feats  in  the  chapter  of  Confederate  deeds. 

But  when  the  Alabama  arrived,  she  found  a  small  squadron  of 
ships-of-war,  all  superior  to  herself,  lying  off  Galveston.  Semmes, 
appreciating  the  situation,  showed  himself  and  endeavored  to  provoke 
two  or  three  of  the  ships  to  start  after  him  in  pursuit.  I  heard  Ad 
miral  Semmes  say  in  his  lecture  on  the  Alabama,  delivered  at  Mur- 
freesboro  after  the  war,  that  he  had  promised  his  crew  a  fight  on  this 
occasion  and  that  they  had  become  so  clamorous  he  concluded  to  get 
the  squadron  at  Galveston  separated  and  try  to  sink  them  all  in  detail. 
So  several  started  but  the  Harriet  Lane,  a  converted  Merchantman 
proved  the  swiftest  in  pursuit.  Her  crew  had  been  trained,  but  the 
Alabama's  crew  were  English  adventurers  who  had  been  but  two  or 
three  weeks  at  sea.  The  Alabama  slowed  up  and  then  run  back  "to 
lure  and  catch  and  play  her"  until  the  Harriet  Lane  got  beyond  reach 
of  speedy  help.  The  Alabama  then  turned  upon  her  and,  after  thir 
teen  minutes  fight,  the  Harriet  Lane,  in  a  sinking  condition,  struck 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SABINE  PASS. 


579 


BATTLES  AN!>  SKETCHES  ARM¥  oE  TENNESSEE. 


her  flag.  After  rescuing  the  crew,  the  enemy's  blockading  fleet  was 
not  further  sought  nor  was  there  further  pursuit,  and  the  Alabama 
steamed:  out  into  broad  ocean  to  play  havoc  with  Northern  com 
merce.  Passing  by  the  destruction  inflicted  by  this  ship  from  the 
time  she  was  first  launched,  I  now  quote  from  the  Englishman  Percy 
Gregg's  history,  giving  an  account  of  the  great  <hiel  between  the 
Alabama  and  the  Kearsarge  on  the  morning  of  June  19,  1864,  off 
Cherbourg,  the  great  breakwater  on  the  French  side  of  the  English 
Channel. 

"After  nearly  two  years  of  unceasing  work  and  wear  with  few 
opportunities  of  coaling  and  none  of  repair,  on  June  n,  1864,  like  a 
'weary  foxhound  limping  back  after  a  long  chase,  footsore  and  long 
ing  for  rest,'  the  Alabama  entered  Cherbourg,  discharged  a  number 
of  prisoners,  and  applied  to  the  French  authorities  for  permission  to 
refit.  On  the  I4th  the  U.  S.  S.  Kearsarge,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Winslow,  in  perfect  condition,  armed  with  two  n-inch  Dahl- 
grens  against  one  8-inch  smooth-bore  and  one  7-inch  rifled  Blakely, 
and  otherwise  fully  equal  to  the  Alabama,  came  round  from  Flush 
ing  to  Cherbourg.  She  asked  the  French  authorities  to  send  on  board 
the  Alabama's  prisoners,  a  proposal  obviously  inadmissible. 

The  Kearsarge  was  also  protected  by  chain  cables  concealed  by 
slight  planking,  and  was,  in  fact,  a  partially  armoured  vessel.  Her 
manner  of  entering  and  leaving  the  port  was  accepted  by  the  Ala 
bama  as  a  direct  challenge.  The  spirit  of  the  captain,  the  quality  of 
his  crew,  above  all  probably  the  insults  and  taunts  to  which  they  had 
been  subjected  for  two  years,  overcame  all  regard  to  obvious  disad 
vantages  and  all  considerations  of  mere  policy.  The  loss  of  the  Ala 
bama  would  be  greater  to  the  Confederacy  than  their  gain  by  the  de 
struction  of  half  .a  dozen  Kearsarges,  which  the  enemy  could  replace 
at  pleasure.  But  the  honor  of  his  ship  and  his  flag  were  in  question, 
and  Captain  Semmes  resolved  to  fight.  Having  patched  up  as  far  as 
possible  her  worst  defects  and  received  a  small  supply  of  coal,  the 
Alabama  steamed  out  to  encounter  her  enemy  some  seven  miles  from 
the  French  coast,  on  the  morning  of  June  19,  1864.  Two  things  were 
speedily  made  apparent.  The  powder  of  the  Alabama  had  been  spoiled-, 
as  powder  purchased  in  the  market  always  is,  by  lapse  of  time.  A 
shell  which  should  have  sunk  the  Kearsarge  stuck  in  her  stern-post 
and  failed  to  burst.  The  latter  was  so  much  faster  that  she  could 
choose  her  own  distance,  and  the  Alabama  in  vain  attempted  to  close 
and  board.  The  n-inch  shells  of  the  Kearsarge  tore  holes  as  big 
as  a  barrel  through  the  Alabama's  scantling  close  to  the  water-line, 
and  after  little  more  than  an  hour's  firing  she  was  so  evidently  sink 
ing  that  her  flag  was  struck.  Scarcely  were  the  wounded  placed  in 
the  boats  ere  the  ship  went  down.  The  greater  part  of  the  officers 
and  crew  were  picked  up  by  two  French  fishing  boats  and  an  English 
steam  yacht,  the  Deerhound,  which  had  watched  the  battle  from  a 
distance.  The  Kearsarge  was  so  slow  in  lowering  her  boats  that  but 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SABINE  PASS.  581 

for  this  aid  all  but  the  strongest  swimmers  would  have  been  drowned. 
Captain  Winslow  made  no  complaint  against  the  French  fishing  boats, 
but  was  most  bitter  against  the  Deerhound  for  not  handing  over  the 
rescued  men,  who,  but  for  her,  would  have  been  left  to  drown ;  and 
declared  that  had  he  known  her  intention,  he  would  have  pursued  and 
sunk  her.  If  the  vaunt  were  seriously  meant,  it  is  well  for  himself 
and  his  country  that  no  attempt  was  made  to  fulfill  it. 

(Seward  claimed  it  as  the  right  of  the  Kearsarge  that  "the  pirates 
should  drown." — Appendix  to  U.  S.  Case,  III.  263  and  273). 


THE  CONFEDERATE  MONUMENT  AT  MURFREESBORO. 

MURFREESBORO,  Tenn.,  Nov.  7.,  1901.— This,  perhaps,  was 
the  proudest  day  in  the  history  of  this  beautiful  little  Tennessee  city 
— when  a  handsome  monument  erected  by  this  loyal  people  in  com 
memoration  of  the  valor  of  the-  Confederate  dead,  whose  dust  now 
mingles  in  the  fields  of  this  section,  was  unveiled  with  elaborate  and 
dignified  ceremonies.  Fully  3,000  persons  gathered'  at  the  Court 
Square  this  morning  to  witness  the  dedication  of  the  memorial. 

Intermingled  in  the  vast  assemblage  were  hundreds  of  veterans 
of  the  lost  cause,  many  of  whom  had  traveled  miles  to  be  present  and 
pay  tribute  to  their  fallen  comrades.  Some  of  them  had  not  been  on 
the  field  since  the  days  of  the  war.  Perhaps  half  a  hundred  or  more 
were  present  from  distant  cities,  relatives  of  the  gallant  men  who  were 
swept  down  in  the  defense  cf  principles  they  believed  to  be  right  and 
just.  Here  and  there  over  the  big  audience  which  surrounded  the 
stately  structure  were  men  and  women,  many  of  them  bent  with  age, 
with  tears  trickling  down  their  cheeks.  These  tears  spoke  forcibly 
the  sentiment  of  the  people,  or  at  least  their  interest  in  the  solemn,  but 
at  the  same  time  happy  occasion.  Some  of  the  old-time  Southern 
melodies,  as  rendered  by  a  bevy  of  pretty  young  ladies  from  Lebanon, 
were  very  striking,  and  as  the  sweet  strains  wafted  out  over  the  crowd, 
heads  were  bowed-  in  remembrance  of  the  fallen  heroes. 

By  far  the  audience  was  the  most  distinguished  that  has  gath 
ered  in  Murfreesboro  in  years,  likely  in  the  history  of  the  city.  In 
the  assemblage  were  many  prominent  sons  of  Tennessee,  including 
the  remnants  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee.  They  were  there  from 
Major  Generals  down  to  the  Johnny  Reb  who  carried  the  musket.  One 
happy  feature  of  the  dedication  was  that  all  of  the  comrades  stood 
upon  an  equal  footing;  they  were  all  comrades  in  the  strongest  sense 
of  the  word,  engaged  in  a  love  feast.  Among  the  more  prominent  men 
who  were  present  were :  Senator  William  B.  Bate,  Governor  Benton 
McMillin,  Hon.  James  B.  Frazier,  of  Chattanooga;  Hon.  James  D. 
Richardson,  Hon.  John  C.  Ferriss,  of  Nashville;  Hon.  E.  D.  Wilson, 
of  Nashville;  Judge  Frank  S.  Wilson,  Comptroller  TheO'.  King,  Hon. 
N.  W.  Baptist,  Hon.  J.  N.  McKenzie  and  Dr.  J.  B.  Cowan,  of  Tulla- 
homa. 

WAS  A  BEAUTIFUL  DAY. 

Nature   smiled  upon   Murfreesboro  for  the  day.     The  sun  was 


584  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

shining  brightly,  a  slight  breeze  afloat,  just  enough  to  rustle  the  Con 
federate  flags  and  bunting,  which  were  displayed  in  profusion  over 
the  business  portion  of  the  town.  It  was  an  ideal  autumnal  day. 

In  front  of  the  monument  Captain  Richard  Beard,  master  of 
ceremonies,  had  a  large  speaker's  stand  erected.  Just  over  this  im 
provised  stand  in  a  neat  frame  resting  upon  the  massive  testimonial 
of  love  and  esteem,  was  the  original  Eighteenth  Tennessee  battle  flag, 
which  passed  through  some  of  the  most  terrific  battles  of  the  civil 
strife.  With  this  flag,  five  color  sergeants  fell.  The  last  man  to 
carry  the  historic  emblem  was  T.  J.  Nelson,  who  had  it  in  charge  on 
the  memorable  Friday  evening  of  Breckinridge's  charge.  Underneath 
this  flag  were  Confederate  streamers,  festooned  over  the  inscription, 
"Lest  we  forget — 1861-65,"  wrought  out  in  large  letters.  An  arch 
was  also  formed  across  the  stand  with  small  United  States  flags. 
Directly  in  front  were  displayed  two  large  United  States  and  Confed 
erate  flags  on  either  side.  In  the  center  hung  the  banner  of  Joe  B. 
Palmer  Bivouac,  of  Murfreesboro.  Upon  the  side  was  a  large  bunch 
of  fragrant  flowers. 

Before  the  ceremonies  commenced  the  young  lad-res  of  the  Leb 
anon  Orchestra  took  seats  upon  the  stand.  There  were  Mrs.  Lillard 
Thompson,  chaperone ;  Misses  Emma  and  Edna  Beard,  Mary  Barbee, 
Annie  Hearne,  Irene  Neal,  Sammie  Carter,  Anna  May  Thompson, 
Mrs.  Harry  Freeland,  Mrs.  A.  S.  McDowell,  and  Misses  Gertie  Fakes, 
Mary  Prewett  and  Olive  Mace.  Then  came  the  invited  guests,  as 
follows :  Governor  Benton  McMillin,  Hon.  James  D.  Richardson,  Dr. 
J.  B.  Cowan,  H.  E.  Palmer,  Hon.  James  B.  Frazier,  John  C.  Ferriss, 
Gen.  William  B.  Bate,  Judge  S.  F.  Wilson,  Dr.  T.  A.  Kerley,  Mrs. 
J.  B.  Murfree,  D.  P.  Perkins,  Gen.  H.  H.  Norman,  in  charge  of  the 
unveiling,  Miss  Julia  Ransom  and  others. 

Those  to  occupy  places  upon  the  stand  had  been  seated,  when 
Company  B  and  Troop  A,  of  Nashville,  came  marching  up  the  wide 
road  leading  from  the  station.  They  carried  their  large  flags,  and  as 
they  fluttered  in  the  little  breeze  the  old  "Johnny  Rebs"  were  cheered 
lustily.  Approaching  the  stand,  they  circled  around  the  structure  and 
during  the  ceremonies  stood  "at  rest."  They  were  received  at  the 
monument  with  a  pretty  demonstration,  which  the  old  comrades  ap 
parently  enjoyed. 

CEREMONIES  COMMENCED. 

The  master  of  ceremonies,  Captain  Beard,  stepped  to  the  front 
of  the  stand  and  presented  Rev.  T.  A.  Kerley,  who  delivered  the  invo 
cation.  In  his  prayer  he  paid  homage  to  the  dead  who  had  sacrificed- 
their  lives  upon  the  altar  of  their  country;  thanking  the  Lord  for  the 
love  burning  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  for  the  surviving  veterans 
who  were  present  upon  the  occasion.  He  asked  for  the  blessing  of  all 
soldiers  of  the  past,  gathered  again  to  express  their  devotion  and  love 
of  those  who  had  fallen  in  the  mighty  conflict.  He  said;  "Let  thy 


THE  CONFEDERATE  MONUMENT  AT  MURFREESBORO.  585 

blessing  rest  upon  these  veterans  in  the  time  of  peace  and  help  us  to 
be  true  citizens  in  everything  that  pertains  to  the  high  citizenship  of 
our  people.  Help  them  to  be  true  soldiers  to  all  that  is  right  and  oppose 
everything  wrong.  May  their  lives  be  such  as  to  win  all  to  the  higher 
principles  of  true  manhood."  He  paid  honor  to  the  Confederate  wives 
and  sisters  who  had  sacrificed  their  all  in  the  vicissitudes  of  war  and 
the  dark  days  following  the  fall  of  the  Confederacy.  He  dwelt  at 
length  upon  their  bravery  in  standing  face  to  face  with  adversity  and 
poverty  during  the  long  years  of  the  struggle.  He  asked  that  the 
hand  of  God  ever  be  with  the  noble  women  and  guide  them  in  their 
future  laudable  undertakings.  "May  they  be  shining  lights  to<  the 
whole  land/'  he  concluded. 

Here  the  young  ladies  of  the  Lebanon  Glee  Club  struck  up  a 
combination  of  stirring  Southern  melodies,  ending  with  that  soul-in 
spiring  song,  "Dixie."  The  enthusiasm  of  the  assemblage  knew  no 
bounds.  Their  cheers  rent  the  air. 

MONUMENT    UNVEILED. 

Here  the  unveiling  committee,  composed  of  Captain  Beard,  Judge 
Richard  Ransom  and  Captain  Daniel  Perkins,  took  charge  of  the  ex 
ercises,  assisted  by  General  H.  H.  Norman.  Miss  Julia  Ransom,  one 
of  Murfreesboro's  fair  daughters,  arose  from  the  center  of  the  stand 
and  pulled  a  small  cord  which  unveiled  one  of  the  prettiest  little  monu 
ments  erected  on  a  Southern  battlefield.  A  thousand  hands  clapped 
their  approval.  Engraved  upon  the  east  face  was  this  inscription: 

"In  commemoration  of  the  valor  of  Confederate  soldiers,  who  fell 
in  the  great  battle  of  Murfreesboro,  Dec.  31,  1862,  and  Jan.  2,  1863, 
and  in  minor  engagements  in  this  vicinity,  this  monument  is  erected." 

On  the  north  face  is : 

"Lest  we   forgetr— 1861-1865."' 
On  the  west  face  is : 

"A  monument  for  our  soldiers, 
Built  of  a  people's  love." 
On  the  south  face  the  inscription  reads: 

"Honor  decks  the  turf  that  wraps  their  clay." 

Following  the  unveiling,  the  boys  of  the  Tennessee  Industrial 
School  band  played.  Their  work  was  very  creditable  and  well  re 
ceived. 

ORATOR  OF  DAY  PRESENTED. 

Captain  Beard*  then  introduced  Colonel  Bennett  H.  Young,  a 
brilliant  Kentuckian,  the  orator  of  the  day.  In  presenting  the  speaker 
Captain  Beard  made  a  few  remarks,  in  which  he  referred  to  the  trials 
and  tribulations  of  those  who  raised  the  monument  fund  He  said 


586  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

that  the  monument  should  have  been  erected  thirty  years  ago,  telling 
otf  the  work  of  the  old  Monumental  Association  in  the  years  gone  by ; 
how  they  raised  $800  for  the  purpose,  which  was  spent  in  the  base. 
The  work  was  taken  up  by  the  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy,  who, 
after  years  of  constant  and  persistent  effort,  raised  an  additional  $800, 
which  was  supplemented  by  $1,200  raised  by  the  Palmer  Bivouac. 
He  said: 

"There  have  been  other  monuments  erected  on  the  battlefields 
more  gorgeous  in  design,  but  none  on  the  fa^e  of  the  earth  was  ever 
erected  for  a  higher  or  more  noble  purpose." 

The  master  of  ceremonies  introduced  Colonel  Young,  the  orator, 
as  a  noble  son  of  the  Bluegrass  State,  which  sent  thousands  of  cour 
ageous  and-  gallant  men  to  aid  the  South,  which  fact,  he  said,  was 
attested  by  the  presence  of  their  dead  upon  every  battlefield  in  the 
West.  These  soldiers  kept  the  lamps  of  chivalry  in  the  hearts  of  many. 


COLONEL  YOUNG  S  ADDRESS. 

Colonel  Young,  the  polished  orator  that  he  is,  was  at  his  best,  and 
though  he  was  at  a  disadvantage  on  account  of  the  breeze  carrying 
his  voice  toward  the  back  of  the  stand,  his  delivery  was  excellent  and 
his  effort  a  masterpiece.  He  was  eloquent  and  his  frequent  reference 
to  the  hallowed  dead  aroused  the  old-time  enthusiasm  of  the  Southern 
people  gathered  about  him.  Often  his  remarks  were  punctuated  with 
violent  outbursts  of  applause.  He  said  in  part: 

"It  is  a  great  distinction  to  have  been  a  Confederate  soldier ;  it 
is  a  greater  thing  to  have  been  a  Confederate  woman ;  it  is  a  noble 
thing  to  have  been  a  Tennessee  Confederate,  a  representative  of  the 
great  "Volunteer  State"  of  the  South  that  did  so  much  to  make  the 
contest  of  the  Southern  people  for  liberty  illustrious  and  immortal. 

"Of  the  seventy  regiments  in  the  Confederate  service  which  had 
the  highest  percentage  of  "mortality,  Tennessee  had  twelve.  Four  of 
these  badges  of  honor  were  won  here  in  the  battles  of  Stone  river.  At 
Shiloh,  fought  on  April  4,  6  and  7,  1862,  of  the  ten  regiments  which 
experienced  the  most  dreadful  mortality,  Tennessee  had  four.  At 
Perryville,  fought  October  8,  1862,  of  the  eight  regiments  sustaining 
the  highest  loss,  Tennessee  had  seven,  the  Forty-first  Georgia  alone 
having  a  place  alongside  that  of  your  state.  Of  the  twenty-nine  regi 
ments  having  the  highest  percentage  of  loss  at  Murfreesboro,  Ten 
nessee  had  seven,  and  at  Chickamauga,  that  awful  holocaust,  there 
were  three  Tennessee  regiments  among  the  sixteen  which  suffered*  the 
heaviest  decimation.  The  infantry  regimental  number  of  the  Ten 
nessee  troops  passed  the  100^  mark  and  reach  154. 

"In  1860  Tennessee  had  160,000  men  capable  of  bearing  arms. 
Of  these  she  put  in  over  120,000  for  the  Confederate  service.  Ten 
nessee  gave  thirty-six  generals,  of  whom  seven  died  on  the  battlefield. 
She  brought  to  the  defense  of  the  South  two  lieutenant  generals,  For 
rest  and  Stewart,  and  nine  major  generals. 


THE  CONFEDERATE  MONUMENT  AT  MURFREESBORO. 


587 


FIRST  TENNESSEE  BATTLE. 


''Beginning  with  the  first  fight  on  Tennessee  soil  on  September 
29,  1861,  at  Travisville,  down  to  Germantown,  in  April,  1865,  three 
years  and  eight  months,  780  engagements  were  fought  in  Tennessee, 
and  more  than  one-third  of  all  the  2,200  skirmishes  and  battles  which 


COL. 


marked  the   four  years  of  cl-eath,   havoc  and  destruction,  took  place 
within  the  limits  of  this  Commonwealth. 


DARK  HOURS  OF  '63. 

"In  the  crucial  hour  of  1861,  when  the  people  of  the  South  appeal 
ed  to  the  God  of  battles  and  placed'  their  cause  in  his  keeping,  when 
millions  of  voices  chanted : 

"God  save  the  South,  God  save  the  South, 
Her  altars  and  her  firesides, 
God  save  the  South,  now  that  war  is  nigh, 
Chanting   her   battle   cry, 
Freedom  or  death." 


588  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

"In  that  period,  so  full  of  all  that  tested  man's  nobility  and  cour 
age,  out  of  Kentucky  came  thousands  who  loved-  right  more  than  they 
loved  their  State  Government,  and  followed  principle  rather  than 
policy,  and  who  left  all  that  was  dearest  to  man,  who  suffered  expat 
riation,  to  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  men  of  the  South.  Forty  thousand 
Kentuckians  heeded  this  sacred  call.  Amid  all  the  privations,  sacri 
fices  and  dangers  of  that  great  contest  they  stood  with  you,  Tennes 
see  Confederates,  to  resist  the  invasion  of  your  homes  and  to  'defend 
your  firesides.  It  was  not  spoils  they  sought;  it  was  not  glory  which 
beckoned  them  away  from  their  State  to  yours ;  it  was  justice  and 
truth  as  they  saw  them  which  ranged  them  on  your  side  and  impelled 
them  to  share  your  fortunes  and  all  the  trials  fate  should  bring.  A 
large  percentage. of  Kentucky  Confederate  'dead  rest  in  your  soil,  and 
a  common  bereavement  and  burial  brings  Kentucky  and  Tennessee 
close  together. 

DEATH  HAS  THINNED  RANKS, 

"The  pitiless  hand-  of  death,  through  thirty-seven  years,  has 
thinned  the  ranks  of  these  Confederates,  but  they  still  love  you,  and, 
comrade,  they  glory  in  all  that  made  you  glorious,  and  with  you  they 
claim  part  of  that  transcendent  renown  which  has  made  the  name  and 
tho  fame  of  the  Confederate  armies  eternal. 

"Nearly  forty  years  have  passed  since  the  great  conflict  was 
fought  near  to  where  we  stand,  and  which  today  you  are  commemor 
ating  by  this  monument.  It  takes  rank  as  one  of  the  great  battles  of 
the  American  war.  Nine  thousand  killed  or  wounded  on  the  Confed 
erate  side — one-fourth  of  the  entire  force  engaged;  8,780  killed  and 
wounded  on  the  Federal  side,  and  3,500  prisoners,  speak  in  unmis 
takable  tones  of  the  fierceness  of  the  conflict." 

Here  the  speaker  unrolled  the  battle-scarred  jacket  he  wore  dur 
ing  the  war,  and  as  he  exhibited  the  garment,  with  the  remark  that  he 
would  rather  have  it  known  that  he  had  worn  the  gray  than  to  be  the 
greatest  king  on  earth,  the  assemblage  again  became  demonstrative. 

"Bragg's  army  at  Murfreesboro  was  composed  in  a  large  meas 
ure  of  Tenneseeans,  who  receded  from  Tennessee  with  a  sullen  and 
grim  courage  which  boded  no  good  to  the  foes  who  sought  to  dis 
possess  these  men  of  their  State  and  their  homes.  Of  the  forty  regi 
ments  of  Tennesseeans  with  him — all  were  ready,  if  need  be,  to  die 
in  defense  of  Tennessee. 


A  SUPERB  MONUMENT. 


"This  superb  monument  to  our  dead  would  not  have  been  possi 
ble  had  it  not  been  for  the  patience  and  zeal,  the  interest  and  useful 
ness  of  the  women,  who  labored  so  long  to  erect  this  memorial.  We 
call  it  'ours'  because  it  belongs  justly  to  the  Confederates.  I  doubt 
not  that  many  who  helped  at  the  inception  of  the  undertaking  have 


THE  CONFEDERATE  MONUMENT  AT  MURFREESRORO.  589 

been  denied  the  happiness  of  witnessing-  its  fulfillment,  but  we  can 
feel  their  sweet  presence  though  they  passed  over  the  river  before  suc 
cess  crowned  their  work.  If  they  are  not  here  we  shall  at  least  in 
gratitude  remember  them  and  their  devotion  to  the  cause  and  their 
absence  alone  mars  the  completeness  of  this  occasion. 

"The  noblest  and  highest  of  the  war's  demands  was  to  be  worthy 
of  the  faith  and  trust  of  the  Southern  women,  and  it  mitigated  the 
anguish  and  bitterness  of  defeat  to  be  able  amid  manly  tears  to  look 
down  into  the  tear-dimmed  eyes  of  the  women  of  the  South  and  tell 
them  that  in  all  the  conflicts  and  privations  of  that  weary  struggle, 
there  had  been  nothing  done  or  left  undone  which  rendered  the  men 
of  the  Confederacy  unworthy  of  what  was  required  by  its  women. 
And1  now,  after  the  lapse  of  long  years,  we  find  the  same  gentle,  earn 
est,  brave  women  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  their  noble  nature,  erect 
ing  this  splendid  tribute  to  our  comrades  who  went  down  in  the  storm 
of  war,  and  thus  keeping  the  record  of  those  heroes  who  gave  their 
blood  as  the  seal  of  their  fealty  to  the  land  of  their  love.  Sincerest 
benedictions  we  utter  for  them.  May  the  angels  of  blessing  and 
peace  hover  over  them  in  this  life  and  at  its  end  bring  them  joyfully 
to  that  place  where  there  will  be  no  tears,  where  monuments  are  not 
built,  where  death  and  sorrow  never  come. 


ALL  READY  TO  OBEY. 

"There  were  none  on  that  fateful  field  who  wqre  not  ready  to 
obey  every  call,  to  meet  any  fate,  to  respond  to  every  order  and  to 
endure  all  that  patriotic  duty  required  at  their  hands.  The  battle  of 
Murfreesboro  has  not  received  its  just  place  in  history.  The  casual 
ties  were  as  great  as  those  at  Shiloh,  but  Shiloh  came  in  as  the  initial 
wave  of  destruction  which  was  to  sweep  over  the  land  ,and  it  impressed 
the  public  mind  and  left  memories  on  the  public  heart  which  were 
more  lasting  than  those  probably  of  any  battle  fought  outside  of  Get 
tysburg.  If  it  be  true  that  we  had  at  Gettysburg  100,00  men, 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  percentage  of  loss  was  not  any  greater  than  at 
•Murfreesboro.  There  were  more  men  engaged  at  Shiloh,  on  the  Con 
federate  side,  than  were  engaged1  at  Murfreesboro,  and  yet  the  loss 
in  killed  and  wounded  and  missing  was  greater  than  at  Shiloh;  so 
that  Murfreesboro  stands  alongside  of  Gettysburg,  Chickamauga  and 
Antietam.  Very  few,  if  any,  of  the  battles  of  the  war  showed  greater 
percentage  of  loss  than  was  experienced  on  both  sides  at  this  battle, 
the  valor  of  the  troops  engaged  in  which,  you  are  this  day  assembled 
to  commemorate. 


NOT  ALL  TENNESSEEANS. 


"The  majority  of  those  who  sleep  the  sleep  of  death  here  are 
not  Tennesseeans.  They  were  brought  to  Tennessee  by  noble,  patri 
otic  impulses  and'  are  strangers  in  a  strange  land,  but  they  gave  up 


590  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

all  for  the  right  as  they  saw  it;  they  made  the  most  costly  sacrifice 
man  can  make  at  the  call  of  duty.  The  fact  that  those  who  loved 
them  most  will  never  come  to  weep  at  their  sepulchres  or  place  sweet 
flowers  on  their  graves  appeals  with  tenderest  and  most  pathetic  'elo 
quence  to  the  magnanimity  of  those  for  whose  homes  they  fought, 
for  whose  liberty  they  died,  and  the  care  of  their  graves,  unmarked — 
in  many  cases  unknown — devolves  upon  those  who  are  left  a  sacred 
trust.  Somewhere  in  the  Southland  whence  these  unknown  dead 
came,  loving  hearts  mourn  their  loss.  There  are  vacant  chairs  that 
will  never  be  filled,  there  are  firesides  that  will  never  be  the  same, 
because  these  heroes  will  never  return,  and  there  are  broken  circles 
where  faithful  ones  will  love  on  to  the  end,  and  in  silence  and  tears  keep 
sacred  the  memory  of  those  who  lie  hidden  in  unmarked  graves  in 
this  valley  of  Stone's  river.  They  cannot  sleep  among  their  kindred 
and  in  most  cases  they  do  not  rest  'neath  the  parent  turf,  nor  can  the 
'sunshine  of  their  native  sky  shine  sweetly  on  them'  here,  but  I  am 
sure  that  true,  gentle,  sympathetic  hearts  will  guard  these  graves  and 
keep  the  sod  over  them  green  until  the  great  call  from  on  high  shall 
bring  these  dead  once  again  into  communion  with  those  from  whom 
war  and  death  have  so  cruelly  and  harshly  separated  them. 

"After  all,  comrades  and  friends,  it  was  the  man  in  the  ranks, 
the  man  who  carried  the  musket,  who  was  the  true  Southern  hero. 
The  largest  proportion  of  the  courage  and  chivalry  of  the  South  was 
in  the  ranks,  and  the  bravest  men  that  died1  were  those  of  whom  his 
tory  will  never  speak.  Scouts,  pickets,  the  men  in  the  skirmish  line, 
in  the  rifle  pit,  on  the  parapet,  in  the  trench,  the  men  who  charged 
the  batteries,  who  carried  the  colors,  were  the  men  who  dared  most, 
endured  most  and  gave  the  most  in  that  great  struggle,  the  men  who 
experienced  the  greatest  privations,  who  exhibited  the  greatest  brav 
ery  and  the  truest  devotion  and  the  superbest  courage,  were  the  men 
who  carried1  the  guns  and  never  reasoned  why,  but  only  dared  to  do 
and  die. 


SHOULD  BE  REMEMBERED. 

"It  is  to  this  class  of  men  to  whom  the  South  owes  most,  and 
their  memory  ought  to  be  imperishable.  There  is  glory  enough  in  the 
defense  which  the  South  made  for  her  liberty,  to  endow  all  her  peo 
ple  who  took  part  in  that  struggle  with  splendid  renown.  It  is  glory 
enough  for  any  man  to  have  worn  the  gray  jacket,  and  of  the  thou 
sands  who  possess  that  distinction,  there  are  none  who  would  exchange 
the  humble  uniform,  typical  of  the  grandest  devotion  to  duty  and  the 
noblest  patriotism,  with  its  faded  renown,  for  the  jeweled  coronet  of 
any  duke  of  any  kingdom,  which  was  inherited  or  won  by  manliness 
and  courage. 

"All  the  dead  of  our  Confederacy  are  our  treasure.  All  the 
precious  blood  that  was  poured  out  to  defend  the  South  is  our  in 
heritance.  All  the  memories  which  gather  about  the  thousands  of  bat- 


THE  CONFEDERATE  MONUMENT  AT  M17RFREESBORO.  591 

tlefields  involving  innumerable  instances  of  superb  courage  and  splen 
did  manhood — all,  all  belong  to  our  Southland. 

"Words  are  powerless  to  depict  or  paint  the  glory  which  lingers 
around  the  memories  of  the  Confederate  dead.  Living,  they  met  the 
requirements  of  every  duty,  they  faced  fearlessly  every  danger,  they 
shrank  at  no  sacrifice  that  patriotism  exacted,  and  they  denied  their 
country  no  service  its  needs  demanded.  Two  hundred  thousand 
graves  contain  the  dust  of  our  heroes  ,  200,000  lives  were  the 
price  we  paid  for  our  efforts  to  be  free.  Their  glory  is  our  glory. 

"Magnificent  host,  superb  assemblage  of  fate's  immortals,  we 
claim  a  share  in  your  renown,  and  we  count  this  joint  tenancy  in  your 
splendid  achievements  the  richest  treasure  earth  can  give. 


ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

"I  cannot  close  this  address  without  reference  to  the  magnificent 
record  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  which  in  many  respects  was  the  most 
gallant  host  that  ever  fought  under  any  standard.  I  could1  not  be  in 
duced  to  utter  a  single  word  in  depreciation  of  Confederate  valor  or 
any  field  or  in  any  department.  Every  courageous  act  done  by  any 
Confederate  soldier  is  the  common  property  of  all  who  followed  the 
Southern  flag;  but  history  has  not  dealt  fairly  or  justly  with  the  Con 
federates  of  this  department.  The  reasons  for  this  are  so  obvious 
that  they  need  not  be  mentioned  in  this  intelligent  presence.  But  I  do 
affirm  that  the  army  that  fought  at  Perryville  and  Richmond,  Ky., 
that  contended  at  Shiloh  and  battled  at  Murfreesboro,  that  unflinch 
ingly  met  the  terrific  slaughter  at  Chickamauga,  that  bore  without 
complaint  and  defiantly,  the  destruction  and  privations  of  the  one  hun 
dred  days  before  Atlanta;  that  captured  Streight  and  Stoneman  and 
won  at  Hartsville ;  that  practically  annihilated  its  foes  at  Tishomingo 
creek,  or  Brice's  Cross  Roads ;  that  rode  and  fought  with  Forrest,  Mor 
gan  and  Wheeler,  and  at  the  end  met  substantial  annihilation  in  the 
heroic,  but  useless,  sacrifice  on  the  bloody  field  of  Franklin,,  is  not 
unworthy  to  stand  in  any  company  of  warriors  who  ever  went  forth 
to  conflict,  or  fought  for  any  cause  in  any  land. 

"The  Army  of  Tennessee,  never  the  best  equipped  of  Confeder 
ate  forces,  met  more  defeats  without  destruction,  endured  more  hard 
ships  without  complaint,  made  longer  marches  with  less  straggling,  fol 
lowed  more  unfortunate  leaders  with  fewer  desertions,  showed  more 
cheerfulness  in  distress  and  exhibited  greater  fortitude  in  'disaster  than 
any  military  organization  known  in  hstory.  It  was  always  hopeful  in 
misfortune,  brave  in  action,  patient  in  privation,  valiant  in  conflict, 
constant  in  trials,  unmurmuring  in  difficulties  and  unconquerable  in 
spirit,  and  no  more  brilliant  display  of  extraordinary  qualities  was  ever 
shown  by  this  wonderful  army  than  in  the  battle  to  whose  slain  you 
this  day  dedicate  this  shaft." 

Again  the  Lebanon  Orchestra  discoursed  sweet  music,  this  time 


592  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

"Old4  Kentucky  Home."  As  this  followed  the  speaker  from  Kentucky, 
the  scene  was  dramatic. 

The  exercises  were  closed  with  the  reading-  of  a  poem  by  E.  D. 
Hancock,  entitled,  "The  Southern  Soldier."  The  poem  was  one  of 
some  length,  and  in  arranging  it  Mr.  Hancock  utilized  the  entire  in 
scription  upon  the  memorial  monument. 

The  benediction  was  said  by  Rev.  W.  L.  Logan. 

WERE  VERY  APPROPRIATE. 

The  ceremonies  were  brief,  that  is,  shorter  than  the  usual  exer 
cises  of  this  character,  and  the  assemblage  did  not  feel  wearied  at  the 
conclusion  as  upon  occasions  when  the  orators  speak  for  two1  or  three 
hours.  The  address  of  Colonel  Young  was  even  shorter  than  he  ex 
pected  to  make.  In  fact,  he  did1  not  deliver  the  full  address  he  had 
prepared  for  the  occasion.  The  appropriate  length  of  the  programme, 
along  with  the  smoothness  with  which  it  was  presented,  was  frequently 
commented  upon  favorably. 

After  the  exercises  the  visitors  were  invited  to  luncheon  at  the 
homes  of  Murfreesboro's  hospitable  people.  Almost  every  citizen 
of  the  little  city  was  a  host  during  the  day.  Some  of  them  had  three 
and  four  visitors  at  their  homes. 

The  afternoon  was  spent  by  many  of  those  from  distant  cities  in 
riding  through  the  town  and  visiting  the  various  points  of  interest 
upon  the  surrounding  battle  fields.  Many  of  the  old  veterans  tramped 
the  fields  over  the  entire  afternoon  in  effort  to  locate  a  spot  they 
might  recognize.  Several  of  those  who  had  not  been  on  the  field  in 
almost  forty  years  were  successful  in  locating  old  landmarks  and  in 
all  they  spent  a  most  enjoyable  day.  The  young  ladies  of  the  Labanon 
Glee  Club  gave  a  concert  at  the  armory  during  the  afternoon,  while 
the  Tennessee  Industrial  School  band  held  forth  at  the  public  square, 
rendering  several  selections. 

To-night  the  Vendome  Stock  Company,  o-f  Nashville,  played  to 
a  crowded  house  this  being  a  part  of  the  day's  festivities. 

Every  road  in  the  country  led  to  iMurfreesboro  this  morning. 
Hundreds  came  in  from  the  surrounding  country,  but  the  largest 
crowd  arrived  on  the  Nashville  special.  Upon  this  train  came  the 
Confederate  cavalry  troop  under  command  of  Lieutenant  W.  T.  Har- 
dison  and  the  infantry  company  commanded  by  Captain  Mark  S. 
Cockrill,  and  the  Gaines  Rifles,  Captain  Kramer.  On  this  train  were 
many  State  officials  and  citizens  of  Nashville. 

WM.  MOFFITT,  JR. 


THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  SHENANDOAH. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  survivors  of  the  Confederate  Navy,  during 
the  recent  reunion  in  Nashville,  a  most  interesting  paper  prepared  by 
Captain  W.  C.  Whittle,  of  the  C.  S.  Navy,  was  read  by  Mr.  Dabney 
M.  Scales,  who  also  served  on  the  same  vessel  as  lieutenant  with  Cap 
tain  Whittle.  The  object  of  the  paper  was  to  pay  tribute  to  the  cour 
age  and  many  manly  virtues  of  the  late  John  Thompson  Mason,  of 
Baltimore,  who  was  past  midshipman  on  the  Shenandoah,  under  Cap 
tain  Whittle. 

John  Thompson  Mason  was  a  son  of  Major  Isaac  S.  Rowland, 
a  volunteer  officer  in  the  Mexican  War,  and  Catherine  Armstead 
Mason,  of  Loudon  County,  Va.  He  was  born  in  1844,  His  father 
died  when  he  was  only  five  years  old,  and  his  maternal  grandfather 
John  Thompson  Mason,  of  Virginia,  having  no  son  of  his  own  and 
wishing  to  perpetuate  the  distinguished  name  of  Mason,  requested 
that  this  child  should  take  the  name,  which  was  done  by  act  of  Court. 
Young  Thompson's  friends  secured  for  him  an  appointment  to  the 
United  States  Naval  Academy,  but  the  war  came  up  before  he  en 
tered,  and  he  joined  the  Seventeenth  Virginia  regiment.  Shortly 
after  the  battle  of  Manassas  he  was  appointed  midshipman  in  the 
Confederate  Navy  and  sent  to  the  naval  school  ship  Patrick  Henry. 
He  served  at  Drury's  Bluff,  and  was  then  sent  abroad  for  service  on 
one  of  the  Confederate  cruisers  running  the  blockade  at  Charleston, 
S.  C.  Young  Mason  went  to  Abbeville,  a  quiet  town  in  France, 
where  he  applied  himself  assiduously  to  the  study  of  his  profession 
and  in  gaining  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  French  language,  suc 
ceeding  admirably  in  both. 

About  this  time  Captain  W.  C.  Whittle,  a  son  of  Commodore 
Whittle  and  nephew  of  Bishop  Whittle,  of  Virginia,  met  Mason,  who 
had  passed  his  examination  and  secured  his  appointment  as  "passed 
midshipman."  In  October,  1864,  he  was  assigned  to  a  cruiser,  gotten 
out  from  England  for  the  Confederate  Navy,  and  with  Commander 
Waddell  and  other  officers  of  the  prospective  cruiser,  except  Lieu 
tenant  Whittle,  sailed  from  Liverpool  on  the  consort  steamer  Laurel 
to  meet  their  ship  elsewhere.  Captain  Whittle  writes: 

"I  was  assigned  to  the  ship  as  her  first  lieutenant  and  executive 
officer,  and  sailed  from  London  on  board  of  her  under  her  merchant 
name,  Sea  King.  The  two  vessels,  by  preconcertion,  met  at  the 
Madeira  Islands  and,  leaving  there  in  company,  sailed  to  Desertas 


594  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  AEMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Island,  where  the  Sea  King  was  christened  and  commissioned  the 
Confederate  States  Cruiser  Shenandoah,  and  the  guns,  ammunition, 
and  equipment  were  transfered  from  the  consort  Laurel  to  the  cruiser 
Shenandoah,  which  promptly  started  on  her  memorable  cruise.  Her 
officers  were  Lieutenant-Commander  James  I.  Waddell,  of  North 
Carolina ;  W.  C.  Whittle,  of  Virginia,  First  Lieutenant  and  Executive 
Officer;  Lieutenants  John  Grimball,  of  South  Carolina,  S.  S.  Lee,  Jr., 
Virginia ;  F.  L.  Chew,  Missouri ;  Dabney  M.  Scales,  Mississippi ; 
Sailing  Master  Irvine  S.  Bullock,  of  Georgia ;  Passed  Midshipmen 
Orris  A.  Brown,  Virginia ;  and  John  T.  Mason,  Virginia.  Surgeon 
C.  E.  Lining,  South  Carolina;  Assistant  Surgeon  F.  J.  McNulty,  Dis 
trict  of  Columbia ;  Paymaster  W.  B.  Smith,  Louisiana ;  Chief  Engi 
neer  M.  O'Brien  Law,  Louisiana ;  Assistant  Engineers  Codd,  Mary 
land  ;  Hutchinson,  Scotland ;  MacGref fery,  Ireland ;  Master  Mates 
John  Minor,  Virginia,  Cotton,  Maryland,  Hunt,  Virginia ;  Boatswain 
Harwood,  England ;  Gunner  Guy,  England ;  Carpenter  O'Shea,  Ire 
land;  Sailmaker  Allcott,  England. 

Under  these  officers  and  subordinates  this  gallant  ship  made  one 
of  the  most  wonderful  cruises  on  record.  She  was  a  merchant  ship 
which  had  not  about  her  construction  a  single  equipment  as  a  vessel 
of  war.  Her  equipment — such  as  guns,  ammunition,  breechings,  car 
riages,  etc.,  were  all  in  boxes  on  her  deck,  and  these  gallant  officers 
and  a  few  volunteer  seamen  from  her  crew  and  that  of  her  consort 
were  to  transform  and  equip  her  on  the  high  seas,  and  in  all  kinds  of 
weather.  None  but  the  experienced  can  appreciate  what  a  Herculean 
task  that  was.  But  it  was  enthusiastically  undertaken  and  accom 
plished,  and  none  were  more  conspicuous  or  untiring  in  their  efforts  to 
bring  order  out  of  chaos  than  young  Mason. 

Our  gallant  little  ship  spread  her  broad  canvas  wings  and  sailed 
around*  the  world,  using  her  auxiliary  steam  power  only  in  calm  belts 
or  in  chase.  We  sailed  around  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  thence  through 
the  Indian  Ocean  to  Melbourne,  Australia,  thence  through  the  Islands 
of  Polynesia,  passing  the  Caroline,  Gilbert,  and  other  groups,  on  north 
ward  through  Kurile  Islands  into  the  Okhotsk  Sea,  until  stopped  by 
the  ice.  We  came  out  of  the  Okhotsk  and  went  up  the  coast  of  Kam 
chatka  into  Bering  Sea,  and  through  Bering  Strait  into  the  Arctic 
Ocean,  until  the  ice  again  prevented  us  from  going  farther,  so  we 
turned,  passed  again  through  the  Aleutian  Islands,  into  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  By  this  time  we  had  absolutely  destroyed  or  broken  up  the 
Federal  whaling  fleets. 

While  sweeping  down  the  Pacific  coast,  looking  for  more  prey, 
we  chased  and  overhauled  a  vessel  flying  the  British  flag.  On  board 
ing  her  we  found  it  was  the  British  bark  Barracoula,  bound  from  San 
Francisco  to  Liverpool.  This  was  August  2nd,  1865.  From  her  Cap 
tain  we  learned  the  war  had  been  over  since  the  previous  April.  The 
effects  of  this  crushing  intelligence  on  us  can  better  be  imagined 
than  described.  We  found  that  much  of  our  work  of  destruction  to 


THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  SHENANDOAU.  595 

the  whaling  fleet  of  the  United  States  had  been  done  after  the  war 
closed1,  unwittingly  of  course,  for  from  the  nature  of  their  work  the 
whalers  had  been  away  from  communication  about  as  long  as  we  had, 
and  were  equally  ignorant  of  results.  We  promptly  declared  our 
mission  of  war  over,  disarmed  our  vessel,  and  shaped  our  course  for 
England  with  well  nigh  broken  hearts.  We  journeyed  around  Cape 
Horn,  and  on  November  6th,  1865,  arrived  at  Liverpool  and  surren 
dered4  to  the  British  Government  through  their  guard  ship  Donegal 
by  hauling  down  the  last  Confederate  flag  that  ever  floated  in  de 
fiance  to  the  United  States,  after  having  circumnavigated  the  globe, 
cruised  in  every  ocean  except  the  Antarctic,  and  made  more  captures 
than  any  other  Confederate  cruiser  except  the  famous  Alabama. 

After  a  full  investigation  of  our  conduct  by  the  law  officer  of 
the  crown,  it  was  decided  that  we  had  cFone  nothing  against  the  rules 
of  war  or  the  laws  of  nations  to  justify  us  in  being  held  as  prisoners, 
so  we  were  unconditionally  released  by  the  nation  to  which  we  had 
surrendered.  But  the  authorities  of  the  United  States  considered  us 
pirates  and  in  their  heated  hatred  at  that  time  would!  have  treated  us 
as  such  if  we  had  fallen  into  their  hands,  so  we  had  to  find  homes 
elsewhere  than  our  native  land.  Four  of  us  (S.  S.  Lee,  Orris  A. 
Brown,  John  T.  Mason,  and  myself)  selected  the  Argentine  Republic, 
in  South  America,  and  sometime  in  December  1865,  sailed  from 
Liverpool  in  a  steamer  for  Buenos  Ayres,  via  Bahia,  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
and  Montevidio.  After  prospecting  a  while,  we  went  to  Rosario,  on 
Rio  Parana,  and  near  there  bought  a  small  place  and1  began  farming. 

As  the  animosity  of  the  Federal  Government  began  to  soften 
toward  us,  Brown  and  Mason  returned  home,  Lee  and  myself  coming 
sometime  later. 

On  returning  home  Mason  took  a  law  course  at  the  .University 
of  Virginia,  graduated,  and  was  brilliantly  successful  at  his  profes 
sion.  He  settled  in  Baltimore,  and  married  Miss  Helen  Jackson,  of 
New  York,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Lieuteuant  Alonzo  C.  Jackson,  of 
the  U.  S.  Navy.  His  wife,  two  sons,  and  two  daughters  survive  him. 


A  RIFLE  WITH  A  RECORD. 

Mr.  W.  T.  Love  of  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  has  now  in  possession 
an  old  rifle  given  him  ,by  his  uncle,  Major  Charles  W.  Anderson 
nearly  twenty  years  ago. 

The  rifle  has  a  history,  as  its  original  owner  and  his  bloody  ven 
detta  with  every  thing  that  wore  the  "blue"  in  1862-65,  is  well  known 
to  many  old  citizens  of  Humphries  and  Benton  Counties,  Tenn. 

After  the  war  and  after  the  death  of  its  owner,  this  rifle  was 
presented  to  Major  Anderson  by  Captain  Clint  Winfrey  of  Johnson- 
ville,  Tenn.,  whose  letter  of  presentation  was  accompanied  by  certif 
icates  identifying  it,  as  the  rifle  owned  and  used  by  Old  Jack  Hinson 
in  avenging  the  death  of  his  two  sons,  who  were  captured  by  Colonel 
Lowe's  Federal  cavalry,  and  after  being  captured  were  taken  out  and 
shot  to  death  charged  as  Bushwackers. 

When  the  lifeless  bodies  of  his  two  boys  were  placed  beneath  the 
sod,  the  old  father  took  down  his  trusty  rifle  and  swore  that  as  long 
as  he  lived  he  intended  to  kill  every  man  that  wore  a  blue  uniform 
that  came,  or  could  be  gotten  within  the  range  of  his  gun.  Living, 
as  he  did,  between  the  Tennessee  and  Cumberland  rivers,  with  Forts 
Herman  and  Johnsonville  on  one  side  and  Fort  Donelson  on  the  other, 
all  garrisoned  by  Federal  troops,  he  became  an  outcast  from  home  and 
neighbors,  but  an  avenging  Nemesis  on  the  ^rail  of  those  he  held  re 
sponsible  for  the  murder  of  his  sons.  Acquainted  with  every  road* 
and  bridle  path  in  the  coaling  grounds  between  these  rivers,  he 
would  lie  in  ambush,  pick  O'ff  his  man  from  Federal  foraging  and 
scouting  parties,  and  disappear  as  completely  as  though  the  earth  had 
swallowed  him.  Every  effort  made  by  the  Federals  to  entrap  and 
kill  him  proved1  unavailing. 

When  there  was  sufficient  water  in  the  Tennessee  for  gunboats 
and  transports  to  ply  between  Paducah  and  Johnsonville  old  Jack 
Hinson,  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  changed  his  base.  Selecting 
points  on  the  river  where  the  channel  compelled  boats  to  hug  the 
shore,  he  made  temporary  blinds  of  drift-wood  and  brush,  and  behind 
these  he  awaited  his  game. 

Transport  after  transport  could  safely  pass  him,  but  if  a  man  in 
blue  appeared  upon  the  guards  or  on  deck  then,  his  unerring  rifle 
was  brought  into  play.  Officers  and  mariners  on  gunboats  were  the 
target  he  always  sought,  and  judging  from  the  thirty-six  distinct  and 
uniform  marks  upon  the  barrel  of  this  gun,  he  lived  to  reap  a  terri 
ble  vengeance  for  the  execution  o<f  his  two  boys. 


A  RIFLE  WITH  A  RECORD. 


597 


Major  Anderson,  Forrest's  Adjutant  General,  who  is  yet  living 
and  a  resident  of  Murfreesboro,  says  that  "on  two  of  Forrest's  cam 
paigns  into  West  Tennessee  old  man  Hinson  came  to  head  quarters 
with  valuable  information  as  to  the  strength  and  location  of  Federal 
troops  along  the  river,  but  it  was  on  Forrest's  last  campaign  that  he 
joined  us  at  Paris  Landing  and  piloted  the  way  for  our  guns  through 


CAPTAIN  JACK  HINSON  (OLD  JACK  HIXSON). 

The  terror  of  the  Federal  gun-boats  and  transports  on 
the  Tennessee  river.  He  has  thirty-six  marks  on  his 
rifle  in  avenging  the  murder  of  his  two  sons.  He 
piloted  General  Forrest  on  his  noted  Johnson ville  Raid. 

Cypress  creek  swamp  to>  the  river  bank  in  front  of  Johnsonville,  which 
place,  with  fourteen  gunboats,  transports  and  barges,  we  completely 
destroyed.  It  was  on  this  trip  I  learned  from  the  old  man  himself  the 
great  grievance,  and  his  tireless  quest  for  vengeance.  Said  the  old 
man.  "They  murdered  my  boys,  and  may  yet  kill  me,  but  the  marks 
on  the  barrel  of  my  gun  will  show  that  I  am  a  long  ways  ahead  in  the 
game  now  and  am  not  done  yet,"  Hinson's  clear  gray  eyes,  compressed 


598 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


lips,  and  massive  jaws,  clearly  indicated,  that  under  no  circumstances 
was  he  a  man  to  be  trifled  with  or  aroused,  and  under  the  great  be 
reavement  inflicted  upon  him  by  the  wanton  slaughter  of  his  sons, 
he  kept  his  oath,  until  the  close  of  the  war."  It  was  useless  to  talk 
to  him  about  the  Rules  of  war.  Blood  for  blood  was  his  motto;  an 
eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth. 


CAPTAIN  ALEXANDER  DUVAL  MCNAIRY, 

of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  who  commanded  a  company  of 
independent  scouts,  between  the  Cumberland  and  Ten 
nessee  rivers,  1862—1865,  and  was  the  terror  of  the 
Federal  armies.  His  dashes  were  vigorous  and  his 
execution  phenominal. 


SEVEN  CONFEDERATE  KNIGHTS. 


There  was  an  order  organized  in  Rock  Island  Prison,  Illinois, 
known  as  the  Seven  Confederate  Knights,  which  -deserves  a  place  in 
history. 

Trying  times  came  to  the  men  in  that  prison.  The  winter  of  1864 
and  65  was  a  very  severe  one,  the  mercury  dropping  to  twenty  de 
grees  below  zero,  and  with  two  stoves  to  a  barrack  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  men,  some  necessarily  suffered  from  cold.  Rations  were 
reduced  to  a  minimum,  and  all  assistance  from  friends  on  the  outside 
was  cut  off,  so  the  prisoners  were  compelled  to  subsist  on  the  meager 
amount  of  baker's  bread  and  poor  beef  issued ;  no  vegetables  of  any 
kind  were  given  them  from  June  64  to  March  65.  Hunger  and  cold 
combined  made  many  desperate. 

A  plan  to  attack  the  guards  and  capture  the  garrison  and  liber 
ate  the  prisoners  was  betrayed,  and  the  guards  were  doubled  and 
additional  troops  were  brought  to  guard  the  prison.  Inducements, 
in  the  way  of  abundant  rations,  big  bounty,  and  liberal  pay  together 
with  warm  clothing  were  offered,  to  have  the  Confederates  enlist  in 
the  Federal  Army  to  go  to  the  frontier  to  fight  Indians — not  to 
be  sent  against  the  South.  Many  yielded  to  the  temptation  and  went 
over  to  the  enemy.  By  reason  of  these  and  other  frightful  conditions, 
some  felt  the  necessity  of  devising  a  plan  whereby  they  might  know 
who  could  be  trusted.  A  few  men  constituted  themselves  committees 
of  one  to  test  his  fellows  and  learn  how  they  stood.  They  would  ap 
proach  an  acquaintance  or  friend  and  suggest  that  they  together  take 
the  oath  and  leave  the  prison.  The  idea  of  having  liberty  and  good 
food  in  abundance  with  comforts  of  life  were  the  strongest  induce 
ments,  for  all  were  suffering  in  many  ways.  If  the  one  approached 
approved  the  suggestion  he  was  left  alone ;  and  only  he  who  scorned 
the  proposition  and  stood  ready  to  swear  eternal  allegiance  to  his  be 
loved  South  was  accounted  worthy  to  become  a  Seven  Confederate 
Knight. 

The  recollection  of  good  old  times,  home  cooked  meals,  appealed 
to  the  poor  starving  fellows  with  more  force  than  almost  any  other 
argument,  for  where  men  would  pay  ten  cents  a  piece  for  rats  and 
>not  hesitate  to  kill  an  officer's  dog,  when  the  rats  or  dogs  were  to  be 
had,  one  can  readily  understand  what  a  temptation  the  mention  of  a 
savory  meal  was.  Both  rats  and  dogs  were  eaten  in  Rock  Island 
Prison. 

Men  would  gather  in  groups  all  over  the  prison  and  listen  with 


600 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


open  mouth  to  some  eloquent  speaker,  while  he  drew  a  word  picture 
of  some  banquet  at  which  he  had  feasted  in  bygone  days.     One  by 


W.     J.    BOHAN,    ONE    OF    THE    ORIGINAL 
CONFEDERATE   KNIGHTS9'. 


'SEVEN 


one  he  would  describe  each  particular  dish,  until  in  fancy  they  saw  a 
feast  before  them,  but  like  the  Mirage,  'twas  beautiful  but  soon  van 
ished.  Not  alone  would  he  dwell  upon  the  popping  of  the  champagne 
cork,  nor  the  more  delicious  viands  such  as  terrapin,  canvasback  duck, 
pheasant,  grouse  and-  quail,  but  never  forgot  the  piece  of  old 
ham  broiled  to  a  beautiful  red,  trimmed  with  brown  gravy,  the  flaky 
bread  and  yellow  butter  and  the  savory  coffee  all  suggesting  Home 
Sweet  Home.  Needless  to  say  that  the  audience  were  attentive 
Hunger  was  no  phantom,  but  stalked  about  Rock  Island  Prison  day 
and  night,  a  most  hideous  reality.  All  longed  to  run  away  from  it 
but  some  preferred  to  stay  rather  than  sacrifice  honor.  So  the  Order 
of  the  Seven  Confederate  Knights  sprang  into  being. 

They  were  oath  bound  and  solemnly  sworn  to  suffer  death  no 
matter  how  great  the  torture,  before  they  would  take  the  oath  to  get 
out  of  prison  and  also  swore  eternal  fidelity  to  the  South  and  her 
cause.  Their  motto  was  composed  of  seven  Latin  words,  "Dulce  et  de 
corum  est  pro  patria  mori" — It  is  sweet  and  glorious  to  die  for  one's 


SEVEN  CONFEDERATE  KNIGHTS.  601 

country.  Their  badge  was  a  seven  pointed  star  made  of  shell,  each  point 
bearing  one  of  the  initial  letters  of  the  seven  words  comprising  the  mot 
to.  In  the  center  of  the  star  was  a  circle  and  shield  with  the  letters  C. 
and  K.,  and  the  figure  7  thus  C-/-K.,  signifying  Seven  Confederate 
Knights.  They  had  grips,  signs  and  pass  words,  and  soon  the  faith 
ful  few  were  known  to  each  other.  Not  many  of  them  are  living, 
most  of  them  having  "Passed  over  the  river  and  are  resting  under 
the  shade  of  the  trees." 

These  facts  have  been  gathered  from  W.  J.  Bohon,  who  was  one 
of  the  original  Seven  Confederate  Knights.  He  was  born  in  Monti- 
cello,  Wayne  County,  Ky.,  reared  in  Harrodsburg,  Mercer  County, 
from  which  place  he  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Kentucky  Cavalry,  which 
was  a  portion  of  General  John  H.  Morgan's  Command,  during  his 
career  after  his  escape  from  the  Ohio  Prison.  Bohon  was  wounded 
in  the  second  day's  fight  at  iMt.  Sterling,  Ky.,  in  June,  1864,  where  he 
was  captured  and  sent  to  Rock  Island  Prison. 

From  there  he  was  sent  on  exchange  in  the  early  part  of  March 
1865,  reached  Richmond,  Va.,  about  thirty  days  before  General  R.  E. 
Lee's  surrender.  He  made  his  way  from  Richmond  to  his  command 
near  Abingdon,  Va.  and  with  it  returned  to  Kentucky  and  surrendered 
at  Mt.  Sterling  about  the  loth  of  May,  1865.  The  same  point  from 
which  he  had  been  wounded,  captured  and  sent  to  prison.  His  home 
for  the  past  thirty  years  has  been  and  now  is  Danville,  Ky. 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS. 


Personnel  of  the  gentlemen  who  constitute  the  Tennessee  Chick- 
amauga  Park  Commission,  each  of  whom  was  a  participant  in  the 
battle  of  Chickamauga. 

JAMES  D.  PORTER. 

Major,  Assistant  Adjutant  General,  Cheatham's  staff;  residence 
Paris,  Tenn. ;  attorney  at  law ;  President  Tennessee  Chickamauga 
Park  Commission.  Alternate,  A.  J.  Vaughn,  Colonel,  Commanding 
Thirteenth  Tennessee  Infantry ;  upon  death  of  General  Preston 
Smith,  he  commanded  brigade ;  residence,  Memphis,  Tenn. ;  Deputy 
Criminal  Court  Clerk.  General  Vaughn  was  promoted  for  gallantry 
on  the  field  at  Chickamauga. 

R.  B.  SNOWDEN. 

Assistant  Adjutant  General,  General  B.  R.  Johnson's  staff;  after 
ward  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Colonel,  commanding  Twenty-fifth  Ten 
nessee  Infantry;  residence  Memphis,  Tenn,;  capitalist.  Alternate,  Mar 
cus  J.  Wright,  Brigadier  General ;  residence,  Washington,  D.  C. ; 
War  Records  Department. 

WILLIAM  B.  BATE. 

Major  General,  commanding  division ;  United  States  Senator, 
Washington,  D.  C.  Alternate,  J.  Minnick  Williams,  Major  and  As- 
Distant.  Adjutant  Inspector  General,  Lieutenant-General  Polk's  staff; 
residence,  Nashville ;  real  estate. 

CHARLES  W.  ANDERSON. 

Major  and  Assistant  Inspector  General,  Forrest's  staff;  resi 
dence,  Florence  Station,  Tenn. ;  farmer.  Alternate,  B.  L.  Ridley, 
Lieutenant  and  A.  D.  C.,  General  A.  P.  Stewart's  staff;  residence, 
Murfreesboro ;  lawyer. 

JOHN  W.  MORTON. 

Captain,  commanding  battery ;  residence  Nashville ;  President 
Tennessee  Farmer  Publishing  Company.  Alternate,  John  P.  Hick- 
man,  private,  Wheeler's  Cavalry;  residence  Nashville;  lawyer;  Sec 
retary  Tennessee  Chickamauga  Park  Commission. 

W.  J.  HALE. 

Lieutenamt-Colonel  Second  Tennessee  regiment;  residence, 
Hartsville,  Tenn. ;  merchant.  Alternate,  J.  Polk  Smartt,  private, 
Company  C.  Sixteenth  Tennessee  Infantry;  residence,  Chattanooga, 
merchant. 

M.  H.  CLIFT. 

Captain  and     Assistant  Adjutant  General,  Dibrell's  staff;  resi- 


^"*N- 


K<JKM 


AT 


1 


J.W,  MORTON 


MA-'C  WAN  PERSON. 


ARK. 


COMMISSION! 


1* 


MAJMHCLIFT.  CS  A  CAVALRY. 


-CAVALRY 


Jte, 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS.  603 

dence,  Chattanooga :  attorney  at  law.   Alternate,  W.  L.  Eakin,  Colonel, 
commanding  Fifty-ninth  Tennessee;   residence,  Chattanooga;  lawyer. 

FRANK  A.  MOSES. 

Ensign,  Sixty-third  Tennessee  (Fulkerson's)  regiment;  resi 
dence,  Knoxville;  insurance.  Alternate,  D.  D.  Anderson,  residence, 
Knoxville;  lawyer. 

G.  P.  THRUSTON. 

Lieutenant-Colonel,  Adjutant  General  and  Chief  of  the  Staff, 
right  wing  of  the  army  commanded  by  General  A.  D.  McCook;  pro 
moted  to  Brigadier  General  for  meritorious  conduct  on  Chickamauga 
battlefield1 ;  residence,  Nashville ;  attorney  at  law.  Alternate,  William 
Rule,  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant,  First  United  States  Cavalry;  resi 
dence,  Knoxville ;  editor,  and  mayor  of  the  city  of  Knoxville. 

JOHN  RUHM. 

Private,  Battery  M,  Fourth  United  States  Artillery  (Menden- 
hall's  battery)  ;  afterward  Lieutenant  and  A.  Q.  M.,  Army  of  the 
Cumberland ;  residence,  Nashville ;  attorney  at  law.  Alternate, 
Samuel  W.  Hawkins,  Lieutenant  Hawkins'  Regiment  Federal  Cav 
alry  ;  residence  Huntingdon,  Tenn. ;  lawyer. 

Major  Jas.  D.  Porter  being  introduced  by  Captain  M.  H.  Gift, 
spoke  as  follows: 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen  :  The  State  of  Tennessee, 
with  the  consent  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  United  States 
of  which  you  are  the  honored  chairman,  has  erected  upon  this  great 
battlefield'  monuments  and  regimental  markers  intended  to  com 
memorate  the  heroic  actions  of  her  sons.  The  State,  like  a  fond  moth 
er,  honors  their  memory,  not  because  they  held  to  a  certain  faith  or 
followed  a  particular  flag;  but  she  honors  them  because  they  were  her 
children,  true  and  constant  to  the  cause  they  espoused. 

The  bill  for  the  appropriation  of  the  money  to  build  these  monu 
ments  was  supported  by  FecPeral  and  Confederate  soldiers  alike,  and 
the  Commissioners  charged  with  their  erection  are  representatives  of 
both  armies.  I  am  proud  to  be  the  accredited  representative  01  the 
State  to  tender  them  to  you.  I  ask  for  their  acceptance,  and  ask  for 
them  your  custody  and  guardianship. 

Chickamauga  was  one  of  the  great  battles  of  modern  times,  not 
in  results,  but  as  an  example  of  American  pluck,  courage  and  powers 
of  endurance.  If  the  combatants  had  not  already  learned  it,  they 
learned  upon  this  field  that  educated  Americans  of  every  section  of 
the  Federal  Union  were  alike  brave  in  action,  and  that  advantages 
won  by  either  resulted  from  the  character  of  their  leadership.  Offi 
cers  who  sent  their  commands  into  action  "to  do  the  best  they  could," 
were  conspicuous  failures :  but  the  man  who  directed1  the  movement 
of  his  troops  with  intelligence,  and  kept  in  touch  with  them,  rarely 
failed  of  success.  The  men  of  both  sides  possessed  the  brawn  and 
the  courage;  all  they  wanted  was  direction  and  leadership.  The  war 
between  the  States  could  not  be  avoided;  the  business  °nd  conserva- 


604  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

tive  sense  of  the  country  could  only  postpone  it.  It  was  a  great  and 
terrible  struggle,  costing  millions  of  treasure.  It  brought  poverty  to 
one  section  of  the  Union,  and  mourning  and  sorrow  to  all  of  the  land, 
but  for  all  these  sacrifices  it  has  brought  a  great  compensation;  it 
has  made  us  a  united  people  strong  and  great.  I  rejoice  that  so  many 
of  us  who  were  active  participants  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  are 
living  to  congratulate  one  another  chat  in  our  time  our  country  has 
attained  this  great  strength  and  power,  a  power  adequate  for  the  pro 
tection  of  our  territorial  possessions,  and,  when  necessary  to  the  vin 
dication  of  our  actions  and  policy,  we  can  send  our  arms  to  the  far 
East  and  successfully  assail  an  enemy  upon  his  own  soil. 

Now,  Mr.  Chairman,  I  propose,  with  all  the  power  of  condensa 
tion  that  I  possess,  to  recite  the  actions  of  the  Tennesseeans  upon  this 
great  battlefield,  in  whose  honor  a  generous  State  has  provided  these 
beautiful  memorials. 

CAMPAIGN  IN  MIDDLE  TENNESSEE. 


After  a  delay  of  six  months.  General  Rosecrans  placed  his  army 
in  motion  in  June,  1863.  His  equipments  and  appointments  were  as 
thorough  and  complete  as  the  unlimited  resources  of  his  government 
:ould  make  them,  his  force  was  ample,  his  supplies  abundant;  but  his 
experience  at  Murfreesboro  seemed  to  make  him  timid  and  hesitating 
in  his  advance.  General  Bragg  determined  to  offer  battle  in  front  of 
Shelbyville,  and  ordered  Lieutenant  General  Polk  to  move  his  army 
corps  to  Guy's  Gap.on  tne  Murfreesboro  road, and  to  assail  the  Federal 
army  before  Libertv  Gap ;  but,  learning  that  the  left  of  Major  General 
Stewart,  stationed  wit!?  nis  division  between  Fairfield  and  Hoover's 
Gap,  had  bejn  turned,  he  decided  to  withdraw  the  Army  of  Tennessee 
to  Tullahoma.  This  attack  on  Stewart  was  made  by  the  corps  com 
manded  by  Major  General  George  H.  Thomas,  and  was  met  by 
Bushrod  Johnson's,  Clayton's  and  Bate's  Brigades,  of  Stewart's  Di 
vision  ;  and  Liddell's  and  Wood's  Brigades,  of  Cleburne's  Division 
of  Hardee's  Corps.  General  Bragg  under  date  of  July  3rd,  referred 
to  these  engagements  as  "a  series  of  skirmishes,"  but  they  were  con 
tinuous  combats  from  the  24th  to  the  27th  of  June,  in  which  Johnson's 
and  Bate's  Brigades  sustained  heavy  losses.  Among  the  killed  was 
the  gallant  Major  Fred.  Claybrooke  of  the  ewentieth  Tennessee,  great 
ly  distinguished  at  Murfreesboro.  Major  Thomas  Kennedy  Potter, 
Acting  Chief  of  Artillery  on  the  staff  of  Major  General  Stewart,  was 
among  the  severely  wounded.  On  the  morning  of  the  27th,  the  troops 
retired  under  orders  to  Tullahoma  where  General  Bragg  concentrated 
the  Army  of  Tennessee,  taking  position,  and  determined  to  risk  a  bat 
tle  ;  but  Rosecrans  skilfully  pressed  back  his  troops  on  the  Manches 
ter  and  Hillsboro  road,  destroying  temporarily  his  communications 
with  his  base.  General  Bragg  then  abandoned  Tullahoma,  and  on 
the  3Oth  of  June  began  the  retreat,  and  reached  Chattanooga  on  the  7th 
of  July.  Not  a  gun  (or  stores  of  any  description)  was  lost,  and  Folk's 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS.  605 

Corps,  largely  composed  of  Middle  and  West  Tennessee  troops,  was 
four  hundred  stronger  than  when  it  retired  from  Shelbyville. 

Resting  at  Chattanooga  during  the  month  of  July  and  August, 
General  Bragg  having  received  reinforcements  of  two  small  divis 
ions  from  Mississippi  thus  increasing  the  strength  of  the  Army  of 
Tennessee,  exclusive  of  cavalry,  to  thirty-five  thousand,  it  was  de 
termined  to  attack  the  advancing  army  whenever  an  opportunity  was 
offered.  Without  ability  to  garrison  Chattanooga,  the  place  was 
abandoned  on  the  7th  and  8th  of  September,  and  the  army  took  posi 
tion  from  Lee's  and  Gordon's  Mills  to  Lafayette,  Ga.  Rosecrans  im 
mediately  occupied!  the  place,  and  pushed  forward  in  pursuit  of  Gen 
eral  Bragg,  assuming  that  he  was  in  retreat  to  Rome,  Ga.  On  the 
loth  he  discovered  that  the  Confederate  army  was  being  concentra 
ted  about  Lafayette,  Ga.  His  own  army  was  at  Gordon's  Mills. 
Bailey's  Cross  Roads,  at  the  foot  of  Stevens  Gap,  and  at  Alpine,  a 
distance  of  forty  miles  from  flank  to  flank.  General  Bragg  had  so 
far  conducted  his  campaign  from  Chattanooga  with  skill.  He  made 
prompt  dispositions  to  crush  McCook's  Corps,  and  failing  in  that,  he 
determined  to  assail  Crittendien's,  but  was  disappointed  in  his  rea 
sonable  expectations  by  failure  of  subordinates.  He  then  began  a 
concentration  of  his  army  that  culminated  in  the  great 

BATTLE  OF  CHICKAMAUGA-  TENNESSEEANS  ENGAGED. 

The  Eleventh  Tennnessee,  Colonel  Geo.  W.  Gordon;  I2th,  22nd 
and  47th  Tennessee,  Colonel  Wm.  M.  Watkins,  Thirteenth  and  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Tennessee,  Colonel  A.  J.  Vaughn ;  and 
Twenty-ninth  Tennessee,  Colonel  Horace  Rice,  constituted  Brigadier- 
General  Preston  Smith's  brigade.  The  First  and  Twenty-Seventh 
Tennessee,  Colonel  Hume  R.  Field;  Fourth  (Confederate)  Tennessee, 
Colonel  James  A.  McMurray;  Sixth  and  Ninth  Tennessee,  Colonel 
Geo.  C.  Porter;  and  Tennessee  battalion,  Major  Frank  Maney,  con 
stituted  Brigadier-General  George  'Maney's  brigade.  The  Fourth  and 
Fifth  Tennessee,  Colonel  Jonathan  J.  Lamb ;  Nineteenth  Tennessee, 
Colonel  Francis  M.  Walker;  Twenty-fourth  Tennessee,  Colonel  John 
A.  Wilson;  thirty-first  Tennessee,  Colonel  Egbert  E.  Tansil ;  and 
Thirty-third  Tennessee,  Colonel  Warner  P.  Jones,  constituted  Bri 
gadier-General  Otho  F.  Strahl's  brigade.  The  Eighth  Tennessee, 
Colonel  John  H.  Anderson ;  Sixteenth  Tennessee,  Colonel  D.  W.  Don- 
nel ;  Twenty-eighth  Tennessee,  Col.  Sidney  S.  Stanton ;  Thirty-eighth 
Tennessee  and  OVIajor  T.  B.  Murray's  battalion,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
John  G.  Hall,  constituted  Brigadier-General  M.  J.  Wright's  brigade, 
and  with  Brigadier-General  John  K.  Jackson's  brigade,  composed  of 
three  Georgia  regiments  and  two  Mississippi  regiments,  and  an  artil 
lery  battalion,  Major  Melancthon  Smith,  composed  of  Games'  Ten 
nessee  battery,  Captain  W.  W.  Carnes ;  Scoggins  Georgia  battery, 
Captain  John  D.  Scroggins ;  Scott's  Tennessee  battery.  Captain  W.  L. 
Scott ;  Smith's  Mississippi  battery,  Lieutenant  W.  B.  Turner ;  and 


606  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Stanford's  Mississippi  battery,  Captain  Thomas  J.  Stanford,  consti 
tuted  the  division  commanded  by  Major-General  B.  F.  Cheatham,  of 
Folk's  corps.  The  Fifth  (Confederate)  Tennessee,  Colonel  J.  A. 
Smith's,  Second  Tennessee,  Colonel  William  D.  Robison ;  Thirty-fifth 
Tennessee,  Colonel  B.  J.  Hill ;  and  Forty-  eighth  Tennessee,  Colonel 
George  H.  Nixon,  constituted  four-fifths  of  Brigadier-General  Lu 
cius  E.  Folk's  brigade,  Cleburne's  division,  Hill's  corps.  Mebane's 
Tennessee  battery,  Captain  John  W.  Mebane,  was  a  part  of  Graves' 
battalion,  Breckenridge's  division,  Hill's  corps ;  Clark's  Tennessee  com 
pany,  Captain  J.  W.  Clark,  was  escort  to  Major-General  Simon  B. 
Buckner.  The  Seventeenth  Tennessee,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Watt  W. 
Floyd;  Twenty-third  Tennessee,  Colonel  R.  H.  Keeble,  Twenty- fifth 
Tennessee,  Co-lonel  R.  B.  Stiowden,  and  Forty-fourth  Tennessee, 
Lieutenant  Colonel  John  L.  McEwin,  Jr.,  constituted  Brigadier-Gen 
eral  Bushrod  Johnson's  brigade,  Stewart's  division.  The  Fifteenth 
and  Thirty-seventh  Tennessee,  Colonel  R.  C.  Tyler,  and  Twentieth 
Tennessee  Colonel  Thomas  B.  Smith,  constituted  half  of  Brigadier- 
General  Wm.  B.  Bate's  brigade,  Stewart's  division,  Buckner's  corps. 
The  Eighteenth  Tennessee,  Colonel  Joseph  B.  Falmer ;  Twenty-sixth 
Tennessee,  Colonel  John  M.  Lillard;  Thirty-second  Tennessee,  Colo 
nel  Edmond  C.  Cook;  Forty-fifth  Tennessee,  Colonel  Anderson 
Searcy,  and  Twenty-third  Tennessee  battalion,  Major  Tazewell  W. 
Newman,  constituted  Brigadier-General  John  C.  Brown's  brigade, 
Stewart's  division.  The  Thirty-third  Tennessee,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Abraham  Fulkerson,  was  in  Gracie's  brigade,  Preston's  division, 
Buckner's  corps ;  Baxter's  Tennessee  battery,  Captain  Edmund  D. 
Baxter,  was  in  the  battalion  of  reserve  artillery  commanded  by  Major 
Samuel  C.  Williams,  of  the  same  corps.  The  Third  Tennessee,  Colo 
nel  Calvin  H.  Walker;  Tenth  Tennessee  Colonel  Wm.  Grace;  Thir 
tieth  Tennessee,  Lieutenant  Colonel  James  J.  Turner ;  Forty- first  Ten 
nessee  Lieutenant  Colonel  James  D.  Tillman ;  Fiftieth  Tennessee,  Colo 
nel  Cyrus  A.  Sugg;  and  First  Tennessee  battalion,  Major  Stephen  H. 
Colm's,  with  the  Seventh  Texas,  constituted  Brigadier-General  John 
Gregg's  brigade  of  the  provisional  division  commanded  by  Brigadier- 
General  Bushrod  Johnson,  acting  under  orders  from  Lieutenant  Gen 
eral  James  Longstreet.  The  Fourth  Tennessee  Cavalry,  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Paul  F.  Anderson,  and  White's  Tennessee  battery  Captain 

B.  F.  White,  Jr.,  constituted  a  part  of  Harrison's  brigade,  Brigadier- 
General  John  A.  Wharton's  division ;  Jackson's  Tennessee  company, 
Captain  J.   C.   Jackson,  was  escort  to  Brigadier-General  Nathan   B. 
Forrest.     The   Sixth   Tennessee   Cavalry,   Lieutenant   Colonel  James 
H.   Lewis,   and  Eighteenth  .Tennessee  battalion,   Major   Charles   Mc 
Donald,  were  in  the  division  commanded  by  Brigadier-General  Frank 

C.  Armstrong,   Forrest's  cavalry.     The    Fourth    Tennessee    cavalry, 
Colonel   Wm.    S.    McLemore ;   Eighth   Tennessee,    Captain   Hamilton 
McGinnis ;  Ninth  Tennessee,  Colonel  Jacob  B.  BifHe ;  Tenth  Tennessee, 
Colonel   Nicholas   N.   Cox,   Eleventh   Tennessee,   Colonel   Daniel   W. 
Holman;  Shaw's  battalion,  Hamilton's  battalion,  and  Allison's  Squa- 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS.  60Y 

dron  (consolidated),  Major  Joseph  Shaw;  Huggin's  Tennessee  bat 
tery,  Captain  A.  L.  Huggins,  and  Morton's  Tennessee  battery,  Captain 
John  W.  Morton,  Jr.,  constituted  Colonel  George  G.  Dibrell's  bri 
gade,  Forrest's  cavalry.  Rucker's  Tennessee  legion,  Colonel  E.  W. 
Rucker,  and  Huwajd's  Tennessee  battery,  Captain  Gustave  A.  Huwald 
were  in  Brigadier-General  H.  B.  Davidson's  brigade ;  Brigadier-Gen 
eral  John  D.  Pegram's  division.  The  Second  Tennessee,  Colonel  H. 
M.  Ashby,  and  Fifth  Tennessee,  Colonel  George  W.  McKenzie,  were 
in  Colonel  John  S.  Scott's  brigade,  Pegram's  division.  So  many  Ten 
nessee  organizations  never  before  united  upon  the  field  of  battle ;  the 
flower  of  the  State  was  here,  resolved  upon  victory  and  the  redemp 
tion  of  their  homes. 

General  Braxton  Bragg  commanding  the  Confederate  Army, 
assigned  the  right  wing  to  the  command  of  Lieutenant  General  Polk; 
the  left,  to  Lieutenant  General  James  Longstreet,  who  had  arrived 
from  Virginia  with  a  part  of  his  army  corps.  On  the  night  of  the  I7th 
of  September,  1863,  the  Commanding  General  issued  orders  to  his 
forces  to  cross  the  Chickamauga  river,  commencing  the  movement 
at  6  a.  m.  on  the  following  morning,  by  the  extreme  right,  at  Reed's 
Bridge.  The  resistance  offered  by  the  enemy's  cavalry  and  the  nar 
row  country  roads  delayed  the  advance  until  late  in  the  afternoon. 
The  movement  forward'  was  resumed  at  daylight  on  the  iQth,  and 
Buckner's  corps  and  Cheatham's  division  crossed  and  formed.  The 
division  of  General  W.  H.  T.  Walker  had  crossed  at  Bryan's  Ford 
after  night  on  the  i8th.  A  sharp  engagement  commenced  on  the 
iQth,  with  Forrest's  cavalry  on  the  extreme  right.  Wilson's  brigade, 
Walker's  division,  reinforced  Forrest,  and  soon  thereafter  his  entire 
division,  with  Liddell's  was  ordered  to  attack  the  enemy.  Forrest 
judged  him  to  be  strong  for  Pegram's  small  division,  and  Wilson's 
brigade,  was  reinforced  by  Ector's  brigade,  when  the  enemy  was 
driven  back  and  a  battery  captured',  although  not  brought  off;  but  the 
enemy  developed  a  largely  superior  force  and  compelled  Forrest  to 
retire.  Dibrell's  Brigade  participated  in  the  second  advance;  was 
dismounted  and  moved  up  in  line  with  the  veterans  of  Ector  and 
Wilson.  Rosecrans  concluding  that  his  left,  held  by  Thomas'  corps, 
was  the  chief  point  of  attack,  and  that  Bragg  was  seeking  to  turn  it 
and  gain  possession  of  the  Lafayette  road  between  him  and  Chatta 
nooga,  sent  Johnson's  division  of  McCook's  corps  to  his  assistance. 
Crittenden  in  the  meantime,  had  reinforced  him  with  Palmer's  divis 
ion.  Walker  attacked  this  force  with  his  own  division  and  Liddell's 
with  extraordinary  vigor,  but  was  forced  back  for  reformation. 
Cheatham,  with  five  brigades,  was  ordered  to  support  Walker,  but, 
on  coming  up  ''n  supporting  distance,  found  that  he  had  nothing  in 
his  front.  Communicating  the  condition  of  the  field  to  the  Command 
ing  General,  he  was  ordered  to  advance  and  attack  the  enemy.  In 
his  report  he  states  that  his  brigade  commanders  were  notified  that 
he  ha<J  no  support  on  his  right  or  left.  Moving  forward,  he  met  the 
Federals  advancing  on  Walker's  retiring  troops.  Jackson  at  once 


608  BATTLES  Atfl)  SKETCHES  ARM*  OF  TENNESSEE. 

encountered  the  advancing  troops,  and  soon  the  entire  line  was  hotly 
engaged.  The  Federals  were  driven  back  three-quarters  of  a  mile, 
with  heavy  loss,  where  they  took  shelter  behind  breastworks,  and, 
assisted  by  heavy  reinforcements,  checked  Cheatham's  advance. 
After  an  engagement  of  two  hours'  duration,  the  brigades  of  Jackson 
and  Smith  were  withdrawn.  These  two  brigades  had  driven  the  force 
in  their  front  "furiously,"  says  General  A.  J.  Vaughan,  six  or  eight 
hundred  yards  before  them.  General  Smith  reported  to  the  Divis 
ion  General  that  his  ammunition  was  nearly  exhausted,  but  that  he 
could  hold  the  position  until  his  wants  were  supplied  or  until  Strahl 
could  relieve  him.  No  grander  spectacle  was  ever  witnessed  than  the 
withdrawal  of  Smith's  and  Jackson's  Brigades,  and  the  substitution 
of  Maney  and  Strahl,  and  no  more  dangerous  'experiment  was  ever 
made  in  the  face  of  an  enemy,  within  musket  range,  under  a  concen 
trated  fire  of  artillery  and  small  arms.  The  advancing  and  retiring 
brigades  moved  with  unbroken  lines,  and  with  such  precision  and 
promptness  that  the  enemy  was  not  sensible  of  the  change.  Scoggin's 
Georgia  battery  and  Scott's  Tennessee  battery  were  in  the  advance 
with  Jackson  and  Smith,  and  were  especially  distinguished.  Lieu 
tenant  John  H.  Marsh,  commanding  Scott's  battery,  was  dangerously 
wounded. 

Thomas'  official  report  shows  that  he  had  present  for  duty 
21,448  men  of  all  arms,  reinforced  by  two  divisions  stronger  than  that 
of  Cheatham.  Soon  Maney  and  Strahl  were  enveloped  by  overwhelm 
ing  numbers  in  front  and  o<n  both  flanks,  and,  after  a  struggle  of  un- 
parallelled  heroism,  were  forced  to  fall  back  to  their  original  position 
on  the  right  and  left  of  Turner's  battery.  The  Federal  forces,  flushed 
with  triumph,  rushed  up  on  Cheatham's  line,  coming  within  short 
range  of  the  battery.  Turner  opened  upon  the  advancing  column  with 
grape  and  canister,  and  forced  them  back  in  great  confusion.  Cheat- 
ham  and  the  officers  of  his  staff  were  with  Turner  in  what  seemed 
the  most  critical  moment  of  a  soldier's  life.  Thousands  of  men,  in 
numbers  that  made  them  look  almost  irresistible,  were  about  to 
crush  him,  advancing  with  shouts  of  victory,  in  short  range,  when  the 
Division  General  said.  "Now  lieutenant,"  and  the  guns  opened,  the 
Federal  troops  hesitated,  halted,  doubled  one  regiment  upon  another, 
and!  fell  back  in  disorder,  leaving  the  earth,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  covered  with  the  dead  and  dying.  The  grass  and  dry  leaves 
in  front  of  the  battery  were  soon  in  flames,  and  many  of  the  Federal 
wounded  were  subjected  to  the  torture  of  being  roasted  to  death. 
Turner  had  long  commanded  the  battery  as  first  lieutenant.  He  was 
deficient  in  expert  knowledge,  but  he  knew  how  to  fight  his  guns. 
Cheatham  passed  him  over  examining  boards  and  made  him  Cap 
tain  for  gallant  conduct  on  the  field  of  Chickamauga.  "But  for  this 
repulse,"  says  General  Cheatham,  "the  enemy  would  have  seized  the 
crossing  of  the  Chickamauga  at  Alexander's  Bridge  and  Hunt's  Ford, 
and  rendered  necessary  new  combinations  and  new  dispositions  for 
the  battle  of  the  next  day." 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS.  609 

During  this  battle  Jackson's  Brigade  took  from  Thomas  three 
pieces  of  his  artillery  and  sent  them  to  the  rear.  Wright's  brigade 
occupied  the  left  of  the  division  line.  It  made  a  brave  fight  for  two 
hours,  and  was  constantly  exposed  to  a  flanking  fire,  which,  growing 
in  volume,  finally  forced  it  to  retire.  Games'  artillery  company,  of 
this  brigade  lost  half  of  its  strength;  the  gallant  Lieutenant  Van 
Vleck  was  killed,  and  most  of  the  battery  horses;  the  guns  were 
abandoned  on  the  field,  and  the  enemy  undertook  to  remove  them, 
but  was  driven  off  by  Cheatham's  skirmish  line,  and  the  guns  were 
left  between  the  contending  lines  until  the  subsequent  advance  of 
Stewart's  Division,  commanded  by  Major  General  A.  P.  Stewart, 
when  they  were  recovered  by  Brown's  brigade. 

About  2  p.  m.  General  Stewart  advanced  with  three  brigades — 
Brown's  Bates'  and  Clayton's.  After  an  engagement  of  an  hour, 
Clayton  withdrew  for  ammunition,  and  his  position  was  occupied  by 
Brown  with  his  veteran  brigade  of  Tennesseeans.  He  advanced  rapid 
ly,  driving  the  enemy  for  several  hundred  yards,  routing  his  first 
line.  Advancing  upon  his  second  line,  the  Federal  position  was  forced 
and  occupied;  but  his  right  was  threatened  by  a  heavy  force,  and  he 
was  ordered  to  retire.  Brown  captured  five  pieces  of  artillery,  after 
killing  the  gunners  and  horses  of  the  battery  to  which  they  belonged. 
General  Stewart  reports  that  they  were  sent  to  the  rear,  and  that 
Brown's  left  regiment — the  Twenty-sixth  Tennessee — drove  the  Fed 
erals  from  another  battery,  but  was  unable  to  bring  the  guns  off. 
Brown's  Brigade  was  relieved  by  Bates'.  This  Brigade  assailed  the 
enemy  with  great  impetuosity,  and  forced  him  from  one  position  after 
another,  losing  and  recapturing  one  piece  of  artillery.  Clayton's 
Brigade  coming  to  his  support,  the  two  drove  the  enemy  for  half  a 
mile  beyond  the  Chattanooga  road,  but  observing  threatening  move 
ments  on  their  right  and  left,  they  were  ordered  by  General  Stewart 
to  fall  back  leisurely  to  the  east  side  of  the  road.  In  these  charges 
the  Fifteenth  Tennessee  and  Thirty-seventh  Tennessee,  Colonel  R.  C. 
Tyler,  captured  four  pieces  of  artillery.  In  the  assault  on  the  second 
line,  Colonel  J.  B.  Palmer,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Butler,  Major  Joiner 
of  the  1 8th  Tennessee  and  Major  Taz.  W.  Newman  were  wounded, 
and  Colonel  John  M.  Lillard,  Twenty-sixth  Tennessee,  was  mortally 
wounded.  General  Brown  said :  "I  feel  deeply  the  loss  of  Colonel 
Palmer's  services  on  the  field ;  for  with  him  on  the  right,  the  gallant 
Cook  in  the  center,  and  the  brave  Lillard  on  the  left,  I  felt  the  utmost 
confidence  in  the  unwavering  steadiness  of  my  line."  In  the  death  of 
Colonel  Lillard,  he  said,  ''the  country  lost  one  of  her  best  men  and  one 
of  her  bravest  soldiers." 

Bushrod  Johnson's  division,  just  organized,  consisting  of  his  own 
Tennessee  brigade,  Brigadier-General  John  Gregg;  McNair's  bri 
gade,  Brigadier-General  Evander  McNair;  and  Bledsoe's  Missouri 
battery,  was  first  to  cross  the  Chickamauga.  This  was  at  3  p.  m.  of 
the  1 8th,  and  no  other  command,  says  General  Johnson,  crossed  at 
any  point  until  he  "had  swept  the  west  bank  in  front  of  their  respec- 


610  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

tive  places  of  crossing."  He  was  not  seriously  engaged  until  3  p.  m. 
His  line  was  formed  about  a  thousand  yards  west  of  the  Chickamauga 
at  Lee  and  Gordon's  Mill  road.  His  skirmishers  were  driven  in, 
Bledsoe's  and  Everett's  batteries  opened  fire,  and  Culpepper's  battery  of 
three  guns  was  brought  into  action  on  Gregg's  left.  The  Federals 
advanced  on  Johnson's  and  Gregg's  brigades,  and  were  easily  repulsed, 
except  on  Gregg's  left.  The  Fiftieth  Tennessee  here  lost  twelve  killed 
and  forty-five  wounded  before  it  moved  from  its  position.  Johnson 
pushed  his  command  forward,  with  orders  to  attack  whenever  oppor 
tunity  permitted.  Robinson's  brigade  of  Hood's  division  advanced 
on  the  right  of  the  Fiftieth  Tennessee,  and  the  Federal  troops  were 
driven  back  with  loss.  About  this  time  General  Gregg  rode  out  in 
front  of  his  Brigade  to  reconnoiter  the  Federal  position.  He  ven 
tured  too  far,  and',  endeavoring  to  return,  was  shot  through  the  neck 
and  fell  from  his  horse.  He  found  himself  in  the  lines  of  the  Thirty- 
fifth  Ohio,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  H.  V.  Boynton.  While 
the  Thirty-fifth  was  gathering  his  spurs,  sword,  and  other  valuables 
as  souvenirs,  Robertson's  brigade  of  Texas  dashed  forward,  gained 
possession  of  the  General  and  his  horse,  and  inflicted  serious  punish 
ment  on  the  Thirty-fifth  Ohio. 

Johnson's  brigade,  under  Colonel  Fulton,  after  advancing  six 
hundred  yards,  received  a  deadly  fire  of  artillery  andi  musketry  for 
an  hour,  when  he  forced  the  Federals  to  retire  beyond  the  road  from 
Chattanooga  to  Lee's  and  Gordon's  Mills,  where  he  took  cover  in  the 
woods  to  the  left  of  a  clearing  in  which  he  posted  his  battery.  The 
gallant  Colonel  Robert  B.  Snowden,  with  the  Twenty-fifth  Tennessee 
and  part  of  the  Twenty-third  Tennessee,  watching  his  opportunity, 
wheeled  to  the  right,  gained  the  cover  of  the  fence  north  of  the  clear 
ing,  fired  two  or  three  volleys  at  the  battery,  charged,  and  captured 
it  complete.  The  Seventeenth  Tennessee,  Third  Tennessee,  and 
Forty-first  Tennessee,  slightly  in  advance  of  the  main  line,  encoun 
tered  a  Federal  force  moving  by  the  flank  toward  the  right  of  the 
Confederate  Army.  The  Federals  penetrated  the  left  of  the  line  of 
Johnson,  filedi  off  to  the  left,  and  fired  a  volley  into<  its  rear.  The 
Brigade  fell  back,  leaving  seventy-one  officers  and  men  (including 
Major  Davis,  of  the  Seventeenth  Tennessee)  and  the  captured  bat 
tery  in  their  hands.  The  Federal  column  was  charged  by  the  Third 
Tennessee  and  Forty-first  Tennessee,  and  driven  back.  General 
Johnson  reformed  his  division  and  bivouacked  in  line  for  the  next 
day's  battle.  Johnson's  loss  was  heavy.  Among  the  killed  was  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Thomas  W.  Beaumont,  Fifth  Tennessee,  a  soldier  of 
experience  and  eminence,  well  and  generally  known  and  beloved  in 
Tennessee.  A  man  of  intellect  and  culture,  who  practiced  all  the 
graces  of  life,  he  died  gloriously  at  the  head  of  his  regiment.  The 
tribute  of  Colonel  Napier,  the  historian  of  the  Penisular  War,  to  the 
brave  Colonel  Ridge  of  the  British  Army,  who  fell  at  the  seige  of 
Badajos,  can  be  accorded  to  Colonel  Beaumont:  "No  man  died  that 
day  with  more  glory ;  yet  many  died,  and  there  was  much  glory." 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS.  611 


Soon  after  sunset  of  the  iQth,  Cleburne's  division  supported  by 
Jackson's  and  Smith's  brigades  of  Cheatham's  division,  was  ordered 
to  attack  Thomas,  and,  if  possible,  drive  back  his  left  wing.  He  was 
posted  behind  hastily  constructed  breastworks,  and  received  the  at 
tacking  force  with  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery  and  small  arms.  Briga 
dier-General  Lucius  E.  Polk,  on  the  right,  pressed  forward,  pushing 
his  artillery  within  sixty  yards  of  his  line,  when  the  Federals  ceased 
firing  and  disappeared  from  Cleburne's  front.  The  darkness  was 
so  intense  that  no  attempt  was  made  to  advance.  The  lines  were  re 
adjusted  and  the  command  bivouacked  for  the  night,  with  skirmishers 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  advance.  In  this  night  attack  a  part  of  Desh- 
ler's  brigade  fell  back  in  some  confusion  on  Smith's  brigade.  Gen 
eral  Smith  urged  them  forward,  says  General  A.  G.  Vaughan,  in  his 
report  of  the  movement,  but,  instead  of  going  to  the  front,  they 
obliqued  to  the  left.  In  the  darkness  it  was  not  observed  that  Smith's 
two  right  regiments  were  uncovered.  Advancing  upon  troops  at  a 
halt  in  his  immediate  front,  General  Smith  rode  forward  for  an  ex 
planation  of  the  delay.  Riding  up  to  the  line,  it  proved  to  be  that  of 
the  Seventy-seventh  Pennsylvania.  Smith  was  fired  upon,  and  him  • 
self  and  his  aidie,  Captain  Thomas  H.  King,  were  killed,  General 
Smith  surviving  for  a  few  minutes.  At  the  same  time  the  gallant 
General  A.  J.  Vaughan,  then  Colonel  of  the  Thirteenth  Tennessee, 
was  fired  upon  under  similar  circumstances.  The  shot  intended  for 
him  killed  the  noble  Captain  John  Donelson,  Acting  Assistant  Adju 
tant  General.  General  Vaughan  ordered  the  Twelfth  Tennessee  to 
fire,  and  the  slayer  of  Donelson  paid  the  penalty  with  his  own  life. 
In  his  official  report,  General  Cheatham  said:  "In  this  night  attack, 
Brigadier  General  Preston  Smith,  of  Tennessee,  received  a  mortal 
wound  from  which  he  died  in  fifty  minutes.  At  the  head  of  his  noble 
brigade,  of  which  he  had  been  the  commander  as  Colonel  and  Briga 
dier  General  for  two  years  and  a  half,  he  fell  in  the  performance  of 
what  he  himself,  with  his  expiring  breath  said  was  his  duty.  Activr, 
energetic  and  brave,  with  a  rare  fitness  for  command,  full  of  honor 
able  ambition  and  harmony  with  the  most  elevated  patriotism,  the 
State  of  Tennessee  will  mourn  his  fall  and  do  honor  to  his  memory." 

Colonel  Vaughan,  commanding  the  brigade  at  Smith's  fall,  re 
ports  that  he  captured  three  hundred  prisoners,  and  the  colors  of  the 
Seventy-seventh  Pennsylvania  regiment.  During  the  battle  of  the 
day  and  night  Cheatham  lost  1,900  men  in  killed  and  wounded,  out  of 
a  total  of  6,578.  Among  the  killed  was  Colonel  J.  A.  McMurray,  of 
the  Fourth  Confederate  Tennessee.  General  Maney  referred  to  him 
as  a  "gentleman  of  the  noblest  qualities,  and  an  officer  of  fine  abili 
ties  and  great  gallantry."  Lieutenant  Colonel  Robt.  N.  Lewis  and 
Major  Oliver  A.  Bradshaw,  both  officers  of  great  merit,  were  in 
quick  succession  severely  wounded,  when  the  command  devolved  upon 
Captain  Joseph  Bostick.  In  Turner's  battery,  Lieutenant  Smith  was 
severely  wounded  and  Lieutenant  Ingram  was  killed.  Both  shared 
with  Turner  the  glory  won  here  and  at  Perryville  and  Murfreesboro. 


#12  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

The  First  Tennessee  and  Twenty-seventh  Tennessee,  Colonel  Hume 
R.  Field,  on  the  right  of  Maney,  held  his  position  for  two  hours,  as 
he  reports,  "battling  with  as  many  of  the  Federal  troops  as  could  be 
brought  to  bear  upon  us.  We  occupied  the  position  after  our  ammu 
nition  was  completely  exhausted,  and  then  did  not  retire  until  the  left 
wing  of  the  brigade  had  been  driven  from  the  field  by  a  movement 
upon  its  left  flank.  We  brought  from  the  field  a  gun  of  one  of  our 
batteries  (supposed  to  be  Forrest's)  that  had  been  abandoned  by  all 
but  two  of  its  men."  The  First  and  Twenty-seventh  lost  eighty-nine 
killed  and  wounded,  and  the  Fourth  lost  fifty-four  killed  and  wound 
ed.  Among  the  dead  was  Lieutenant  Thomas  B.  Fitzwilliams,  named 
by  Captain  Bostick  as  "the  modest  gentleman,  gallant  officer,  and  true 
soldier."  The  Twenty-fourth  Tennessee  battalion  of  sharpshooters, 
Major  Frank  Maney,  already  reduced  to  a  skeleton  by  the  casualties 
of  war,  went  into  action  on  the  left  of  the  Fourth  Confederate  with 
thirty-nine  guns.  It  lost  twenty-two ;  seventeen  only  could  answer 
at  the  next  roll  call.  Colonel  George  C.  Porter,  Sixth  Tennessee  and 
Ninth  Tennessee,  occupied  the  left  of  Maney.  "It  was,"  said  General 
Maney,  "most  exposed,  and  the  chances  of  the  day  demanded  of  this 
veteran  command  a  bloody  sacrifice."  It  lost  60  per  cent  of  its 
strength  in  killed  and  wounded  in  the  battle  of  the  iQth.  There  were 
no  stragglers.  The  gallant  Colonel  was  ordered  by  the  Division  Gen 
eral,  through  an  efficer  of  his  staff,  to  hold  his  position  at  all  hazards, 
saying  that  help  would  surely  come  to  his  left.  He  did  not  care  for 
odds  against  his  front,  but  the  enfilading  attack  on  his  left  caused 
him  soon  to  lose  180  men  killed  and  wounded,  out  of  a  total  present 
of  335.  Help  never  came,  and  this  broken  and  brave  command  with 
drew  in  order  to  avoid  capture.  Vaughan's  brigade  sustained  heavy 
losses.  During  the  battle  of  the  iQth  the  Twenty-eighth  Tennessee 
wavered  for  a  moment  (as  reported  by  General  Cheatham,)  and 
seemed  to  be  in  the  act  of  falling  back,  when  the  intrepid  Colonel  S. 
S.  Stanton  seized  the  colors  of  his  regiment,  and,  rushing  to  the  front, 
called  his  men  to  follow  him.  Inspired  by  this  heroic  example,  the 
regiment  reformed  on  the  colors,  and  at  once  recovered  the  lost 
ground.  While  the  colors  were  in  the  hands  of  Colonel  Stanton,  they 
were  pierced  thirty  times  by  musket  balls.  Strahl's  brigade  under  its 
accomplishel  commander,  could  always  betrusted  to  perform  the 
measure  of  its  duty.  He  was  hardly  engaged  before  the  horses  of  all 
the  field  officers  of  his  three  right  regiments  were  killed,  and  Major 
C.  W.  Heiskell,  of  the  Nineteenth  Tennessee,  a  very  gallant  officer, 
severely  wounded. 

BATTLE  OF  SEPTEMBER  20. 

General  Bragg  issued  orders  to  attack  Rosecrans  at  day  dawn  on 
the  20th,  General  Polk  to  assail  him  on  the  right,  and  to  take  up  the 
attack  in  succession  rapidly  to  the  left.  Orders  were  sent,  at  11:30 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS.  613 

on  the  night  of  the  iQth,  by  General  Polk  to  Lientenant  General  Hill, 
Major-General  Cheatham,  and  Major-General  Walker.  Hill  could 
not  be  found,  and  the  delay  was  a  fatal  one.  It  was  10  o'clock  a.  m., 
when  the  attack  was  made  by  Cleburne  and  Breckenridge.  Cheatham 
by  order  of  General  Bragg,  was  held  in  reserve.  The  attack  was  taken 
up  by  Stewart,  whose  division  was  on  the  right  of  the 
left  wing,  and  soon  the  whole  army  was  engaged.  General 
Bragg  in  his  official  report  says  "the  attack  on  the 
left  met  with  less  resistance,  much  of  the  enemy's  strength 
having  been  transferred  to  our  right."  In  the  first  ad 
vance  of  Cleburne,  Wood's  brigade  lost  500  men  killed  and  wounded 
in  a  few  minutes.  Brigadier-General  Folk's  left  had  in  turn,  been 
driven  back,  and  his  entire  brigade  was  ordered  to  retire.  Brecken 
ridge,  after  a  fierce  combat  at  close  quarters,  routed  the  first  line, 
but  found  it  impossible  to  break  the  second,  and  retired  to  his  original 
position.  Finally  another  advance  was  ordered.  Breckenridge 
dashed  over  the  enemy's  works  in  his  front,  the  Federals  making  a 
stubborn  resistance.  In  this  assault  he  had  the  co-operation  of  Jack 
son's,  Maney's  and  Wright's  brigades,  of  Cheatham's  division.  Cle- 
burne's  attack  was  upon  the  point  from  which  he  had  been  repulsed 
in  the  forenoon.  Brigadier-General  L.  E.  Polk,  with  his  Tennessee 
brigade,  charged  and  carried  the  northwestern  angle  of  the  breast 
works,  taking  in  succession  three  lines.  The  Federals  retired  pre 
cipitately,  and  were  pursued  to  the  Chattanooga  and  Lafavette  road. 
In  his  official  report  General  Cleburne  said  of  General  Polk:  "It 
is  due  to  him  and  to  the  country,  which  wishes  to  appreciate  its  faith 
ful  servants,  to  say  that  to  the  intrepidity,  and  stern  determination  of 
purpose  of  himself  and  men,  I  was  principally  indebted  for  the  suc 
cess  of  the  charge  on  Sun-day  evening,  which  drove  the  Federals 
from  their  breastworks  and  gave  us  the  battle."  General  Polk  named 
Colonel  B.  J.  Hill,  Thirty-fifth  Tennessee,  as  the  most  distinguished 
of  his  brigade.  Among  others  named  for  conspicuous  gallantry  and 
courage  was  Col.  J.  A.  Smith,  Fifth  Confederate  Tennessee ;  Colonel 
George  H.  Nixon,  Forty-eighth  Tennessee ;  Colonel  W.  D.  Robinson 
and  Lieutenant  Colonel  W.  J.  Hale,  Second  Tennessee;  and  Major 
R.  J.  Person,  Fifth  Confederate. 

Major  General  Stewart  attacked  with  Brown's  brigade  of  Ten- 
nesseeans  advancing  with  Wood's  brigade.  Clayton  was  moved  up. 
and  Bate  placed  in  line  with  him.  "The  front  line,"  says  General 
Stewart,  "met  the  most  terrible  fire  it  has  ever  been  my  fortune  to 
witness."  Wood  broke  in  confusion,  exposing  Brown  to  an  enfilad 
ing  fire.  He  advanced  still  farther,  when  his  two  right  regiments 
gave  way  in  disorder ;  but,  with  his  center  and  left  followed  by  Clayton 
and  Bate,  he  pressed  on,  passing  the  cornfield  in  front  of  the  burnt 
house,  and  beyond  the  Chattanooga  road,  driving  the  Federals  within 
their  entrenchments  and  passing  over  a  battery  of  four  guns.  New 
batteries,  with  infantry  supports,  opened  upon  Stewart's  front  and 


614  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

flank.  He  retired  and  reformed  on  the  ground  first  occupied.  In 
this  charge  General  Brown  and  General  Clayton  were  wounded  by 
grapeshot.  At  5  p.  m.  of  that  day  the  division  again  advanced  Colo 
nel  Ed.  C.  Cook,  commanding  Brown's  brigade,  with  a  charge  and 
yell  and  at  a  double  quick,  dashed  on  to  the  breastworks  with  a  routed 
enemy  flying  in  front. 

All  of  the  field  officers  of  the  Eighteenth  Tennessee  were 
wounded,  and  the  regiment  was  commanded  in  the  battle  of  the  2Oth 
by  Captain  Gid.  H.  Love.  Major  R.  M.  Saffell,  Commanding  the 
Twenty-sixth  Tennessee  after  the  fall  of  Colonel  Lillard,  reports  a 
loss  of  ninety-eight  killed  and  wounded,  out  of  229  present  for  duty. 
The  Thirty-second  Tennessee  sustained  a  loss  of  eighty-two.  Colo 
nel  Cook  reports  that  private  J.  W.  Ellis  marched  with  his  company 
for  six  weeks  barefooted,  went  into  battle  in  this  condition,  and!  was 
always  with  the  front  line  until  he  fell,  severely  wounded.  Private 
Mayfield  was  simultaneously  shocked  by  a  shell  and  wounded  in  the 
thigh  by  a  minnie  ball.  He  was  placed  on  a  litter  and  carried  some 
distance  toward  the  rear.  Recovering  consciousness,  he  sprang  from 
the  litter,  and  cried  out,  "This  will  not  -dp  for  me,"  rejoined  his  com 
pany,  and  gallantly  performed  a  soldier's  duty. 

Captain  W.  P.  Simpson,  who  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the 
Twenty- third  Tennessee  battalion  after  Major  Newman  was  wounded, 
-eports  a  loss  of  forty-three  killed  and  wounded.  Every  field!  officer 
,11  Bate's  brigade,  except  three,  was  wounded,  and  in  the  two  days' 
battle  the  brigade  lost  607  killed  and  wounded,  out  of  a  total  of  1,188. 

Bushrod  Johnson's  command  was  formed!  at  7  a.  m.  of  the  2Oth. 
but  it  was  10  a.  m.  when  his  skirmishers  fell  back  under  the  Federal 
advance.  Johnson  opened  with  artillery  and  musketry  and  repulsed 
the  attack.  An  hour  later  a  general  advance  was  made  by  the  Con 
federate  army.  The  troops  in  Johnson's  front  were  posted  along  the 
road  leading  from  Chattanooga  to  Lee's  and  Gordon's  Mill,  behind  the 
fence  at  Brotherton's  house.  They  also  occupied  two  lines  of  breast 
works  in  Johnson's  front,  and  to  the  left  of  it  in  the  woods  next  to 
Brotherton's  farm.  Johnson  advanced  and  engaged  them.  Fighting 
over  six-hundred  yards  through  the  woods  under  a  heavy  fire  of  all 
arms,  he  crossed  the  road',  his  command  passing  on  both  sides  of 
Brotherton's  house.  General  Johnson  suffered  heavy  losses,  but  his 
charge  was  irresistible  and  the  Federals  fled  or  were  killed  or  cap 
tured  at  the  fences  and  out  houses.  Johnson  advanced  his  whole  line ; 
Gregg's  brigade,  under  the  gallant  Cyrus  A.  Sugg,  Fiftieth  Tennessee, 
in  the  rear,  supported  by  Brigadier-General  E.  Mclver,  then  com 
manding  Hood's  division,  in  a  third  line,  "The  scene,"  says  General 
Johnson,  "now  presented  was  unspeakably  grand.  The  rush  of  our 
heavy  columns  sweeping  out  from  the  shadow  of  the  forest  into  the 
open  fields,  the  glitter  of  arms,  the  retreat  of  the  foe,  the  shouts  of 
our  men,  the  dust,  the  smoke,  the  noise  of  the  arms,  of  whistling  balls 
and  grapeshot  and  bursting  shells,  made  a  battle  scene  of  unsurpassed 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS.  615 

grandeur."  Here  General  Hood  gave  his  final  order:  "Go  ahead, 
and  keep  ahead  of  everything."  The  order  was  obeyed.  Gregg's 
brigade,  under  Sugg,  captured  nine  pieces  of  artillery ;  four  three-inch 
rifle  pieces  were  taken  from  the  First  Missouri  Federal  artillery  and 
turned  over  to  Bledsoe's  First  Missouri  Confederate  artillery  of  that 
brigade.  Pushing  forward,  the  crest  of  the  ridge  was  occupied  and 
a  damaging  fire  was  delivered4  on  the  retreating  masses ;  but  the  Fed 
erals  reformed  and  returned  to  the  attack,  and,  without  support  on  his 
right  Johnson  was  forced  to  fall  back.  The  troops  rallied  in  line  at 
the  batteries,  again  repulsed  the  Federal  attack  and  held  the  hill ;  and 
when  the  final  advance  was  made,  General  Johnson  reports  that,  with 
a  shout,  we  drove  the  forces  in  our  front  far  diown  the  northern  slope 
to  the  bottom  of  the  deep  hollow  beyond.  We  had  completely  flanked 
and  passed  to  the  rear  of  his  position,  and  thus  aided  in  carrying  the 
heights  south  of  Snodgrass'  house.  Colonel  John  S.  Fulton,  Forty- 
fourth  Tennssee,  commanding  Johnson's  brigade,  was  greatly  dis 
tinguished.  Of  Colonel  Sugg,  General  Johnson  said:  "I  feel 
especially  indebted  for  his  gallant,  able  and  efficient  services,  in  com 
manding  Gregg's  brigade."  Johnson's  brigade  lost  299  killed  and 
wounded.  Gregg's  brigade  lost  585  killed  and  wounded.  Of  these, 
109  men  were  killed  on  the  field. 

Lieutenant  Colonel  John  L.  McEwen,  Jr.,  Forty-fourth  Tennes 
see  ;  Lieutenant  Colonel  Horace  Ready  and  Major  J.  G.  Love,  Twenty- 
third  Tennessee ;  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Wat  W.  Floyd  and  Major 
Samuel  Davis,  Seventeenth  Tennessee,  were  wounded.  Lieutenant 
Scruggs,  Seventeenth  Tennessee,  was  wounded  and  captured  on  the 
I9th,  and  recaptured  by  his  own  regiment  on  the  2Oth. 

Colonel  Floyd  reports  that,  in  passing  the  Vitito  house,  he 
learned  from  Mr.  Vitito.  who  was  on  the  outlook,  that  the  four  ladies 
of  his  family  "were  lying  in  a  little  hole  under  the  kitchen  floor,  con 
cealed  from  the  Federals,  where  they  had  been  for  two  days.  As  he 
passed  the  house,  he  discovered  who  we  were,  and  exclaimed:  'The 
Confederates  have  the  field !'  The  ladies  threw  ofT  the  planks  that 
covered  them,  rushed  out  of  the  house,  and  came  bounding  toward  us, 
with  shouts  of  joy  as  women  never  shouted  before." 

The  Seventeenth  Tennessee  sustained  heavy  losses,  and  the 
Twenty-third  Tennessee  lost  103  killed  and  wounded.  Every  member 
of  the  field  staff  was  wounded.  Adjutant  A.  R.  Gregg  ,of  the  same 
regiment,  recaptured  the  colors  of  the  Tenth  South  Carolina. 

The  Sixty-third  Tennessee,  Colonel  A.  Fulkerson,  of  Gracie's 
brigade,  Brigadier  General  Archibald  Gracie,  Jr.,  went  into  action 
between  4  and  5  o'clock  p.  m.  of  the  2Oth,  supporting  Kershaw's  bri 
gade.  The  regiment  was  on  the  right  of  the  brigadie,  and,  although 
in  action  for  the  first  time,  exhibited  the  steadiness  and  valor  of  vet 
erans,  and  was  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  participants  in  the  action 
fought  and  won  by  Preston's  division,  Buckner's  corps,  on  the  heights 
near  Snodgrass'  house.  The  aggregate  number  of  the  Sixty-third 


616  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

was  404,  and  it  lost  in  killed  and  wounded  202.  General  Gracie,  said 
in  his  report  of  the  battle:  "Lieutenant  Colonel  A.  Fulkerson,  Sixty- 
third  Tennessee,  commanded  the  regiment  and  led  it  into  action. 
To  him  it  owes  its  discipline  and  efficiency.  Colonel  Fulkerson  was 
severely  wounded,  making  the  one  he  received  at  Shiloh  (as  Major 
of  the  Nineteenth  Tennessee)  the  second  during  the  war."  Captain 
James  T.  Gillespie  and  Lieutenant  Shelby  M.  Dead'rick  were  killed  and 
buried  on  the  field  made  famous  by  the  prowess  of  their  regiment. 

In  this  day's  battle,  Forrest,  with  his  matchless  genius  for  war, 
was  active,  vigilant,  and  full  of  enterprise.  Armstrong's  division, 
Brigadier  General  Frank  Armstrong,  and  Colonel  George  D.  Dibrell's 
brigade  fought  on  foot  and  were  always  up  with  the  infantry.  General 
Forrest  commanded  them  with  "pride  and  pleasure."  Morton's  and 
Freeman's  Tennessee  batteries  rendered  valiant  service  in  resisting  the 
advance  of  Gordon  Granger's  column.  Forrest's  men  were  without 
rations,  his  horses  were  without  water,  and  had  only  a  partial  ration 
for  two  days,  but  no  complaint  was  made.  The  Army  of  Tennessee 
bivouacked  within  the  Federal  entrenchments  or  upon  the  heights  it 
had  so  gallantly  won. 

At  the  close  of  the  day,  Mr.  C.  A.  Dana,  the  distinguisheed  editor. 
then  Assistant  Secretary  of  War,  who  was  on  the  field,  reported  to 
his  chief  that  "Chickamauga  is  as  fatal  a  name  in  our  history  as  was 
Bull  Run,"  but  allowances  must  always  be  made  for  reports  from 
civilians  in  the  rear. 

Thomas  bravely  held  the  Federal  left  until  his  line  of  works  was 
assaulted  and  carried  by  the  brigade  of  Brigadier  General  Polk,  and 
until  Bushrod  Johnson  flanked  and  passed  into  the  rear  of  Gordon 
Granger.  About  that  time  Kelley's  brigade  of  Preston's  division  had 
captured  two  entire  regiments  of  Granger's. 

It  was  not  until  2  p.  m.  of  the  2ist  that  an  advance  of  the  army 
was  made.  Cheatham,  leading  it  on  the  right,  bivouacked  for  the 
night  at  the  "Mission  House."  :Moving  early  on  the  morning  of  the 
22nd,  he  reached  Missionary  Ridge  at  10  a.  m.  He  reported  that  he 
found  the  Federal  rear  guard  on  the  crest  of  the  ridge  in  force.  His, 
position  was  assaulted  and'  carried  by  Maney's  and  Vaughan's  brigades 
after  a  spirited  engagement  of  a  few  minutes.  The  division  General 
said:  "The  position  was  found  to  be  one  of  much  natural  strength, 
increased  by  breastworks  made  of  stone  and  fallen  timber;  but  this 
force,  now  demoralized  by  a  succession  of  disasters,  made  but  a  feeb-^ 
resistance,  and  fled  in  great  haste." 

Chickamauga  was  a  great  victory  for  the  Confederate  Army,  and 
a  great  disappointment  to  Tennesseans.  When  the  barren  victory  ac 
Murfreesboro  was  won,  and  the  State  abandoned  temporarily,  as  j- 
was  believed,  the  criticism  of  the  tactics  of  the  Commanding  General 
was  guarded  and  respectful;  but  when  Cheatham's  division  halted  on 
the  crest  of  Missionary  Ridge,  hope  ceased  to  be  "an  anchor  of  tlic 
soul ;"  and  Tennesseans  could  not  conceal  their  disappointment.  Cheat- 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS.  617 

ham  should  have  occupied  this  position  at  the  same  hour  of  the  pre 
vious  day,  but  General  Bragg  permitted  the  2ist  to  be  frittered  away, 
instead  of  advancing  at  the  dawn  of  day.  Cheatham  led  the  infantry 
advance  on  the  Shallow  Ford  road,  and  McLaws  on  the  Crossville 
road.  Both  divisions  were  ready,  in  good  form,  and  could  have  fo1- 
lowed  Forrest  and  cleared  the  way  for  a  final  battle  on  the  22d.  On 
the  2 ist  Forrest  ordered  the  Fourth  Tennessee  cavalry,  under  the  gal 
lant  Colonel  W.  S.  McLemore,  to  press  the  enemy.  McLemore  pene 
trated  within  three  miles  of  Chattanooga  and  captured  a  large  numbc; 
of  prisoners.  His  advance  was  made  under  the  direction  of  the  gal 
lant  Major  C.  W.  Anderson,  of  Forrest's  staff.  My  judgment  is  that 
if  my  distinguished  friend,  Lientenant  General  Stewart,  who  is  with  us 
to-day,  honored  by  all  who  served  under  or  with  him,  had  been  in  com 
mand  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee  on  that  fateful  day,  Chickamauga 
would  not  have  been  a  barren  victory.  The  final  contest  should  have 
been  the  capture  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  or  the  rout  of  the 
Arm}"  of  Tennessee. 

The  honors  of  the  battle  were  won  by  Johnson's  and  L.  E.  Folk's 
Tennessee  brigades.  Johnson  flanked  and  passed  to  the  rear  of  the 
enemy,  near  the  Snodgrass  house.  Polk  charged  and  carried  the  north 
western  angle  of  Thomas'  breastworks,  "and  gave  us  the  battle." 

There  cannot  be  found  a  more  pathetic  history  than  the  story  ot 
he  gallant  men  who  led  the  Tennesseeans,  and  who  survived  the 
battle  of  Chickamauga.  Sugg,  of  the  Fiftieth  Tennessee,  fell  at  Mis 
sionary  Ridge;  Stanton,  of  the  Twenty-eighth,  at  Resaca;  Lamb,  ot 
the  Fifth,  near  Cassville ;  Walker,  of  the  Nineteenth,  at  Atlanta ;  Jones 
and  McNeill,  of  the  Thirty-third,  at  Atlanta ;  Strahl  and  Carter,  of  the 
Thirty-eighth,  at  Franklin ;  Floyd,  of  the  Seventeenth  and 
McEwen,  of  the  Forty-fourth,  at  ,Drewry's  Bluff;  Tyler,  of  the 
Fifteenth,  at  West  Point,  Ga. ;  Cook,  of  the  Thirty-second,  near 
Marietta;  Walker,  of  the  Third,  at  Powder  Springs;  Grace,  of  the 
Tenth,  and  Clack  of  the  Third,  at  Jonesboro ;  Keeble,  of  the  Twenty- 
third,  and  Fulton,  of  the  Forty-fourth,  at  Petersburg,  Va., ;  Lang,  of 
the  Eleventh,  at  Jonesboro ;  Shy,  of  the  Twentieth,  at  Nashville ;  Saf- 
ell  and  Boggess,  of  the  Twenty-sixth,  at  Bentonville.  Twenty-one 
ommanding  officers  of  Tennessee  regiments,  conspicuous  upon  this 
eld,  distinguished  everywhere,  fell  within  a  year.  They  fell  leading 
their  regiments  in  the  forefront  of  the  battle.  Not  many  States  can 
Show  such  a  roll  of  honor;  no  State  mourns  the  loss  of  so  many  dis 
tinguished  sons.  To  them  and  to  their  brave  comrades  of  every  rank 
who  fell  with  them  and  upon  this  memorable  field,  the  State  dedicates 
these  monuments.  We  want  the  stranger  who  comes  within  the  gates 
of  Chickamauga  Park  to  know  that  Tennessee  renders  them  homage 
and  honor.  In  our  own  hearts  and  in  the  hearts  of  our  descendants 
flie  memory  of  their  noble  deeds  will  outlive  marble  and  monumental 
brass. 

General   Alex  P.  Stewart,   of   the   National   Chickamauga   Parlf 


618  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Commission,  in  receiving  the  monuments  and  markers  on  behalf  of 
said  commission,  spoke  as  follows : 

Mr.  Chairman.  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen :  The  duty  assigned  to  me 
on  this  occasion  is  a  somewhat  difficult  and  delicate  one.  I  am  to  fol 
low  the  distinguished  gentleman  who  has  just  addressed  you,  and  then 
I  am  to  represent  another :  and  that  other  no  less  a  personage  than  the 
Hon.  Secretary  of  War,  who  represents  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  in  receiving  these  monuments  and  markers.  I  could  heartily  wish 
the  duty  had  fallen  to  the  lot  of  the  Chairman  of  the  National  Com 
mission  of  this  Park,  for  in  that  event  its  performance,  I  know,  would 
have  been  far  more  acceptable  than  I  can  make  it  to  all  concerned. 
Speaking  for  the  Honorable  Secretary,  however,  and  for  the  Govern 
ment,  I  accept  with  the  greatest  pleasure  these  beautiful  memorials, 
composed  largely  of  Tennessee  marble,  with  which  that  State  commemo 
rates  the  heroism  of  her  sons  displayed  on  this  field  on  September  19, 
20,  1863,  the  memory  of  which  will  outlast  the  monuments  themselves. 
The  corroding  tooth  of  time  may  eventually  east  away  this  bronze,  and 
this  marble,  so  beautiful  in  its  whiteness,  may  crumble  into  dust;  but 
the  memory  of  great  historic  deeds  will  live  long  as  men  live  and  lan 
guage  is  understood.  The  fighting  all  over  this  great  field,  and  espe 
cially  that  along  the  crest  of  this  historic  ridge,  will  never  be  forgotten 
while  the  ridge  stands. 

I  will  also  say  for  the  Secretary  that  it  is  hoped  the  State  of  Ten 
nessee  may  soon  put  into  the  hands  of  her  Commission  for  this  Park, 
a  sufficient  sum  of  money  to  enable  it  to  place  similar  memorials  on 
all  the  other  fields  embraced  in  this  great  Park  system,  on  which  her 
sons  signalized  their  prowess,  and  that  the  remaining  States  of  the 
South  may  follow  the  examples  of  Missouri,  Tennessee,  and  Georgia. 
However  we  may  differ  in  our  opinions  respecting  the  causes  for 
which  the  men  of  the  South  contended  during  the  great  war,  the  peo 
ple  of  every  section  of  this  country  cherish  a  profound  admiration  for 
courage,  bravery,  heroism,  intrepidity,  firmness,  and  fidelity  even  to  the 
death,  to  a  cause  believed  in  and  once  espoused ;  and  these  great  quali 
ties  were  displayed  during  our  conflict  by  the  men  of  both  sides  to  a 
degree  that  has  excited  the  admiration  of  the  world,  and  will  forever 
stamp  the  Confederate  era  as  the  heroic  age  of  our  country.  This  park, 
the  joint  product  of  the  States  and  of  the  Federal  Government  was  de 
signed  as  a  perpetual  monument  to  these  high  and  noble  characteristics 
of  the  American  people.  It  is,  therefore,  earnestly  desired  that  every 
State,  North  and  South,  whose  sons  illustrated  their  manhood  on  these 
fields- of  immortal  renown,  should  manifest  'due  appreciation  of  their 
deeds  by  placing  here  suitable  monuments  to  serve  as  object  lessons  to 
posterity.  When  this  shall  have  been  done,  this  great  park,  besides  tell 
ing  to  all  the  generations  that  are  to  come  the  story  of  American  valor, 
and  how  great  fields  are  fought  and  won,  will  also  proclaim  to  all  the 
world  that  these  States,  once  "dissevered,  discordant,  belligerent,  rent 
with  civil  feuds,  and  drenched  in  fraternal  blood,"  are  now  indissol- 
ubly  reunited  under  a  Constitution,  changed  indeed  from  that  which 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS.  619 

our  fathers  framed  and  under  one  flag ;  and  to-day  all  over  this  land, 
from  far  away  Maine  to  the  Rio<  Grande,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pa 
cific,  from  the  lakes  on  the  north  to  the  Gulf  on  the  South,  we  re 
joice  as  one  people  over  the  glorious  achievement  of  Dewey,  the  su 
perb,  and  wait  with  longing  expectation  for  the  coming  of  the  bulletin 
which  shall  announce  that  our  great  Sampson  has  overtaken  that 
Spanish  fleet  which  seems  to  be  hiding  itself  away  on  the  Atlantic; 
that  he  has  succeeded  in  battering  down  the  pillars  of  the  temple  ot 
the  Philistines ;  that  he  and  all  with  him  have  escaped  from  the  ruins, 
and-  will  live  to  enjoy  their  magnificent  triumph. 

These  monuments  and  markers  are  taken  in  charge  by  the  Govern 
ment  of  the  United  States,  and  will  receive  precisely  the  same  care  and 
protection  as  will  be  bestowed  on  those  of  every  other  State. 

Having  now  said  what  it  might  be  supposed  the  Secretary  of  War 
would  have  said  had  he  been  here  present,  I  might  perhaps  with  pro 
priety  pause  and  take  my  seat ;  but  I  have  thought  it  might  be  expected 
and  desired  that  I  should  say  a  word  for  Tennessee  and  the  South. 
It  is  a  source  of  both  pride  and  pleasure  to  me  to-day  that  I  am  my 
self  a  Tennessean,  a  son  of  the  great  "Volunteer  State"  of  the  Union, 
every  chapter  of  whose  history  is  a  glorious  one ;  the  most  noble  and 
the  most  glorious,  in  my  judgment,  being  the  Confederate  Chapter. 
The  people  of  Tennessee  were  always  devoted  to  the  Union  and  loyal 
to  the  Constitution  framed  by  the  fathers  of  the  Republic.  I  was 
born  and  partly  brought  up  in  the  State  in  the  days  when  Andrew 
Jackson  was  the  greatest  and  foremost  figure  of  the  country,  and,  like 
all  Tennesseeans  of  thaat  generation,  learned  to  love  the  Union  under 
the  Constitution  and  to  admire  "Old  Hickory." 

In  the  month  of  February,  1861  several  of  the  Southern  States 
having  seceded  from  the  Union,  the  people  of  Tennessee  were  called* 
upon  to  vote  on  the  question  of  calling  a  convention  to  take  into  con 
sideration  the  state  of  the  country  and  to  determine  the  proper  course 
to  be  pursued.  They  loved  the  Union,  and  wished  to  remain  in  it  if  the 
constitutional  rights  of  the  Southern  States  could  be  maintained. 
Moreover,  they  feared  that  a  convention,  representing  the  sovereignty 
of  the  people  of  Tennessee,  and  was  right.  During  the  same  month 
take  the  State  out  of  the  Union  without  giving  to  the  people  them 
selves  an  opportunity  to  express  their  will  on  so  momentous  a  pro 
ceeding.  They,  therefore,  voted-  down  the  proposition  to  call  a  con 
vention  by  a  majority  of  nearly  four  to  one.  (For  convention,  24,749, 
against,  91,803;  majority  67,056.)  The  voters  were  the  white  male 
citizens  who  possessed  the  constitutional  qualifications,  the  class  of 
men  who  had  always  voted  at  elections,  who  controlled!  the  destinies 
of  the  State,  and  held  in  their  hands  its  sovereign  power.  It  will  hard 
ly  be  questioned  that  the  result  was  the  expression  of  the  sovereign  will 
of  the  people  of  the  State,  might  pass  an  ordinance  of  secession  and 
of  February,  the  Peace  Congress,  called,  I  believe,  by  the  State  of 
Virginia,  assembled  in  Washington.  It  was  a  convention  of  leading 


620  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

citizens  of  many  of  the  States,  the  object  of  which  was  to  ascertain 
if  it  were  possible  to  avert  war,  to  preserve  the  Union  and  maintain 
the  constitutional  rights  of  the  Southern  States.  Their  efforts  wer<» 
vain.  They  were  authoritatively  informed  that  a  certain  provision  01 
the  Constitution  and  the  laws  passed  for  its  enforcement  never  wouM 
be  obeyed  by  the  people  of  the  Northern  States,  and  they  knew  that 
several  of  those  States  had  forbidden  their  State  Officials  to  render 
aid  in  the  execution  of  those  laws.  Those  States  thus  exercised  thr: 
power,  certainly  not  the  right,  of  sovereign  states  to  nullify  a  constitu 
tional  provision  and  the  laws  passed  by  Congress  for  its  enforcement' 
but  there  was  no  coercion  for  them.  The  Southern  members  of  the 
Congress  returned  to  their  people  and  informed  them  that  there  were 
but  two  alternatives  before  them — one,  to  remain  in  the  Union,  b'> 
denied  their  constitutional  rights,  and  endure  all  the  evils  that  might 
be  expected  to  follow  from  such  a  course ;  the  other,  to  separate  from 
a  political  association  designed  for  their  protection  and  defense,  bui 
which  was  being  perverted  to  the  overthrow  of  their  rights 

By  this  time  it  had  become  certain  that  war  would  follow;  that 
the  power  of  the  Northern  States  would  be  exerted  through  the  Fed 
eral  Government,  of  which  they  had  entire  control,  to  coerce  the  seced 
ing  States  to  return  to  the  Union.  Under  these  circumstances  the  peo 
ple  of  Tennessee  were  called'  upon  again  to  vote  on  the  8th  day  of  June. 
The  questions  submitted  for  their  decision  were :  Shall  Tennessee  separ 
ate  herself  from  the  Government  of  the  Unitd  States?  Shall  she  seek 
representation  in  the  Government  of  the  Confederate  States?  Know 
ing  that  war  with  a  vastly  superior  power  stared  them  in  the  face,  the 
people  did  not  hesitate  as  to  which  side  they  should  choose.  By  major 
ities  of  more  than  two  to  one  (for  "separation"  108,418;  against, 
53,336;  for  "representation,"  101,701;  against.,47,364) ,  they  pro 
nounced  in  fa\or  of  "separation"  and  of  "representation"  when  the) 
might,  had  they  so  chosen,  have  placed  themselves  on  the  side  of  the 
stronger  party.  The  voters,  in  this  case,  too,  were  the  white  male  citi 
zens  of  constitutional  qualifications ;  and  the  result,  like  that  in  Febru 
ary,  was  the  exp'ression  of  the  will  of  the  sovereign  people  of  the  State, 
and  was  also  right. 

Having  thus  deliberately  arraigned  herself  on  the  side  of  the  weak 
er  party  to  the  great  struggle,  with  the  full  knowledge  that,  like  Vir 
ginia,  she  must  bare  her  bosom  to  the  storm,  and  that  her  soil  must 
be  largely  the  scene  of  conflict,  she  proceeded'  to  perform  her  duty  and 
to  vindicate  the  course  she  had  cho>sen.  She  furnished  to  the  Con 
federacy,  I  am  told,  fully  one-sixth  of  all  the  troops  that  fought  under 
her  banners.  Her  sons  did  not  confine  themselves  merely  to  the  de 
fense  of  the  State  and  to  repelling  invasion,  but  hurried  everywhere  to 
the  front.  They  watered  her  own  soil  profusely  with  their  blood,  and 
died  on  every  great  field  that  was  fought  during  the  war.  On  three 
different  occasions — first,  after  Fishing  Creek,  Forts  Henry  and  Don- 
elson,  and  Shiloh;  again,  after  Murfreesboro ;  and,  finally,  after 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS.  621 

bloody  Franklin  and  Nashville  they  abandoned  their  homes  and  families, 
their  fields  and  possessions  to  the  mercies  of  the  enemy  to  follow  the 
fortunes  of  the  cause  and  the  flag  they  believed  in  and  loved,  and  laid 
down  their  arms  only  when  further  resistance  had  become  hopeless. 
This  chapter  of  her  history  is  the  most  noble  and  glorious  in  the 
record  of  Tennessee. 

For  my  individual  self  I  wish  to  say  that  perhaps  no  man  "in  all 
the  country  felt  more  deeply  grieved  than  I  did  when  news  came  that 
South  Carolina  had  seceded  from  the  Union.  Not  that  I  blamed  her 
I  felt  aggrieved  that  matters  had  come  to  such  a  pass  that  there  was 
no  other  honorable  alternative;  but  when  the  people  of  my  State  had 
spoken  their  sovereign  will,  I  went  into  the  Confederate  service  with 
"a  conscience  void'  of  offence"  toward  God  and  man  and  a  profound 
sense  of  duty  serving  to  the  best  of  my  humble  ability  to  the  bitter  end. 

In  my  judgment,  neither  this  nor  any  other  country  has  ever  pro 
duced  a  race  of  men  and  women  superior  to  the  Southern  men  and 
women  of  the  Confederate  times.  They  were  true  to  every  obligation 
and  asked  only  that  their  Constitutional  rights  be  respected,  or  else 
that  they  be  permitted'  to  go  themselves  and  manage  their  own  affairs  in 
their  own  way.  Their  posterity  will  be  as  true  to  the  obligations  that 
may  rest  on  them  as  were  their  ancestors. 

Should  the  present  war  continue,  or  should  a  crisis  arise  in  the 
future  when  our  country  shall  need  true,  brave  hearts  and  strong  arms 
for  her  defense,  she  will  want  from  us  of  the  South  more  than  our 
Fitzhugh  Lee,  our  Joe  Wheeler,  and  thirty  thousand  of  our  brave  sons ; 
and  when  she  calls  for  them,  she  will  not  call  in  vain. 

What  shall  I  say  of  the  women  of  the  Confederacy?  When  Presi 
dent  Garfield  lay  dying  from  the  effects  of  that  treacherous  shot  fired 
at  him  by  the  madman  Guitean,  with  what  loving  solicitude  and  tender 
watchfulness  his  wife  hung  over  his  couch,  watching  by  day  and  by 
night,  trying  to  assuage  the  suffering  and  pain,  and  to  woo  back,  were 
it  possible,  the  life  that  was  slowly  ebbing  away.  How  our  own  coun 
try  and  the  civilized  world  rang  with  applause  of  her  constancy  and 
devotion.  I  would  not  pluck  a  gem  from  the  crown  ot  glory  she  woi*, 
or  cast  a  shadow  to  dim  its  luster  (all  honor  to  the  faithful  wife)  but 
how  many  tens — yea,  hundreds — of  thousands  true,  heroic,  and  de 
voted  Southern  women  during  the  war  suffered  far  more  than  she  did. 
Not  in  the  glare  of  the  noonday,  nor  in  the  face  of  the  world,  but  in 
the  quiet,  the  seclusion,  and  obscurity  ,and  often  amid  the  desolation 
of  home ;  no  friendly  voice  to  cheer  and  encourage ;  brooding  in  silence 
over  the  situation ;  knitting  and  spinning,  weaving  and  sewing,  toiling 
to  earn  support  and  to  keep  the  men  in  the  army  well  clad ;  waiting  and 
watching  for  news  from  the  army  and  from  the  battle ;  husband  gone 
to  the  war,  son  absent  in  the  army ;  brother,  lover — all  gone.  ''Will 
they  ever  return?"  When  news  comes,  it  may  be  that  husband  was 
killed,  son  wounded  and  she  could!  not  fly  to  his  relief  to  nurse  him 
back  to  life  and  health — brother  and  lover,  dead  and  she  should  see 


622  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

him  no  more.  The  Confederate  women  never  surrendered;  and  when 
the  war  was  over  and  the  few  men  who  were  left  returned  to  their 
homes,  how  bravely  the  women  took  up  again  the  battle  of  life,  stand 
ing  by  and:  encouraging  the  men,  and  how  cheerfully  and  uncomplain 
ingly  they  submitted  to  the  unaccustomed-  drudgery.  I  do  not  think 
any  race  of  women  of  whom  I  have  ever  read  surpassed  the  southern 
women  of  the  Confederate  times. 

Since  the  war,  we  of  the  south  have  been  engaged  in  restoring 
our  waste  places,  in  rebuilding  our  homes,  improving  our  fortunes  and 
trying  to  educate  our  children — and  the  negro;  and  we  have  also  been 
engaged  in  "State  building."  What  obstacles  and  difficulties  have 
been  placed  in  our  way?  No  doubt  we  have  made  mistakes;  but  the 
trend  has  always  been  in  the  right  direction,  toward  the  perfect  and 
the  right.  If  we  mold  the  characters  of  our  children  on  great  models ; 
above  all,  if  we  lay  our  foundations  broad  and  deep  in  Christian  cult 
ure,  intelligence,  and  morality,  our  superstructures  will  rise  aloft  and 
endure  through  the  ages  to  come. 

Perhaps  you  will  ask :  "On  what  models  shall  we  mold  the  charac 
ters  of  our  children?"  Sometimes  I  think  the  day  may  come  when  in 
all  the  schools  of  this  country  the  ancient  classics,  which  tell  us  so 
much  of  the  heroic  men  and  women  and  the  events  of  bygone  times3 
may  be  laid  aside,  and  the  new  classics,  which  shall  yet  be  written  will 
be  studied.  They  will  tell  of  the  great  men  and  women  and  the  events 
of  these  later  times.  In  the  schools  of  the  North  they  will  study  the 
lives  and  characters  of  the  great  men  and  women  of  that  section  of  the 
country ;  in  the  South  the  children  will  study  the  life  and  character  ot 
the  peerless,  the  magnanimous,  the  majestic,  the  kingly  Lee.  He  was 
every  inch  a  man,  and  cast  in  regal  mold.  A  great  writer  has  said 
that  the  word  "king"  means  "can."  A  king  is  not  necessarily  one  who 
wears  a  crown,  but  a  man  who  "can" ;  crowned  by  his  fellows  because 
he  "can."  Judging  by  this  standard,  Robt.  E.  Lee  was  one  of  the  king- 
liest  of  men.  They  will  study  the  life  and  character  of  the  great  Albert 
Sidney  Johnston ;  for  I  heard  no  less  competent  a  judge  than  Jefferson 
Davis  himself  declare  that  Sidney  Johnston  was  the  first  man  of  his 
day,  civil  or  military,  in  the  United  States.  It  has  been  charged  against 
him  that  stung  by  adverse  criticisms,  he  exposed  himself  needlessly 
and  recklessly  on  the  field  of  Shiloh  and  threw  away  his  life.  There 
could  not  be  a  greater  mistake.  He  was  far  too  great  a  man  for  that. 

I  saw  him  during  the  afternoon  of  the  day  preceding  that  on 
which  the  battle  began.  The  portion  of  the  army  to  which  I  belonged 
had  halted  in  an  open  woods  a  short  distance  west  of  the  ground  which 
was  to  be  the  scene  of  conflict.  I  saw  Sidney  Johnston  and  John  C. 
Breckenridge  come  riding  together  through  the  woods,  superbly 
mounted,  a  superb  looking  pair  of  men.  Johnston  was  calm  and  cool 
as  a  May  morning.  Without  a  trace  of  irritation  or  vexation,  his  bear 
ing  was  that  of  a  man  who  felt  that  he  held  the  situation  in  his  grasp, 
and  would  achieve  a  great  triumph  on  the  following  day.  The  next 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS.  623 

morning  I  saw  him  again.  The  battle  had  opened  away  to  our  right. 
The  corps  to  which  I  belonged  was  formed  on  our  extreme  left  in 
column  of  brigades,  the  brigade  which  I  had  the  honor  to  command 
being  in  the  advance.  We  moved  slowly  along,  guided  by  a  road  that  led 
directly  to  Pittsburg  Landing,  halting  occasionally  to  rectify  our  align 
ment  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  troops  to  our  right.  I  saw  Sidney 
Johnston  approaching  us,  unattended.  He  came  to  the  commander  of 
the  corps  and  asked  him  for  a  brigade  to  go  to  the  support  of  Bragg ; 
and  as  my  brigade  was  in  advance,  I  was  directed  to  go.  He  was  as 
calm  and  unruffled  as  on  the  day  before.  He  conducted  us  to  the 
point  where  he  wished  us  to  engage  the  enemy,  waited  a  few  minutes 
to  see  us  get  our  direction  and  to  see  the  men  receive  their  "baptism 
of  fire,"  and  rode  off  to  the  right.  It  seems  he  had  come  across  a  reg 
iment  which  had  faltered  Riding  to  their  front,  holding  a  little  tin 
cup  in  his  hand,  he  addressed  to  them  a  few  words  of  encouragement, 
and  said:  "I'll  lead  you."  The  men  rushed  forward  to  the  charge. 
Soon  Johnston  was  struck  by  a  minnie  ball,  his  horse  was  led  to  the 
rear,  and  in  a  few  minutes  his  rider  bled  to  death. 

Then  there  was  that  other  astute,  sagacious,  skillful  Johnston, 
whose  men  loved  him,  had  the  most  unbounded  confidence  in  him,  and 
always  spoke  affectionately  of  him  as  "old  Joe."  He  was  thought  by 
some  to  be  our  greatest  general.  The  last  winter  of  his  life,  I  passed 
in  Washington,  where  he  lived.  A  gentleman  was  living  there  who 
had-  served  on  the  staff  of  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  and  also  on  thai 
of  General  Lee,  and  who  knew  both  men  thoroughly.  Speaking  of 
them,  he  said :  "Lee  was  the  greatest  man,  but  Johnston  was  the  great 
est  general." 

Then  there  was  the  chivalrous  and  scientific  Beauregard,  the 
brave  Hood,  the  gallant  Frank  Cheatham;  the  intrepid  Christian  sol 
dier.  Leonidas  Polk:  "Jeb"  Stuart,  the  great  cavalry  leader  of  the 
Army  of  Northern  Viirginia,  the  unrivaled  commander  of  outposts, 
who  some  one,  I  believe,  has  aptly  styled  "the  Prince  Rupert  of  the 
Confederacy;"  that  son  of  Mars,  the  devout  and  heroic  Stonewall,  who 
never  knew  defeat;  and  that  untutored  genius  of  war,  "the  wizard  of 
the  saddle,"  Nathan  Bedford  Forrest,  who  bade  defiance  to  every 
known  rule  of  the  science  of  war  and  created  a  science  of  war  for 
himself.  It  mattered  little  to  him  where  or  in  what  numbers  he  en 
countered  the  enemy.  If  in  his  front,  he  went  at  him;  if  in  his  rear, 
"what  -difference  does  it  make?  If  the  enemy  is  in  my  rear,  ain't  I 
in  hii  lear?  I  always  carry  my  rear  with  me?" 

Let  your  sons  study  the  lives  and  characters  of  these  and  of  many 
others  of  our  great,  heroic  men;  and  your  daughters,  those  of  the 
many  ncble  Confederate  women  who  illustrated  the  loftiest  traits  of 
the  truest  Christian  womanhood,  who  deserved  to  be,  and  were,  the 
wives,  the  mothers,  and  the  sisters  of  a  race  of  heroes. 

There  is  a  question  I  wish  to  ask  and  to  which  I  will  give  an  an 
swer:  Why  did  the  South  fail?  Our  cause  was  a  righteous  one;  our 


624  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

men,  the  bravest  of  the  brave ;  and  we  had  some  great  generals.  Why 
did  we  fail?  Some  say  that  Providence  is  always  on  the  side  of  the 
stronger  battalions.  I  do  not  believe  it.  "The  race  is  not  always  to 
the  swift,"  nor  "the  battle  to  the  strong."  Men  of  the  North,  the  South 
failed  not  because  you  were  right  and  we  were  wrong,  nor  because  we 
were  right  and  you  were  wrong,  nor  because  you  had  the  heavier  bat 
talions.  The  one  sole  reason  why  the  South  failed — you  may  see  it  in 
the  events  transpiring  around  us  today — was  that  Almighty  God  had 
need  of  this  Union.  He  presided  at  its  birth;  all  these  years  He  has 
held  it  in  the  hollow  of  His  hand ;  He  still  needs  it  for  the  accomplish 
ment  of  His  great  designs.  So  when  the  end  came  for  us,  I  accepted 
the  issue,  without  a  murmur  or  complaint,  as  the  expression  of  the 
Divine  will. 

I  do  not  know  what  great  future  Providence  may  have  in  store, 
for  this  country ;  but  I  am  sure  if  we  permit  Him  to  have  His  way,  it 
we  follow  His  lead  obediently  and  trustfully,  He  will  exalt  the  South 
in  much  greater  proportion  than  He  scourged  us,  and  He  will  guide, 
all  this  great  people  to  a  destiny  that  shall  far  transcend  in  power,  in 
grandeur  and  in  glory  that  of  any  other  people  who  have  ever  liveti 
on  the  earth. 

Comrades,  we  are  passing  away,  passing  away.  It  will  not  be' 
long  until  the  Confederate  soldier  will  be  a  dream  of  the  past,  but  his 
name  will  live.  It  will  live  in  history,  in  story,  in  song  and  in  tradi 
tion  while  the  world  stands.  But  the  other  day  we  lost  our  Walthall. 
He  commanded  a  division  in  that  magnificent  corps  that  was  called 
by  my  name;  and,  besides,  he  was  my  personal  friend.  I  loved  him 
as  a  friend.  It  seems  to  me,  therefore,  eminently  fitting  and  appropri 
ate  that  here,  on  this  Tennessee  Day  on  this  great  battlefield  and  Park, 
I  should-  pause  a  moment  in  passing  to  shed  a  tear  to  his  memory.  He 
was  my  beau  ideal  of  the  knightly  gentleman  and  soldier,  a  very  Cheva 
lier  Bayard,  a  knight  without  fear  and  without  reproach,  the  truest 
type  of  the  Southern  gentleman.  He  was  an  able,  wise  and  conserva 
tive  Senator  and  statesman,  who  followed  always  the  example  of  his 
friend,  the  illustrious  Lamar,  in  advocating  every  measure  that  tended 
to  promote  peace  and  harmony  throughout  the  country.  "We  ne'er 
shall  look  upon  his  like  again."  Peace  to  his  ashes. 

We  are  all  becoming  every  day  more  and  more  like  the  old  Indian 
chief  who  compare'd  himself  to  an  aged  hemlock.  Said  he :  "I  am  an 
aged  hemlock.  The  winds  of  many  winters  and  fierce  storms  have 
whistled  through  my  branches,  and  I  am  dead  at  the  top."  We  are  all 
dying  at  the  top,  and  it  will  not  be  long  until  the  summons  shal) 
come  for  us  every  one.  Let  us  so  live  that  when  it  does  come  we  may 
go  "not  like  the  galley  slave  at  night,  scourged  to  his  dungeon?" 
"but  every  duty  performed,  life  work  done,  conscience  clear,  like  one 
who  wraps  the  drapery  of  his  couch  about  him  and  lies  down  to 
pleasant  dreams ;"  or  else  that,  like  the  immortal  Stonewall,  there  may 
remain  for  us  only  to  glide  peacefully  over  the  placid  bosom  of  the 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS.  625 

waters  and  rest  forever,  in  companionship  with  all  the  gallant  throng 
who  have  gone  before,  under  the  shade  of  the  eternal  trees. 


The  next  address  was  delivered1  by  General  G.  P.  Thurston,  of 
Nashville,  representing  the  Federal  soldiery  of  Tennessee  who  partic 
ipated  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  He  spoke  as  follows: 

I  never  come  upon  the  field  of  Chickamauga  without  feeling  a 
new  inspiration  of  patriotism.  Every  scene  recalls  some  memorable 
events.  These  hills  and  valleys  and  monuments  seem  to  grow  upon 
one's  affections. 

History  has  no  record  of  a  civilization  that  has  provided  so  splen 
did  and  unique  a  memorial  dedicated  to  the  soldiers  who  fought  on 
both  sides  of  a  great  war — a  battle  whose  history  is  recorded  in  granite 
and  marble  and  bronze,  upon  military  lines  established  by  its  own  living 
heroes;  a  battlefield  which  was  the  scene  of  perhaps  the  most  stub 
bornly  fought  and  deadly  conflict  reported  in  the  annals  of  war;  a 
battlefield  now  consecrated  anew  to  patriotism  by  the  presence  of  the 
gallant  soldiers  of  the  republic. 

Here  the  State  of  Tennessee,  by  the  courtesy  of  the  National  Park 
Commission,  has  erected  her  monuments  in  memory  of  her  sons,  me 
morials  commemorating  the  enduring  courage  of  the  American  soldier 
on  the  field  of  Chickamauga;  commemorating,  also,  by  their  very 
presence,  the  new  era  of  peace,  friendship,  and  unity  between  all  her 
citizens  and  all  the  sections  of  our  common  country. 

The  antagonisms  of  the  past  are  forgotten  in  the  completeness  of 
reconciliation.  Confederate  and  Federal,  Northern  and  Southern,  we 
revisit  this  historic  scene  to-day  in  honor  of  the  soldiers  of  the  Volun 
teer  State. 

In  behalf  of  Lieutenant  John  Ruhm  and  myself,  the  ex-Federal 
members  of  our  Tennessee  Chickamauga  Commission,  I  beg  to  offer 
most  hearty  thanks  to  Major  Anderson,  Governor  Porter,  and  our 
brethren — the  ex-Confederates — for  their  generous  and  considerate 
treatment  in  excuting  the  work  of  the  Commission. 

We  are  proud  of  the  compliment  paid  by  them  to  the  Union  regi 
ments  from  Tennessee  in  uniting  with  us  in  erecting  a  beautiful  mon 
ument  as  a  tribute  to  their  memory. 

It  seems  just  and  proper  that  the  Federal  Tennesseans,  mainly 
from  East  Tennessee,  constituting  nearly  25  per  cent  of  the  whole 
number  of  soldiers  in  the  Civil  War  from  Tennessee,  should  be  thus 
recognized  and  complimented  by  having  their  share  in  the  honors  of 
this  dedication  and)  this  memorial  park. 

While  granting  to  the  soldiers  of  both  armies,  in  the  trying  days 
of  the  Civil  War,  a  sincere  desire  to  do  the  right,  as  each  could  see  the 
right,  yet,  speaking  from  a  Federal  standpoint,  the  friends  of  the 
national  government  can  never  cease  to  be  grateful  that,  in  the  provi 
dence  of  God,  East  Tennessee  chose  to  cast  her  best  strength  to  aid 
in  maintaining  and  preserving  the  Union  of  States.  We,  therefore, 


626  BATTLES  AttD  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

repeat  that  we  are  proud  of  the  compliment  paid  by  the  State  of  Ten 
nessee,  and  by  our  State  Commission,  to  the  Union  Sokiiers  from  Ten 
nessee,  although  their  actual  force  upon  the  field  of  Chickamauga  was 
inconsiderable  when  compared  with  the  number  of  Tennessee  Con 
federates. 

A  Federal  brigade  of  Tennessee  troops  reached  Chattanooga  the 
day  after  the  battle ;  but,  owing  to  accidental  causes,  only  two  Federal 
regiments  from  Tennessee  actually  participated  in  the  great  conflict — 
the  First  and  Second  regiments  of  Tennessee  Cavalry.  These  two  regi 
ments  were  not  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  and  their  losses  were  not 
great;  but  they  bore  their  part,  where  their  lot  was  cast,  with  honor. 
The  great  blind  poet  tells  us  that. 

"They  also  serve,  who  only  stand  an;d  wait." 

But  these  two  Tennessee  regiments  did  more.  When  the  right  of 
the  Union  Army  was  overwhelmed  on  that  memorable  Sunday  morn 
ing  in  September,  1863,  strange  to  report,  the  Confederate  cavalry 
were  unable  to  take  advantage  of  the  disaster.  They  did  not  pursue ; 
they  were  successfully  held  at  bay  by  the  Union  cavalry  on  our  right. 
The  First  and  Second  Tennessee  regiments  had  their  full  share  in  this 
gallant  defense,  and  are  entitled  to  share  in  its  honors;  but  I  repeat 
that  the  spirit  of  the  compliment  paid)  by  the  erection  of  the  one  beau 
tiful  Federal  monument  in  this  historic  park  is  a  tribute  in  a  broader 
sense  to  the  memory  of  the  Union  soldiers  from  Tennessee. 

It  seems  most  just  and  appropriate,  also,  that  the  Confederate 
soldiers  of  Tennessee,  who  so  greatly  outnumbered  the  Federal  Ten- 
nesseeans  at  Chickamauga,  should  be  honored  with  the  three  handsome 
monuments  commemorating  their  heroic  deeds.  No  true  soldier  of 
the  Union  Army  would  wish  to  limit  or  withhold  these  honors  from 
the  gallant  Confederate  of  the  Volunteer  State.  Yes,  they  fairly  won 
their  laurels  on  this  bloodty  field,  and,  indeed,  on  every  great  battle 
field  of  the  Civil  War.  Their  fame  needs  no  compliment  from  our 
side  or  from  their  side.  Their  courage,  their  military  prowess,  their 
self  denying  devotion  to  their  cause  through  years  of  privation,  would 
brighten  any  page  of  history.  All  honor  to  them  evermore.  May  these 
four  splendid  Tennessee  monuments  tell  their  united  story  of  American 
heroism  throughout  the  centuries. 

Now  that  our  national  repose  has  been  rudely  shocked  by  the 
alarm  bell  of  war,  how  grateful  is  the  reflection  that  our  glorious 
country  can  face  this  new  tragedy  with  an  undivided  front.  We  are 
fast  learning  the  lesson  that  patriotism  is  confined  to  no  one  section 
or  State.  It  is  only  a  question  of  where,  in  all  oiw  broad  domain, 
patriotism  is  the  most  intense. 

The  people  of  this  republic  do  not  covet  the  reputation  of  being 
war-like  or  a  nation  of  soldiers ;  they  do  not  desire  to  be  regarded  as 
pursuing  an  aggressive. policy  toward  other  nations,  whether  weak  or 
powerful.  Our  civilization  has  a  higher  motive.  We  are  too  strong, 
too  wise,  too  free,  and  too  conservative  to  need  the  constant  presence 


TENNESSEE  COMMISSIONERS.  627 

of  great  armies  or  navies,  at  home  or  abroad.  Our  territorial  isolation 
does  not  require  it ;  our  peaceful  habits  and  tendencies  do  not  call  for  it ; 
but,  happily,  in  time  of  public  peril  or  when  the  national  flag  or  honor 
needs  defense,  our  combined  physical  strength  and-  patriotism  can 
always  be  depended  upon. 

Our  great  republic  commands  the  everlasting  affection  and  allegi 
ance  of  her  sons.  With  the  true  and  characteristic  spirit  of  Ameri 
canism  born  in  the  race,  they  are  ever  ready  to  pour  out  their  blool 
and  treasure  at  their  country's  call. 

"O  land  of  lands,  to  thee  we  give 

Our  love,  our  trust,  our  service,  free. 

For  thee  thy  sons  shall  nobly  live, 
And  at  thy  need  shall  die  for  thee." 

The  answer  to  her  call  to  arms  comes  from  far  arid  near :  "We 
are  ready."  From  the  North,  from  the  South — Federal  and  Confed 
erate — we  can  say,  in  the  words  of  the  odd  army  song : 

"We  are  coming,  Uncle  Samuel, 
Three  hundred  thousand  strong." 

The  old  guard  of  the  Civil  War  may  not  be  called  on  to  reenlist, 
but,  come  the  worst  or  come  foreign  combinations  against  us,  they 
will  be  found  at  the  front  for  duty.  If  our  matchless  old  soldiers  of 
the  North  and  South  cannot  noiw  charge  at  double-quick,  they  can 
hold  the  forts,  if  need  be,  against  the  world;  they  can  steady  many  a 
wavering  battalion ;  they  can  demonstrate  that  the  lessons  learned  at 
Chickamauga  are  not  forgotten. 

Our  battles  with  Spain  may  not  all  be  as  bloodless  to  us  as  our 
glorious  victory  at  Manila.  Possible  reverses  may  come,  but  who 
can  doubt  the  triumphant  final  result,  when  right  and  might  march 
side  by  side  in  the  interest  of  humanity? 

We  are  charged  by  some  of  the  autocrats  of  Europe  with  being 
aggressive ;  but  what  patience  or  conservatism  or  Christianity  can  en 
dure  the  inhumanity,  the  treachery,  and  the  insufferable  conceit  of  a 
country  like  Spain?  Her  colonial  policy  has  shocked  every  American 
instinct.  It  has  kept  anarchy  and  poverty  in  Cuba  for  a  century.  The 
beautiful  islarid  has  never  had  a  chance  at  progress  or  liberty.  When 
our  arms  are  crowned  with  victory,  and  the  poison  of  Spanish  domin 
ation  is  removed,  I  trust  this  fair  "Queen  of  the  Antilles"  may  get  new 
inspiration  from  closer  contact  with  our  free  republic,  and  will  be  able 
to  build  up  a  new  civilization  worthy  of  the  sacrifices  we  are  making 
for  her. 


The  closing  addiress  was  delivered  by  General  H.  V.  Boynton, 
Chairman  of  the  National  Chickamauga  Park  Commission.  General 
Boynton  spoke  extemporaneously  about  ten  minutes.  He  referred  to 


628  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

the  fact  that  nearly  one-third  of  a  century  has  elapsed  since  the  war, 
and  that  it  gave  him  great  joy  to  be  able  to  call  the  soldiers  of  both 
armies  comrades,  and  address  them  beneath  one  banner.  ''Through 
out  this  land/  said  he,  "70,000,000  people  will  stand  together  to  a  vic 
torious  end.  We  thank  all  that  out  of  the  war  has  come  a  great  united 
country." 

General  Boynton,  in  conclusion,  praised  the  Tennessee  Park  com 
mission  for  the  assistance  rendered  the  National  Park  Commission 
in  establishing  the  park. 


THE  OHIO  RAID. 

A  short  time  before  General  Rosecrans  began  his  movement 
against  The  Army  of  Tennessee  via  Liberty  and  Hoover  Gaps,  General 
John  Morgan  went  on  his  famous  Ohio  Raid.  He  crossed  the  Cum 
berland  River  at  Burkesville,  Ky.,  and4  Turkey  Bend  Ferry  to  check 
a  contemplated  plan  on  the  part  of  Generals  Burnside  and  Judah  to 
move  simultaneously  with  Rosecrans  against  General  Bragg's  army 
camped  in  and  around  Tullahoma,  Tenn. 

This  diversion  created  a  flutter  in  Federal  army  circles  and  pre 
sented  a  grave  spectacle  to  the  Northern  Commanders,  who  became 
uneasy  about  the  cutting  off  of  their  supplies  and  the  invasion  of 
Louisville  and  Cincinnati.  Morgan  with  ten  regiments  went  through 
Kentucky,  parts  of  Indiana  andi  a  part  of  them  crossed  the  Ohio  River 
at  Buffington.  A  sudden  rise  in  the  river,  when  every  by-path  and 
cross  road  frowned  with  a  pursuing  Federal  force,  hemmed  in  and 
resulted  in  the  capture  of  General  Morgan  and  his  command. 

Of  the  battles  and  incidents  connected  with  that  famous  raid, 
space  does  not  allow  .detail.  It  was  a  bold,  daring  undertaking ;  grand 
in  conception  and  properly  executed,  and  but  for  a  sudden  rise  in  the 
River,  an  act  of  God  that  no  man  could  foresee,  would  have  succeeded. 

The  movement  checked  the  Federal  Armies  in  their  progress  and 
crippled  The  Army  of  the  Cumberland  for  the  moment,  by  drawing 
away  forces  necessary  to  pursue  the  forward  movement. 

General  Morgan  was  so  apt  that  his  commander  always  pointed 
to  him  as  the  most  efficient  officer  to  thus  weaken  the  Federal  forces. 
The  capture  on  the  Ohio  raidi  and  the  novelty  of  General  Morgan's 
escape  from  the  Columbus  Ohio  Penitentiary  is  pointed  to  as  one- of 
the  phenomenal  incidents  connected  with  General  Morgan  and  his 
command  in  The  Army  of  Tennessee. 


THE  OLD  JACKET  OF  GRAY. 

See  this  old  jacket,  faded  and  torn ; 

In  Morgan's  raid  it  was  proudly  worn — 

This  very  old  jacket  of  gray. 
It  was  one  of  the  many  that  covered  then 
The  breasts  of  true-hearted  Southern  men 
And1  thrilled  with  the  hope  that  filled  them  when 

John  Morgan  was  leading  the  way, 


630  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

This  haversack  see !     It  hung  of  yore — 
Bearing  of  hardtack  a  meager  store — 

Across  the  old  jacket  of  gray. 
Though  tired  and  ragged  and  hungry,  too, 
What  cared  we,  with  Victory  full  in  view? 
We  feared  not  defeat,  for  well  we  knew 

John  Morgan  was  leading  the  way. 

From  Lee  to  the  humblest  soldier  who 
His  sword  for  the  honor  of  Dixie  drew, 

All  wore  just  such  jackets  of  gray. 
Though  the  cause  we  loved  is  a  "Lost  Cause,"  still 
It  lives  in  hearts  that  will  ever  thrill 
At  sight  of  the  gray,  though  no  more  will 

John  Morgan  be  leading  the  way. 

He  led  the  way  up  fair  glory's  height 
With  the  patriot  heroes,  who  waged  a  fight 

In  their  tattered  jackets  of  gray 
That  will  live  for  aye  on  the  roll  of  fame 
And  carved  on  Time's  rock  brave  Dixie's  name 
To  fill  Southern  hearts  with  the  patriot's  flame 

Of  Morgan  while  leading  the  way. 

There  are  many  here  who  fought  and  bled, 
By  love  for  freedom  and  honor  led, 

In  just  such  old  jackets  of  gray; 
And  many  whose  hearts  enshrined1  with  pride 
Loved  ones  who  fell  in  the  battle  tide 
With  Dixie's  name  on  their  lips,  and  died 

While  Morgan  was  leading  the  way. 

Oh,  heroes  of  Dixie,  one  and  all — 
The  living  and  the  dead — on  you  I  call, 

Who  wore  the  old  jacket  of  gray, 
On  the  living  to  teach  by  tongue  and  pen, 
On  the  dead,  by  those  that,  loved  them  then, 
Our  youth  to  glory  in  the  men 

Who,  like  Morgan,  once  led  the  way. 

To  glory  in  Lee  and  old  Stonewall, 
In  the  Johnstons,  Hampton,  Stuart,  and  all 
Who  wore  the  dear  old  jackets  of  gray; 
In  the  privates  who  joined  the  hero  band 
From  Maryland  to  the  Lone  Star's  strand, 
In  the  Stars  and  Bars  of  Dixie  Land, 
And  in  Davis  who  led  the  way. 

— MRS.  ANNIE  BARNWELL  MORTON. 
Beaufort,  S.  C. 


SONGS. 

NASHVILLE  REUNION — GREETING. 

(Tune,  Ole  Time  Religion.) 

Here's  greeting  to  the  graybacks, 
The  old  Southern  grisleys, 
Nashville's  hearty  welcome, 

A  happy  thought  to  me. 

Tennessee,  again  says  welcome, 

To  the  tried  Southern  Soldier, 

Who  wrote  his  name  in  glory, 

A  happy  thought  to  me. 

(Chorus) 

We're  "Old  Time"  Confederates, 
We're  "Old  Time"  Confed'rates. 
We're  "Old  Time"  Confed'rates. 

That's  good  enough  for  me. 
Our  State  will  live  in  glory, 
On  the  fields  of  blood  so  gory, 
Our  State  will  live  in  story, 

That's  good  enough  for  me. 
Our  dead  in  the  arms  of  glory, 
Who  live  in  song  and  story. 
Our  dead  in  the  arms  of  glory. 

That's  good  enough  for  me. 

(Chorus) 

Our  Rains  and  Strahl  and  Adams, 
Our  Stonewall,  Bee  and  Bartow, 
Our  Gordon,  Ewell,  Early, 

They  were  good  enough  for  me. 
Our  Stewart,   Brown  and  Forrest, 
Our  Polk,  Lee  and  Wheeler, 
Our  Gist  and  Bate  and  Cheatham, 

They  were  good  enough  for  me. 

(Chorus) 


632  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

We  can  win  no  new  affection, 
We  can  win  no  new  affection, 
We  can  win  no  new  affection, 

It's  a  saddening  thought  to  me. 
We  have  only  recollection, 
We  have  only  recollection, 
We  have  only  recollection, 

But  it's  good  enough  for  me. 

(Chorus) 

Earth's  h-o-l-d',  on  us,  grows  slighter, 
And  the  h-e-a-v-y  burden,  lighter, 
And  the  dawn,  immortal,  brighter, 

That's  good  enough  for  me. 
Our  hope  is  now  in  heaven, 
Our  hope  is  now  in  heaven, 
Our  hope  is  now  in  heaven, 

That's  good  enough  for  me. 

Chorus 

We'll  see  Lee,  Price  and  Johnstons, 
We'll  see  Lee,  Price  and  Johnstons, 
We'll  see  Lee,  Price  and  Johnstons, 

That's  comforting  to  me. 
Hatton,  Bragg  and  Old  Pat  Cleburne, 
Hatton,  Bragg  and  Old  Pat  Cleburne, 
Hatton,  Bragg  and  Old  Pat  Cleburne, 

That's  a  thrilling  thought  to  me. 

(Chorus) 


By  Captain  W.  W.  Carnes,  Memphis,  Tenn. 

Every  soldier  remembers  the  many  popular  calls,  phrases  or  say 
ings  that  were  in  vogue  during  the  Civil  War,  and. among  them  all, 
none  was  more  widespread  and  generally  used  among  the  Confeder 
ates  than  "Here's  Your  Mule !"  or  "Mister,  Here's  Your  Mule."  There 
have  been  a  number  of  attempts  to  explain  its  origin,  no  one  account 
like  the  other,  and  none  correct.  This  paper  is  written  to  give  a  cor 
rect  account  of  how  "Here's  Your  Mule!"  started,  and  the  correct 
ness  of  what  is  here  written  will  be  attested  by  the  few  still  left  of 
those  West  Tennessee  soldiers  who  were  in  the  Camp  of  Instruction 
at  Jackson,  Tenn. 

While  the  many  companies  were  in  said  camp  before  and  after 


633 

the  organization  into  regiments,  all  sorts  of  salable  commodities  were 
brought  into  camp  in  all  sorts  of  conveyances.  One  of  those  camp 
hucksters,  who  was  especially  active  in  peddling  pies  and  other  edibles, 
brought  them  in  a  small  and  ancient  looking  wagon,  drawn  by  a  small, 
black,  shaggy  mule.  This  old  fellow  was  quite  an  odidity  in  a  way, 
and  became  quite  well  known  in  camp.  The  boys  tried  their  usual 
pranks  of  speech  on  him  and  many  of  them  came  off  "second  best"  in 
the  encounter  of  rough  wit.  So  one  day  a  few  of  those  who  had  failed 
to  get  ahead  of  the  old  countryman  in  the  contest  with  tongues,  deter 
mined  to  play  a  practical  joke  on  him.  Most  of  the  soldiers  were  shel 
tered  then  by  the  old  fashioned  "A"  tents  which  go  in  a  straight  line 
from  the  ridge  pole  down  to  the  pegs  that  held!  the  cover  edge  fast  to 
the  ground.  During  the  temporary  absence  of  the  old  huckster,  these 
fellows  slipped  out  the  main  parts  of  the  harness  from  his  mule,  and, 
carrying  the  animal  to  another  part  of  the  camp,  placed  him  under  one 
of  the  little  "A"  tents  and  fastened  the  flaps  down  tight  to  the  pegs. 
They  then  loafed  around  the  wagon  until  the  owner  appeared.  He 
naturally  was  surprised  to  find  that  his  mule  was  gone  and  at  once 
commenced  actively  to  look  for  him,  the  boys  who  had*  carried  the 
mule  away,  amusing  themselves  at  the  owner's  expense  with  various 
suggestions  as  to  the  cause  of  the  animal's  disappearance.  The  owner 
of  the  mule  was  too  seriously  concerned  over  his  loss  to  give  back  in 
his  usual  style,  and  the  mischievous  jokers  had  a  lot  of  fun  at  his  ex 
pense.  Soon  those  men  (who  had  jointly  hidden  the  mule  in  a  place 
known  to  but  few)  spread  the  news  around  the  camp  that  old  "Pies" 
HAD  LOST  HIS  MULE.  Then  one  of  them  went  to  a  distant  point  in  the 
encampment  and  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "Mister,  Here's  Your 
Mule !"  At  once  the  owner  of  the  mule  struck  a  lively  gait  in  the  di 
rection  of  the  voice,  but  found  no  mule  and  no  one  that  could  give  in 
formation  of  him.  Then  he  said  to  the  men  standing  around,  "Gentle 
men,  have  any  of  you  seen  anything  of  a  little  black,  shaggy  mule 
around  here  ?  In  a  few  minutes  the  cry,  "Mister,  Here's  Your  Mule !" 
came  from  another  part  of  the  camp,  causing  the  man  to  go  there  on 
a  run  with  the  same  result,  followed  by  the  same  inquiry  on  his  part. 
So  he  was  kept  going  for  a  long  time  from  one  part  of  the  camp  to 
another  ybthe  same  call,  without  finding  the  mule.  As  might  be  ex 
pected  quite  a  crowd  followed  him  about,  and  as  others,  who  knew 
nothing  of  the  hiding  of  the  mule,  took  up  the  call  "Here's  Your 
Mule !"  from  different  points,  the  huckster  knew  he  was  being  played 
with  by  the  boys.  His  last  summons  had  brought  him  to  the  vicinity 
of  the  tent  where  the  mule  had  been  hidden,  and  from  there  he  did  not 
go  in  response  to  other  calls  of  "Here's  Your  Mule !"  from  distant 
points.  All  the  while  a  large  crowd  stood  around  and  gave  him  "the 
laugh."  Finally,  after  standing  this  awhile  he  raised  his  hands  above  his 
head  in  a  beseeching  gesture,  which  brought  silence  and  in  a  loud  wail  of 
distress  he  said,  "Gentlemen,  for  the  love  of  God,  has  anybody  seen 
anything  of  that  'ar  mule  ?"  Probably  the  mule  recognized  his  owner's 
voice,  and  he  lifted  up  his  own  voice  in  a  loud  bray.  Then  there  arose 


634  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

such  a  general  yell  of  "Here's  Your  Mule!"  and  led  by  the  fellows  who 
knew  in  which  tent  to  find  him,  the  crowd  overthrew  the  tent  and 
brought  forth  the  "little,  black,  shaggy  mule"  to  his  distressed  owner. 
It  was  a  long  time  before  the  frolic  ended  and  the  countryman  got 
away  from  the  teasing  boys,  but  he  had  sold  all  his  load  and  found  his 
lost  mule,  and  he  took  the  joking  good  naturedly.  From  that  after 
noon,  the  cry,  "Here's  Your  Mule !"  gave  rise  to  merriment  in  that 
camp,  and  as  the  different  commands  left  the  "Camp  of  Instruction" 
took  with  them  the  cry  "Here's  Your  Mule !"  which  spread  rapidly 
through  the  army,  until  it  was  in  general  use  by  soldiers  who  had  no 
idea  of  how  it  originated,  but  understood  that  there  was  a  joke  behind 
it  or  connected  with  it  some  way.  It  was  carried  rapidly  through  all 
parts  of  the  Armies  of  the  West  and  found  its  way  to  the  Virginia 
Army.  Very  few  who  used  it  or  heard  it,  knew  how  or  where  it  origi 
nated,  and  the  writer  gives  for  publication  this  true  history  of  "Here's 
Your  Mule !"  for  the  first  time,  as  far  as  he  knows.  Parodies  were 
gotten  up  on  "Here's  Your  Mule"  and  sung  around  the  campfire. 
The  following  on  "Maryland"  was  sung  by  the  Ridley  and  Beard  Com 
bination  at  the  Nashville  Reunion,  Tennessee  Division,  Oct.  8-9,  1902. 
Showing  the  popularity  of  the  phase,  "Here's  Your  Mule !" 

(Tune,  My  Maryland.) 

The  Yankee  tread  is  on  our  streets, 

Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 

I  hear  the  tramp  of  the  vandal's  feet, 
Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 

Hark !    I  hear  a  rooster  squall ; 

The  vandal  takes  it,  hen  and  all, 

And  makes  the  boys  and  women  bawl, 
Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 

There's  nothing  that  escapes  their  eyes, 
Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 

They  all  are  death  on  cakes  and  pies, 
Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 

Hush  !    J  see  a  lighted  sky, 

Our  people's  houses  burning  high, 

John  Morgan's  coming  by  and  by, 

Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 

Hark !    Morgan's  boys  are  on  a  raid, 

Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 
.   To  meet  the  foe  they're  not  afraid, 

Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 

And  when  bluecoats,  see  them  come, 

They  stop  and  fire  and  break  and  run, 

And  then  begins  John  Morgan's  fun, 
Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 


635 


And  Pemberton  is  in  the  West, 

Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule! 
To  hold  Vicksburg  he'll  do  his  best, 

Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 
When  General  Grant  strikes  in  his  flank, 
Our  faithful  Joe  will  play  a  prank, 
And  gobble  up  the  devilish  Yank, 

Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 

When  Stonewall  Jackson's  in  the  field, 
Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 

His  are  the  boys  that  never  yield, 

Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 

And  when  you  hear  the  old  man  pray, 

You  may  be  sure  that  on  next  day 

The  very  devil  will  be  to  pay, 

Here's  your  mule,  O  here's  your  mule ! 


(Tune,  Old  Kentucky  Home.) 

The  time  has  come,   in  our  Southern  homes, 

Meeting  the  boys  in  gray ; 
We're  happy  as  larks,  as  cheery  as  birds, 

iMaking  music  in  the  meadows,  all  the  diay. 
We  long  to  meet,  the  guard  of  Sixty  One, 

Who  struggled,  for  what  they  knew  was  right; 
Now  you  are*  here,  in  our  Southern  homes, 

Our  hearts  are  overflowing  with  delight. 

Chorus 

All  hail  to  you,  old  soldiers,  we're  glad  to 

bid  you  stay; 
We  have  killed  the  fatted  calf  and  we 

chant  the  festal  song, 
In  our  Southern  homes — Tennessee. 

The  times  are  changed  in  all  Southern  life, 

Slavery  gone  from  our  door, 
The  dollar  seems  the  aim,  of  all  present  strife, 

Plaintive  Southern  melodies,  no  more. 
When  your  property  was  taken,  and  the  wolf  was  at  the  door, 

Our  mothers,  cheered4  you  on  the  road, 
Now,  no  matter  about  days  of  yore, 

Resignation,  has  relieved  the  heavy  load. 

Chorus 


636  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Our  black  mammies,  have  passed  away, 

Society  changed  in  its  tone — 
The  big  plantations,  all  dwindled  down, 

Old  Marsa  and  old  Missus,  are  gone. 
But  the  brain  and  brawn  of  our  sunny  clime, 

Make  us  cheerful,  happy  and  bright — 
Your  boys  and  girls  dared  the  hard-  times, 

And  chased  the  dread  wolf  in  its  flight — 

(Chorus) 

Days  are  coming,  the  South  to  reinstate, 

Mongst  people  of  this  united  land, 
The  main  hope  and  stay  of  our  Union  great 

Are  Scion's,  of  the  old  Southern  band. 
I  tell  you,  we  will  triumph,  triumph  in  the  end, 

No  matter,  though  the  rasping,  we  have  had, 
Truth,  crushed  to  earth,  will  surely  rise  again, 

And  the  hearts,  of  all  our  Southland,  will  be  glad*, 

THE  GIRL  I  LEFT  BEHIND  ME. 


The  following  is  the  original  rendition  of  the  "Girl  I  Left  Behind 
Me"  taken  from  the  Royal  Edition  of  the  songs  of  England  ("Boosy 
&  Co.")  and  kindly  furnished  me  by  Captain  S.  R.  Simpson  late  of  the 
3Oth  Tennessee  Regiment,  Colonel  J.  J.  Turner  commanding. 

I'm  lonesome  since  I  crossed  the  hills, 
And  o'er  the  moor-land  sedg-gy 
Such  heav-i-ness  my  bosom  fills, 
Since  parting  with  my  Betsy, 
I  seek  for  one  as  fair  and  gay, 
But  find  none  to  remind  me, 
How  blest  the  hours  passed  away, 
With  the  girl  I  left  behind  me. 

The  hour  I  remember  well, 
When  first  she  owned  she  loved  me, 
A  rain  within  my  breast  doth  tell, 
How  constant  I  have  proved  me ; 
But  now  I'm  bound  for  Brighton  camp, 
Kind  Heaven  then  pray  guide  me, 
And  send  me  home,  safe  back  again, 
To  the  girl  I  left  behind  me. 

My  mind  her  image  must  retain, 
Asleep  or  sadly  waking; 
I  long  to  see  my  love  again, 
For  her  my  heart  is  breaking. 


THE  GIRL  I  LEFT  BEHIND  ME.  63Y 

When'er  my  steps  return  that  way, 
Still  faithful  shall  she  find  me, 
And  never  more  again  I'll  stray 
From  the  girl  I  left  behind  me. 

We,  in  the  Southern  army  sang  it  this  way : 

"If  ever  I  get  through  this  war, 
And  Lincoln's  chains  don't  bind  me, 
I'll  make  my  way  to  Tennessee 
To  the  girl  I  left  behind  me. 


THE  KU  KLUX  KLAN. 

BY  J.   O.   LESTER  &  D.  L.   MILTON.  —  COPIED  BY  PERMISSION. 

No  CHAPTER  in  American  history  is  more  strange  than  the  one 
which  bears  for  a  title :  "Ku  Klux  Klan."  The  secret  history  of  the 
Invisible  Empire,  as  the  Klan  was  also  called,  has  never  been  written. 
The  Klan  disappeared  from  Southern  life  as  it  came  into  it,  shrouded 
in  deepest  mystery.  Its  members  would  not  disclose  its  secrets ;  others 
could  not.  Even  the  investigating  committee  appointed  by  Congress, 
after  tedious  and  diligent  inquiry,  was  baffled.  The  voluminous  re 
ports  containing  the  results  of  the  committee's  labors  do  not  tell  when 
and  where  and  how  the  Ku  Klux  Klan  originated. 

But  the  time  has  now  arrived  when  the  history  of  the  origin, 
growth  ,and  disbandment  of  "The  Invisible  Empire"  may  be  given  to 
the  public.  Circumstances,  which  need  not  be  detailed  here,  have  put 
it  in  the  power  of  the  writer  to  compile  such  a  history.  For  ob 
vious  reasons  the  names  of  individuals  are  withheld  But  the  reader 
may  feel  assured  that  this  narrative  is  drawn  from  sources  which  are 
accurate  and  authentic.  The  writer  does  not  profess  to  be  able  to  re 
veal  the  secret  signs,  grips,  and  pass-words  of  the  order.  These  have 
never  been  disclosed,  and  probably  never  will  be.  But  we  claim  to 
narrate  those  facts  relating  to  the  order  which  have  a  historic  and 
philosophic  value.  It  is  due  to  the  truth  of  history,  to  the  student  of 
human  nature,  and  to  the  statesman,  that  such  facts  connected  with 
this  remarkable  episodic  in  our  nation's  history  be  frankly  and  fairly 
told. 

A  wave  of  excitement,  spreading  by  contagion  till  the  minds  of 
a  whole  people  are  in  a  ferment,  is  an  event  of  frequent  occurence. 
The  Ku  Klux  movement  was  peculiar  by  reason  of  the  causes  which 
produced  and  fed  the  excitement.  It  illustrates  the  weird  and  irres- 
sistible  power  of  the  unknown  and  mysterious  over  the  minds  of  men 
of  all  classes  and  conditions  in  life ;  and  it  illustrates  how  men  by  cir 
cumstances  and  conditions,  in  part  of  their  own  creation,  may  be  car 
ried  away  from  their  moorings  andi  drifted  along  in  a  course  against 
which  reason  and  judgment  protest. 

The  popular  idea  supposes  the  Ku1  Klux  movement  to  have  been 
conceived  in  malice,  and  nursed  by  prejudice  and  hate,  for  lawless 
ness,  rapine,  and  murder.  The  circumstances  which  brought  the  Klan 
into  notice  and  notoriety  were  of  a  character  to  favor  such  a  conclu- 


THE  KU  KLUX  KLAN.  639 


sion.  No  other  seemed  possible.  The  report  of  the  Congressional  in 
vestigating  committee  confirmed  it.  But  granting  the  truthfulness  of 
that  report,  it  is  fragmentary  truth;  it  does  not  tell  the  whole  story; 
and  it  leaves  the  impression  that  the  Ku  Klux  Klan  was  conceived  and' 
carried  out  in  pure  and  unmixed  deviltry.  Whether  this  conclusion 
is  just  and  true,  the  reader  who  follows  this  narrative  to  its  end  will 
decide. 

The  Ku  Klux  Klan  was  the  outgrowth  of  peculiar  conditions,  so 
cial,  civil,  and  political,  which  prevailed  at  the  South  from  1865  to 
1869.  It  was  as  much  a  product  of  those  conditions  as  malaria  is  of  a 
swamp  and  sunheat.  Its  birth-place  was  Pulaski,  Giles  County,  Ten 
nessee,  a  town  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  inhabitants.  Previous 
to  the  war  the  people  possessed  wealth  and  culture.  The  first  was 
lost  in  the  general  wreck.  Now  the  most  intimate  association  with 
them  fails  to  disclose  a  trace  of  the  diabolism  which,  according  to  the 
popular  idea,  one  would  expect  to  find  characterizing  the  people 
among  whom  the  Ku  Klux  Klan  originated.  A  male  college  and  a 
female  seminary  are  located  at  Pulaski,  and  receive  liberal  patronage. 
It  is  a  town  of  churches. 

There,  in  1866,  the  name  Ku  Klux  first  fell  from  human  lips. 
There  began  a  movement  which  in  a  short  time  spread  as  far  north 
as  Virginia  and  as  far  south  as  Texas,  and  which  for  a  period  con 
vulsed  the  country.  Proclamations  were  fulminated  against  the  Klan 
by  the  President  and  by  the  Governors  of  States ;  and  hostile  statutes 
were  enacted  both  by  State  and  national  legislatures,  for  there  had  be 
come  associated  with  the  name  of  Ku  Klux  Klan  gross  mistakes  and 
lawless  deeds  of  violence. 

During  the  entire  period  of  the  Klan's  organized  existence  Pu 
laski  continued  to  be  its  central  seat  of  authority,  and  some  of  its  high 
est  officers  resided  there.  This  narative,  therefore,  will  relate  princi 
pally  to  the  growth  of  the  Klan  and  the  measures  taken  to  suppress  it 
in  Tennessee.  It  is  necessary  to  a  clear  understanding  of  the  move 
ment  to  observe  that  the  history  of  the  Klan  is  marked  by  two  distinct 
and  well-defined  periods.  The  first  period  covers  the  time  from  its 
organization  in  1866  to  the  summer  of  1867.  This  period  of  its  history 
though  less  interesting,  should  be  described  somewhat  minutely,  be 
cause  of  its  bearing  on  subsequent  events. 

When  the  war  ended  in  1865  the  young  men  of  Pulaski  who  es 
caped  death  on  the  battle-field  returned  home  and  passed  through  a 
period  of  enforced  inactivity.  In  some  respects  it  was  more  trying 
than  the  ordeal  of  war  which  lay  behind  them.  The  reaction  which 
followed  the  excitement  of  army  scenes  and  service  was  intense.  There 
was  nothing  to  relieve  it.  They  could  not  engage  in  active  business 
or  professional  pursuits.  Their  business  habits  were  broken  up.  None 
had  capital  with  which  to  conduct  agricultural  pursuits  or  to  engage  in 
mercantile  enterprises.  And  this  restlessness  was  made  more  intense 
by  the  total  lack  of  the  amusements  and  social  diversions  which  pre- 


640  BATTLES  AN±>  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

vail  wherever  society  is  in  a  normal  condition.  One  evening  in  June, 
1866,  a  few  of  these  young  men  met  in  the  office  of  one  of  the  most 
prominent  members  of  the  Pulaski  bar.  In  the  course  of  the  conver 
sation  one  of  the  number  said:  "Boys,  let  us  get  up  a  club  or  a  so 
ciety  of  some  description." 

The  suggestion  was  discussed  with  some  enthusiasm.  Before  they 
separated,  it  was  agreed  to  invite  a  few  others  whose  names  were 
mentioned  to  join  them,  and  to  meet  again  the  next  evening  at  the  same 
place.  At  the  appointed  time  eight  or  ten  young  men  had  assembled. 
The  club  was  organized  by  the  election  of  a  chairman  and  a  secretary. 
There  was  entire  unanimity  among  the  members  in  regard  to  the  end 
in  view,  which  was  diversion  and  amusement.  The  evening  was  spent 
discussing  the  best  means  of  attaining  the  object  in  view.  Two  com 
mittees  were  appointed,  one  to  select  a  name,  the  other  to  prepare  a 
set  O'f  rules  for  the  government  of  the  society,  and  a  ritual  for  the 
initiation  of  new  members.  Then  the  club  adjourned,  to  meet  the  fol 
lowing  week  to  hear  and  act  upon  the  report  of  these  committees. 
Before  the  arrival  of  the  appointed  time  for  the  next  meeting  one  of 
the  wealthiest  and  most  prominent  citizens  of  Pulaski  went  on  a  bus 
iness  trip  to  Columbus,  Miss.,  taking  his  family  with  him.  Before 
leaving  he  invited  one  of  the  leading  spirits  of  the  new  society  to  take 
charge  of  and  sleep  at  his  house  in  his  absence.  This  young  man  in 
vited  his  comrades  to  join  him  there;  so  the  place  of  meeting  was 
changed  from  the  law  office  to  this  residence.  The  owner  of  the  house 
outlived  the  Ku  Klux  Klan,  and  died'  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  his 
house  was  the  place  where  its  organization  was  fully  effected.  This 
residence  afterwards  came  into  the  possession  of  Judge  H.  M.  Spof- 
ford,  oi  Spofford-Kellogg  fame.  It  was  his  home  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  is  still  owned  by  his  widow. 

The  committee  appointed  to  select  a  name  reported  that  they  had 
found  the  task  difficult,  and  had  not  made  a  selection.  They  explain 
ed  that  they  had  been  trying  to  discover  or  invent  a  name  which  would 
be  in  some  degree  suggestive  of  the  character  and  objects  of  the  so 
ciety.  They  mentioned  several  names  which  they  had  been  consider 
ing.  In  this  number  was  the  name  "Kukloi"  from  the  Greek  word 
(kuklos),  meaning  a  band  or  circle.  At  mention  of  this,  some 
one  cried  out:  "Call  it  Ku  Klux!" 

"Klan"  at  once  suggested  itself,  and  was  added  to  complete  the 
alliteration.  So,  instead  of  adopting  a  name,  as  was  the  first  inten 
tion,  which  had  a  definite  meaning,  they  chose  one  which  to  the  pro 
poser  and  to  every  one  else  was  absolutely  meaningless.  This  trivial 
and  apparently  accidental  incident  had  a  most  important  bearing  on 
the  future  of  the  organization  so  singularly  named.  Looking  back 
over  the  history  of  the  Klan,  and  at  the  causes  under  which  it  devel 
oped1,  it  is  difficult  to  resist  the  conclusion  that  the  order  would  never 
have  grown  to  the  proportions  which  it  afterward  assumed,  or  wield 
ed  the  power  it  did,  had  it  not  borne  this  name,  or  some  other  equally 


THE  KU  KLUX  KLAN.  641 


as  meaningless  and  mysterious.  Had  they  called  themselves  the 
"Jolly  Jokers,"  or  the  "Adelphi,"  or  by  some  similar  appellation,  the 
organization  would  doubtless  have  had  no  more  than  the  mere  local  and 
ephemeral  existence  which  those  who  organized  it  contemplated  for  it. 
Hundreds  of  societies  have  originated  just  as  this  one  did,  and,  after 
a  brief  existence,  have  passed  away.  But  in  the  case  before  us  there 
*was  a  weird  potency  in  the  very  name  Ku  Klux  Klan !  Let  the  reader 
pronounce  it  aloud.  The  sound  of  it  is  suggestive  of  bones  rattling 
together!  The  potency  of  the  name  was  not  wholly  in  the  impression 
made  by  it  on  the  general  public.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  mem 
bers  of  the  Klan  were  themselves  the  first  to  feel  its  weird  influence. 
They  had  adopted  a  mysterious  name.  Thereupon  the  original  plan 
was  modified  so  as  to  make  everything  connected  with  the  order  har 
monize  with  the  name. 

Amusement  was  still  the  end  in  view;  but  the  methods  by  which 
they  proposed  to  win  it  were  now  those  of  secrecy  and  mystery.  So 
when  the  report  of  the  committee  on  rules  and  ritual  came  up  for  con 
sideration,  the  recommendations  were  modified  to  adapt  them  to  the 
new  idea.  The  report,  as  finally  adopted,  provided  for  the  following 
officers : 

A  Grand  Cyclops,  or  presiding  officer. 

A  Grand  Magi,  or  vice-president. 

A  Grand  Turk,  or  marshal. 

A  Grand  Exchequer,  or  treasurer. 

Two  Lictors,  who  were  the  outer  and4  inner  guards  of  the  "den," 
as  the  place  of  meeting  was  designated. 

The  one  obligation  exacted  from  members  was  to  maintain  ab 
solute  and  profound  secrecy  with  reference  to  the  order  and  every 
thing  pertaining  to  it.  This  obligation  prohibited  those  who  assumed 
it  from  disclosing  the  fact  that  they  were  Ku  Klux,  or  the  name  of 
any  other  member,  and  from  soliciting  any  one  to  become  a  member. 
The  last  requirement  was  a  singular  one.  It  was  exacted  for  two  rea 
sons.  First,  it  was  in  keeping  with  their  determination  to  appear  as 
mysterious  as  possible,  and  thus  play  upon  the  curiosity  of  the  public. 
Secondly,  and  mainly,  it  was  designed4  to  prevent  unpleasantnes  fol 
lowing  initiations.  They  wished  to  be  able  to  say  to  novices :  "You 
are  here  on  your  own  solicitation,  and  not  by  invitation  from  us." 

They  desired  accessions;  to  have  them  were  indispensable;  but 
they  knew  human  nature  well  enough  to  know  that  if  they  made  the 
impression  that  they  wished  to  be  exclusive  and  select,  then  applica 
tions  for  membership  would  be  numerous.  The  result  showed  that 
they  reasoned  correctly.  Each  member  was  required  to  provide  him 
self  with  the  following  outfit: 

A  white  mask  for  the  face  with  orifices  for  the  eyes  and  nose. 

A  tall,  fantastic  card'board  hat,  so  constructed  as  to  increase  the 
wearer's  apparent  height. 

A  gown  or  robe  of  sufficient  length  to  cover  the  entire  person. 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


No  particular  color  or  material  was  prescribed.  These  were  left  to 
the  individual's  taste  and  fancy;  and  each  selected  what  in  his  judg 
ment  would  be  the  most  hideous  and  fantastic,  with  the  aim  of  inspir 
ing  the  greatest  amount  of  awe  in  the  novice.  These  robes  of  differ 
ent  colors  —  often  of  the  most  flashy  patterns  of  "Dolly  Varden"  cali 
coes  —  added  vastly  to  the  grotesque  appearance  of  the  assembled  Klan. 

Each  member  carried  also  a  small  whistle,  with  which,  by  means 
of  a  code  of  signals  agreed  upon,  they  held  communications  with  one 
another.  The  only  utility  in  this  was  to  awaken  inquiry. 

And  the  object  of  all  this  was  —  amusement.  "Only  this,  and 
nothing  more."  A  few  young  men,  barred  for  the  time  by  circum 
stances  from  entering  any  active  business  or  professional  pursuits, 
and  deprived  of  the  ordinary  diversions  of  social  life,  were  seeking  in 
this  way  to  amuse  and  employ  themselves.  The  organization  of  trr.s 
Klan  was  to  them  both  diversion  and  occupation.  But  where  did  the 
fun  come  in?  Partly  in  exciting  the  curiosity  of  the  public  and  then 
in  baffling  it,  but  mainly  in  the  initiation  of  new  members. 

The  ritual  used  in  the  initiation  was  elaborate,  but  not  worthy  of 
reproduction.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  it  was  modeled"  on  and  embraced 
the  leading  features  of  the  ritual  of  an  order  which  has  long  been  pop 
ular  in  colleges  and  universities  under  various  names.  In  one  place. 
it  is  the  "Sons  of  Confucius"  ;  in  another,  the  "Guiasticutas"  ;  but 
everywhere  the  "ancient  and  the  honorable",  and  the  mirth-provoking. 

The  initiations  were  at  first  conducted  in  the  law  office  wheie 
the  suggestion  for  the  formation  of  the  Klan  had  been  made;  but  it 
was  not  a  suitable  place.  The  room  was  small;  it  was  near  the  busi 
ness  portion  of  the  town,  and  while  the  members  were  in  session  there 
they  never  felt  entirely  free  from  apprehensions  of  interruption.  On 
the  brow  of  a  ridge  that  runs  along  the  western  outskirts  of  the  town 
there  used  to  stand  a  handsome  and  commodious  residence.  The  front 
or  main  building  was  of  brick,  the  "L"  of  wood.  In  December,  1865, 
the  brick  portion  of  this  house  was  demolished  by  a  cyclone;  the  "L" 
remained  standing.  It  consisted  of  three  rooms.  A  stairway  led  from 
one  of  them  to  a  large  cellar  beneath.  No  other  houses  stood  near. 
Around  these  ruins  were  the  storm-torn,  limbless  trunks  of  trees  which 
had'  once  formed  a  magnificent  grove  ;  now  they  stood  up  grim  and 
gaunt  like  specter  sentinels.  A  dreary,  desolate,  uncanny  place  it  was  ; 
but  in  every  way  suitable  for  a  "den,"  and  the  Klan  appropriated  it. 

When  a  meeting  was  held,  one  Lictor  was  stationed  at  the  house, 
the  other  fifty  yards  from  it  on  the  road  leading  into  town.  These 
were  dressed  in  the  fantastic  regalia  of  the  order  and  bore  tremen 
dous  spears  as  the  badge  of  their  office. 

As  before  stated,  and  for  the  reasons  assigned,  the  Ku  Klux  diet 
not  solicit  any  one  to  join  them;  yet  they  had  applications  for  mem 
bership.  While  members  were  not  allowed  to  disclose  the  fact  of  their 
membership,  they  were  allowed  to  talk  with  others  in  regard  to  any 
thing  that  was  a  matter  of  common  report  in  regard  to  the  order.  A 


THE  KU  KLUX  KLAN.  643 


member  might  express  to  an  outsider  his  desire  or  intention  to  join. 
If  the  person  addressed  expressed  a  similar  desire, -the  KuKlux  would 
then  say  to  him,  if  he  were  a  desirable  person :  "Well,  I  think  I  know 
how  to  get  in.  Meet  me  at  such  a  place,  on  such  a  night,  at  such  an 
hour,  and  we  will  join  together."  Usually,  curiosity  would  predomi 
nate  over  every  other  consideration,  and  the  candidate  would  be  found 
waiting  at  the  appointed  place. 

As  the  Klu  Klux  and  the  candidate  approached  the  sentinel  Lie- 
tor,  they  were  hailed  and  halted,  and  questioned.  Having  received 
the  assurance  that  they  desired  to  become  Klu  Klux,  the  Lictor  blew 
the  signal  for  his  companion  to  come  and  take  charge  of  the  novices. 
The  candidate,  under  the  impression  that  his  companion  was  similarly 
treated,  was  blindfolded  and  led  to  the  "den."  The  preliminaries  of 
the  initiation  consisted  in  leading  the  candidate  around  the  rooms  and 
down  into  the  cellar,  now  and  then  placing  before  him  obstructions, 
which  added  to  his  discomfort  if  not  to  his  mystification.  After  some 
rough  sport  of  this  description  he  was  led  before  the  Grand-  Cyclops, 
who  solemnly  addressed  to  him  numerous  questions — some  of  them 
grave  and  serious,  some  of  them  absurd  to  the  last  degree.  If  the  an 
swers  were  satisfactory,  the  obligation  to  secrecy,  which  had  already 
been  administered  in  the  beginning  of  the  ceremony,  was  now  exacted 
the  second  time.  Then  the  Grand  Cyclops  commanded :  "Place  him 
before  the  royal  altar  and  adorn  his  head  with  this  regal  crown." 

The  "royal  altar  was  a  large  looking  glass.  The  "regal  crown" 
was  a  huge  hat  bedecked  with  two  enormous  donkey  ears.  In  this 
head  gear  the  candidate  was  placed  before  a  mirror  and  directed  to 
repeat  the  couplet: 

"O  wad  some  power  the  giftie  gie  us 
To  see  oursel's  as  ithers  see  us." 

As  the  last  words  were  falling  from  his  lips  the  Grand'  Turk  re 
moved  the  bandage,  and  before  the  candidate  was  his  own  image  in 
the  mirror.  To  increase  the  discomfiture  and  chagrin  which  any 
man  in  such  a  situation  would  naturally  feel,  the  removal  of  the  ban 
dage  was  the  signal  to  the  Klan  for  indulgence  in  the  most  uproari 
ous  and  boisterous  mirth.  The  Grand  Cyclops  relaxed  the  rigor  of 
his  rule,  and  the  decorum  hitherto  maintained  disappeared,  while  the 
"den"  rang  with  shouts  and  peals  of  laughter.  And  worse  than  all,  as 
he  looked  about  him,  he  saw  that  he  was  surrounded  by  men  dressed 
in  hideous  garbs  and  masked  so  that  he  could  not  recognize  one  of 
them.  The  character  of  these  initiatory  proceedings  explains  why, 
from  the  very  first,  secrecy  was  so  much  insisted  on.  A  single  "tale 
out  of  school"  would  have  spoiled  the  fun,  for  the  same  reason,  the 
Klan  was  very  careful  in  regard  to  the  character 
of  the  men  admitted.  Rash  and  imprudent  men.  such 
as  could  not  be  fully  relied  upon  to  keep  their  obligation  to  profound 
secrecy,  were  excluded.  Nor  those  were  received  who  were  addicted  to 


644  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

the  use  of  intoxicants.  Later  on  in  the  history  they  were  not  so  care 
ful;  but  in  the  earlier  period  of  its  existence  the  Klan  was  composed 
of  men  of  good  character  and  good  habits.  In  some  instances  per 
sons  of  objectional  character  were  persistent,  even  to  annoyance,  in 
their  efforts  to  gain  admission  to  the  order.  Occasionally  this  per 
sistence  was  rebuked  in  a  manner  more  emphatic  than  tender.  For 
example,  one  young  man,  who  was  personally  very  unpopular,  made 
repeated  attempts  to  join  the  Ku  Klux.  They  arranged  to  have  an 
initiation  not  provided  for  in  the  ritual.  A  meeting  was  appointed  to 
be  held  on  the  top  of  the  hill  that  rises  by  a  gentle  slope  to  a  consider 
able  height,  on  the  northern  limits  of  the  town.  The  candidate,  in  the 
usual  way, — blindfold  excepted, — was  led  into  the  presence  of  the 
Grand  Cyclops.  This  dignitary  was  standing  on  a  stump.  The  tall 
hat,  the  flowing  robe,  and  the  elevated  position  made  him  appear  at 
least  ten  feet  tall.  He  addressed  to  the  candidate  a  few  unimportant 
and  absurd  questions,  and  then,  turning  to  the  Lictors,  said:  "Blind 
fold  him  and  proceed."  The  "procedure"  was  to  place  the  would-be 
Ku  Klux  in  an  empty  barrel,  provided  for  the  purpose,  and  to  send  him 
whirling  down  the  hill !  To  his  credit  be  it  said,  he  never  revealed 
the  secrets  of  the  Ku  Klux. 

These  details  have  an  important  bearing  on  the  subsequent  his 
tory  of  the  Ku  Klux.  They  show  that  the  originators  of  the  Klan 
were  not  meditating  treason  or  lawlessness  in  any  form.  Yet  the 
Klan's  later  history  grew  naturally  out  of  the  methods  and  measures 
which  characterized  this  period  of  it.  Its  projectors  did  not  expect  it 
to  spread ;  tn'ey  thought  it  would  "have  its  little  day  and  die."  It 
lived ;  more,  it  grew  to  vast  proportions. 

THE  SPREAD  OF  THE  KLAN     IF 

The  devices  for  attracting  attention  were  eminently  successful. 
During  the  months  of  July  and  August,  1866,  the  Klan  was  much 
talked  about  by  the  citizens  of  Pulaski.  Its  mysteriousness  was  the 
sensation  of  the  hour.  Every  i-  e  of  the  local  paper  contained  some 
notice  of  the  strange  order.  These  notices  were  copied  into  other  pa 
pers,  and  in  this  manner  the  way  was  prepared  for  the  rapid  growth 
and  spread  of  the  Klan,  which  soon  followed4. 

Six  weeks  or  less  from  the  date  of  the  organization,  the  sensa 
tion  in  Pulaski  was  waning.  Curiosity  in  regard  to  it  had  abated  to 
such  a  degree  that  the  Klan  would  have  certainly  fallen  to  pieces  but 
for  the  following  circumstances.  By  the  time  the  eligible  material  in 
the  town  had  been  used  up,  young  men  from  the  country,  whose  curi 
osity  had  been  inflamed  by  the  notices  in  the  papers,  began  to  come 
in  and  apply  for  admission  to  the  Klan.  Some  of  these  applications 
were  accepted.  In  a  little  while  the  members  so  admitted  asked  per 
mission  to  establish  "dens"  at  various  points  in  the  county.  No  pro 
vision  had  been  made  for  such  a  contingency,  but  the  permission  was 
granted;  had  it  not  been,  the  result  would,  in  all  probability,  have 
been  the  same. 

As  the  ritual  followed  by  th"  Pulaski  Klan  could  not  be  conven- 


THE  KU  KLUX  KLAN.  645 


iently  carried  out  in  the  country,  various  modifications  and  changes 
were  permitted.  But  the  strictest  injunctions  were  laid  on  these  new 
lodges,  or  "dens,"  in  regard  to  secrecy,  mystery,  and  the  character 
of  the  men  admitted.  The  growth  in  the  rural  districts  was  more  rapid 
than  it  had  been  in  the  town.  Applications  for  permission  to  estab 
lish  "dens"  multiplied  rapidly. 

The  news  that  the  Ku  Klux  were  spreading  to  the  country  ex 
cited  the  attention  of  the  country  people  as  the  existence  of  the  Klan 
in  town  had  not  done.  The  same  cause  rekindled  the  waning  interest 
of  the  town  people.  Every  issue  of  the  local  papers  in  the  "infected 
regions"  bristled  with  highly  mysterious  and  exciting  accounts  of  the 
doings  of  the  "fantastic  gentry." 

During  the  fall  and  winter  of  1866  the  growth  o>f  the  Klan  was 
rapid.  It  spread  over  a  wide  extent  of  territory.  Sometimes,  by  a 
sudden  leap,  it  appeared  in  localities  far  distant  from  any  existing 
"dens."  A  stranger  from  West  Tennessee,  Mississippi,  Alabama,  or 
Texas,  visiting  in  a  neighborhood  where  the  order  prevailed,  would 
be  initiated,  and  on  his  departure  carry  with  him  permission  to  estab 
lish  a  "den"  at  home.  In  fact,  it  was  done  often  without  such  per 
mission.  The  connecting  link  between  these  "dens"was  very  fragile. 
By  a  sort  of  tacit  agreement  the  Pulaski  Klan  was  regarded  as  the 
source  of  power  and  authority.  The  Grand  Cyclops  of  this  "den" 
was  virtually  the  ruler  of  the  order ;  but  as  he  had  no  method  of  com 
munication  with  subjects  or  subordinates,  and  no  way  in  which  to  en 
force  his  mandates,  his  authority  was  more  fancy  than  fact.  But  so 
far  there  had  appeared  no  need  for  rigid  rules  and  close  supervision. 
The  leading  spirits  of  the  Ku  Klux  were  still  contemplating  nothing 
more  serious  than  amusement.  They  enjoyed  the  baffled  curiosity 
and  wild  speculations  of  a  mystified  public  even  more  than  the  rude 
sport  afforded  by  the  ludicrous  initiations.  Such  is  the  account  of 
the  Ku  Klux  Klan  in  the  first  period  of  its  history,  from  June,  1866, 
to  April,  1867.  Yet  all  this  time  it  was  gradually  and  in  a  very  nat 
ural  way  taking  on  new  features  not  at  first  remotely  contemplated  by 
the  originators  of  the  order;  features  which  finally  transformed  the 
Ku  Klux  Klan  into  a  band  of  "Regulators." 

The  transformation  was  effected  by  the  combined  operation  of 
three  causes:  (i)  the  impression  made  by  the  order  upon  the  minds 
of  those  who  united1  with  it;  (2)  the  impression  produced  upon  the 
public  by  its  weird  and  mysterious  ways;  (3)  the  anomalous  and  pecu 
liar  condition  o>f  affairs  in  the  South  at  this  time. 

The  mystery  and  secrecy  with  which  the  Klan  veiled  itself  made 
a  singular  impression  on  the  minds  of  many  who  united  with  it.  The 
most  common  conclusion  reached  by  those  whose  attention  was  at 
tracted  to  the  Klan  was  that  it  contemplated  some  great  and  impor 
tant  mission ;  its  rapid  extension  was  regarded  as  confirmatory  of  this 
conclusion ;  and,  when  admitted  to  membership,  this  impression  was 
deepened  rather  than  dispelled-  by  what  they  saw  and  heard.  There 


646 


BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 


Hvas  not  a  word  in  the  ritual,  or  in  the  obligation,  or  in  any  part  of  the 
ceremony,  to  favor  it ;  but  the  impression  still  remained  that  this  mys- 
teriousness  and  secrecy,  the  high  sounding  titles  of  the  officers,  the 
grotesque  dress  of  the  members,  and  the  formidable  obligation  to  pro 
found  secrecy,  all  meant  more  than  mere  sport.  This  conviction  was 
ineradicable,  and  the  attitude  of  many  of  its  members  continued  to  be 


THE  FLAG  BEARER  OF  THE    INVISIBLE  EMPIRE. 


that  of  expecting  great  developments.    Each  had  his  own  speculations 
as  to  what  was  to  be  the  character  of  the  serious  work  which  the  Klan 


THE  KU  KLUX  KLAN.  647 


was  to  do.    It  was  an  unhealthy  and-  dangerous  state  of  mind ;  bad  re 
sults  very  naturally  followed  from  it. 

The  impression  made  on  the  public  was  the  second  cause  which 
contributed  to  the  transformation  of  the  Klans  into:  regulators.  When 
the  Klan  first  began  to  hold  its  meetings  in  the  dilapidated  house  on 
the  hill,  passers-by  were  frequent.  Most  of  them  passed  the  grim  and 
ghostly  sentinel  on  the  roadside  in  silence,  but  always  with  a  quick 
ened  step.  Occasionally  one  would  stop  and  ask :  "Who  are  you  ?" 
In  awful  sepulchral  tones,  the  invariable  answer  was :  "A  spirit  from 
the  other  world.  I  was  killed  at  Chickamauga."  Such  an  answer, 
especially  when  given  to  a  superstitious  negro,  was  extremely  terrify 
ing;  and-  if,  in  addition,  he  heard  the  uproarious  noises  issuing  from 
the  "den"  at  the  moment  of  a  candidate's  investiture  with  the  "regal 
crown,"  he  had  the  foundation  for  a  most  awe-inspiring  story.  There 
came  from  the  country  similar  stories.  The  belated  laborer,  passing 
after  nightfall  some  lonely  and  secluded  spot,  heard  horrible  noises 
and  saw  fearful  sights. 

These  stories  were  repeated  with  embellishments  as  the  imag 
ination  of  the  narrator  suggested,  till  the  feeling  of  the  negroes  and 
of  many  white  people  at  mention  of  the  Ku  Kltix  was  one  of  awe  and 
terror.  In  a  short  time  the  Lictor  of  the  Pulaski  "den"  reported  that 
travel  along  the  road  on  which  he  had'  his  post  had  almost  entirely 
stopped.  In  the  country  it  was  noticed  that  the  nocturnal  perambu 
lations  of  the  colored  population  diminished  or  entirely  ceased  where- 
ever  the  Ku  Klux  appeared.  In  this  way  the  Klan  gradually  real 
ized  that  the  most  powerful  devices  ever  constructed  for  controlling 
the  ignorant  and  superstitious  were  in  their  hands.  Even  the  most 
highly  cultured  were  not  able  wholly  to  resist  the  weird  and  peculiar 
feeling  which  pervaded'  the  whole  community.  Each  week  some  new 
incident  occurred  to  illustrate  the  amazing  power  of  the  Unknown  over 
the  minds  of  men  of  all  classes. 

Circumstances  made  it  evident  that  the  measures  and  methods 
employed  for  sport  might  be  effectually  used  to  subserve  the  public 
welfare — to  suppress  lawlessness  and  protect  property.  When  propo 
sitions  to  this  effect  began  to  be  urged,  there  were  many  who  hesita 
ted,  fearing  danger.  The  majority  regarded  such  fears  as  groundless. 
They  pointed  to  the  good-  results  which  had  already  been  produced, 
the  question  was  decided  without  any  formal  action.  The  very  force 
of  circumstance^  had  carried  the  Klan  away  from  its  original  pur 
pose ;  so  that  in  the  beginning  of  the  year.  1867  it  was  virtually,  though 
not  yet  professedly,  a  band  of  regulators,  honestly,  but  in  an  injudi 
cious  and  dangerous  way,  trying  to  protect  property  and  preserve 
peace  and  order. 

After  all,  the  most  powerful  agency  in  effecting  this  transforma 
tion — the  agency  which  supplied  the  conditions  under  which  the  two 
causes  just  mentioned  became  operative — was  the  peculiar  state  of  af 
fairs  existing  in  the  $puth  at  that  time,  As  every  one  knows  the 


648  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

•cKrion  of  things  was  wholly  anomalous ;  but  no  one  can  fully  appre 
ciate  the  circumstances  by  which  the  people  of  the  South  were  sur 
rounded,  or  pronounce  a  just  judgment  on  their  behavior,  except  from 
personal  observations.  On  this  account,  not  only  the  Ku  Klux,  but 
the  mass  of  the  Southern  people,  have  been  tried,  convicted,  and  con 
demned  at  the  bar  of  public  opinion,  and  have  been  denied  the  privilege 


SAID  TO  BE    SCOTT   DAVIS.  CLINT   ARM 
STRONG  AND  NEWTON    COFFIN,  OF 
LEWISBURG,  TENNESSEE. 

of  having  the  sentence  modified  by  mitigating  circumstances,  which 
in  justice  they  have  a  right  to  plead. 

At  that  time  the  throes  of  the  great  revolution  were  settling  down 
to  quiet.  The  almost  universal  disposition  of  the  better  class  of  the 
people  was  to  accept  the  arbitrament  which  the  sword  had4  accorded 
them.  On  this  point  there  was  practical  unanimity.  Those  who  bad- 
opportunity  to  do  so  engaged  at  once  in  agricultural,  professional,  or 
business  pursuits.  But  there  were  two  causes  of  vexation  and  exas 
peration  which  the  people  were  in  no  good  mood  to  bear.  One  of  these 
causes  related  to  that  class  of  men  who,  like  scum,  were  thrown  to  the 
surface  in  the  great  upheaval.  Most  of  them  had  played  traitor  to 
both  sides ;  on  that  account  they  were  despised.  Had  they  been  Union 
men  from  conviction,  that  would  have  been  forgiven  them.  But  they 
were  now  engaged  in  keeping  alive  discord  and  strife  between  the  sec 
tions,  as  the  only  means  of  preventing  themselves  from  sinking  back 


THE  KU  KLUX  KLAN.  649 


into  the  obscurity  from  which  they  had  been  upheaved.  They  were 
doing  this  in  a  way  not  only  malicious,  but  exceedingly  exasperating. 
The  second  disturbing  element  was  the  negroes.  Their  transition 
from  slavery  to  citizenship  was  sudden.  They  were  not  only  not  fit 
ted  for  the  cares  of  self-control  and  maintenance  so  suddenly  thrust 
upon  them,  but  they  entered  their  new  role  in  life  under  the  delusion 
that  freedom  meant  license.  They  regarded  themselves  as  freed  men, 
not  only  from  bondage  to  former  masters,  but  from  the  common  and 
ordinary  obligations  of  citizenship.  Many  of  them  looked  upon  obed 
ience  to  the  laws  of  the  State — which  had  been  framed  by  their  form 
er  owners — as  in  some  measure  a  compromise  of  the  rights  with  which 
they  had  been  invested. 

The  administration  of  civil  law  was  only  partly  reestablished. 
On  that  account,  ancl(  for  other  reasons  mentioned,  there  was  an 
amount  of  disorder  and  violence  prevailing  over  the  country  which 
had  never  been  equaled  at  any  period  of  its  history.  The  depredations 
on  property  by  theft,  and  by  wanton  destruction  for  the  gratification 
of  petty  revenge,  were  to  the  last  degree  annoying.  A  large  part  of 
-these  depredations  was  the  work  of  bad  white  men,  who  expected  that 
their  lawless  deeds  would  be  credited'  to  the  negroes. 

But  perhaps  the  most  potent  of  all  causes  in  this  transformation 
was  the  existence  in  the  South  of  a  spurious  and  perverted  form  of 
the  "Union  League."*  It  would  be  as  unfair  to  this  organization,  as 
it  existed  at  the  North,  to  charge  it  with  responsibility  for  the  out 
rages  committed  in  its  name,  as  it  is  to  charge  upon  the  Ku  Klux  Klan 
much  of  the  lawlessness  and  violence  with  which  it  is  credited.  But 
it  is  part  of  the  history  of  these  times  that  there  was  a  wide-spread 
organization  called  the  "Union  League.".  It  was  composed'  of  the  dis 
orderly  elements  of  the  negro  population,  and  was  led  by  the  white 
men  of  the  basest  and  meanest,  type.  They  met  frequently,  went 
armed  to  the  teeth,  and  literally  "breathed  out  threatening  and  slaugh 
ter.".  They  uttered  the  most  violent  threats  against  the  persons, 
families,  and  property  of  men  whose  sole  crime  was  that  they  had  been 
in  the  Confederate  army,  and  in  not  a  few  instances  these  threats  were 
executed.  It  was  partly  to  resist  this  organization  that  the  Ku  Klux 
were  transformed  into  a  protective  organization.  Whatever  may  be 
the  judgment  of  history,  those  who  were  acquainted  with  the  facts 
will  ever  remain  firm  in  the  conviction  that  the  organization  of  the 

*  What  is  meant  here  is  "The  Union  League  of  America,  a  politi 
cal  organization  having  connections  both  north  and  south,  and  entire 
ly  distinct  from  the  "Union  League  Club"  of  New  York  and  from  the 
club  of  the  same  name  in  Philadelphia.  Viewed  by  the  results  of  the 
Ku  Klux  conflict,  and  the  report  of  the  time,  what  is  here  said  of  the 
dangerous  character  of  the  "Union  League"  at  the  South  (except  as 
is  acted  in  self-defense)  must  be  taken,  we  think,  with  a  grain  of  al 
lowance. — EDITOR. 


650  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

Ku  Klux  Klan  was  of  immense  service  at  this  period.  Without  it  life 
to  decent  people  would  not  have  been  tolerable.  It  served  a  good  pur 
pose,  for  wherever  the  Ku  Klux  appeared  the  effect  was  salutary. 

It  was  a  dangerous  experiment,  this  transforming  of  the  Klan  in 
to  regulators;  on  the  whole  it  was  no  more  successful  than  other  ex 
periments  of  a  similar  character  have  been.  Yet,  as  we  have  said,  the 


"THE  GRAND  DRAGON  OF  THE  REALM." 

immediate  results  were  good,  and,  for  that  reason,  in  their  final  issue 
the  more  disastrous.  Permanent  good  was  also  effected;  but  whether 
enough  of  it  to  counterbalance  the  attending  evils,  is  doubtful. 

For  a  while  the  robberies  ceased.  The  lawless  class  assumed  the 
habits  of  good  behavior.  Under  their  fear  of  the  dreaded  Ku  Klux 
the  negroes  made  more  progress  in  a  few  months  in  the  needed  lessons 
of  self-control,  industry,  and  respect  for  the  rights  of  property  and 
general  good  behavior,  than  they  would-  have  done  in  as  many  years 
but  for  this  or  some  equally  powerful  impulse.  The  "Union  League" 
relaxed  its  desperate  severity  and  became  more  moderate.  But  events 
soon  occurred  which  showed  that  the  fears  of  those  who  apprehended 
danger  were  not  wholly  groundless,  and  it  became  evident  that  unless 
the  Klan  should  be  brought  under  better  control  than  its  leaders  at 
this  time  exercised,  it  would  cause  greater  evils  than  it  suppressed 

I  II. 

THE  TRANSFORMATION. 

UNTIL  the  beginning  of  1867  the  movements  of  the  Klan  had  been 
characterized  in  the  main  by  prudence  and  discretion,  but  there  were 
exceptions.  In  some  cases  there  had  been  a  liberal  construction  of 
orders.  The  limits  which  it  had  been  agreed  not  to  pass  had  been 
overstepped. 

Attempts  had  been  made  to  correct  by  positive  means  evils  which 
menaces  had  not  been  sufficient  to  remove.  Rash,  imprudent,  and  bad 
men  had  gotten  into  the  order.  The  danger  which  the  more  prudent 
and  thoughtful  had  apprehended  as  possible  was  now  a  reality.  Had 
it  been  possible  to  do  so,  the  leaders  would  have  been  willing  to  dis 
band  the  Klan.  That  could  not  be  done.  They  had  evoked  a  spirit 
from  the  "vasty  deep" ;  it  would  not  down  at  their  bidding.  The  only 


THE  KU  KLUX  KLAN.  651 


course  which  seemed  to  promise  a  satisfactory  solution  of  the  diffi 
culty  was  this :  To  reorganize  the  Klan  on  a  plan  corresponding  to 
its  size  and  present  purposes;  to  bind  the  isolated  "dens"  together;  to 
secure  unity  of  purpose  and  concert  of  action;  to  hedge  the  members 
up  by  such  limitations  and  regulations  as  were  best  adapted  to  restrain 
them  within  proper  limits ;  -to  distribute  the  authority  among  prudent 
men  at  local  centers,  and-  exact  from  them  a  close  supervision  of  those 
under  their  charge.  In  this  way  it  was  hoped  the  impending  dangers 
would  be  effectually  guarded  against. 

With  this  object  in  view  the  Grand  Cyclops  of  the  Pulaski  "den" 
sent  out  a  request  to  all  the  "dens"  of  which  he  had  knowledge  to  ap 
point  delegates  to  meet  in  convention  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  in  the  spring 
of  1867.  At  the  appointed  time  this  convention  was  held.  Delegates 
were  present  from  Tennessee,  Alabama,  and  a  number  of  other  States. 
A  plan  of  reorganization,  previously  prepared,  was  submitted  to  this 
convention  and  adopted.  After  the  transaction  of  some  further  busi 
ness,  the  convention  adjourned,  and  the  delegates  returned  home 
without  having  attracted  any  attention. 

At  this  convention  the  territory  covered  by  the  Klan  was  desig 
nated  as  "The  Invisible  Empire."  This  was  subdivided  into  "realms," 
coterminous  with  the  boundaries  of  States.  The  "realms"  were  di 
vided  into  "dominions,"  corresponding  to  congressional  districts ;  the 
"dominions"  into  "provinces,"  coterminous  with  counties;  and  the 
"provinces"  into  "dens." 

To  each  of  these  departments  officers  were  assigned.  Except  in 
the  case  of  the  supreme  officers,  the  duties  of  each  were  minutely 
specified.  These  officers  were  : 

The  Grand  Wizard  of  the  Invisible  Empire  and  his  ten  Genii. 
The  powers  of  this  officer  were  almost  autocratic. 

The  Grand  Dragon  of  the  Realm  and  his  eight  Hydras. 

The  Grand-  Titan  of  the  Dominion  and  his  six  Furies. 

The  Grand  Giant  of  the  Province  and  his  four  Goblins. 

The  Grand  Cyclops  of  the  Den  and  his  two  Night  Hawks. 

A  Grand  Monk. 

A  Grand  Scribe. 

A  Grand  Exchequer. 

A  Grand  Turk. 

A  Grand  Sentinel. 

One  of  the  most  important  things  done  by  this  Nashville  conven 
tion  was  to  make  a  positive  and  emphatic  statement  of  the  principles 
of  the  order.  It  was  in  the  following  terms : 

"We  recognize  our  relation  to  the  United  States  Government ;  the 
supremacy"  of  the  Constitution ;  the  constitutional  laws  thereof ;  and 
the  union  of  States  thereunder." 

If  these  men  were  plotting  treason,  it  puzzles  one  to  know  why 
they  should  make  such  a  statement  as  that  in  setting  forth  the  prin 
ciples  of  the  ord<er.  This  statement  was  not  intended  for  public  circu- 


652  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

lation.  It  is  now  given  to  the  public  for  the  first  time.  Every  man 
who  was  a  Ku  Klux  really  took  an  oath  to  support  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States. 

This  Nashville  convention  also  set  forth  the  peculiar  objects  of 
the  order,  as  follows: 

(i)  To  protect  the  weak,  the  innocent,  and  the  defenseless  from 
the  indignities,  wrongs,  and  outrages  of  the  lawless,  the  violent,  and 
the  brutal;  to  relieve  the  injured  and  the -oppressed;  to  succor  the  suf 
fering,  and  especially  the  widows  and  orphans  of  Confederate  soldiers. 
(2)  To  protect  and  defend  the  Constitution  of  the  United'  States,  and 
all  laws  passed  in  conformity  thereto,  and  to  protect  the  States  and 
people  thereof  from  all  invasion  from  any  source  whatever.  (3)  To 
aid  and  assist  in  the  execution  of  all  constitutional  laws,  and  to  pro 
tect  the  people  from  unlawful  seiz.ure,  and  from  trial  except  by  their 
peers  in  conformity  to  the  laws  of  the  land. 

This  outline  of  Klan  legislation  bears  internal  evidence  of  what 
we  know  from  other  sources  to  be  the  truth.  Those  who  were  attempt 
ing  to  direct  the  movements  of 'the  Klan  were  now  principally  con 
cerned  about  devising  such  measures  as  would  control  the  Klan  itself 
and- keep  it  within  what  they  conceived  to  be  safe  limits.  The  majority 
had  up  to  this  time  shown  a  fair  appreciation  of  the  responsibilities  of 
their  self-imposed:  task  of  preserving  social  order.  But  excesses  had 
been  committed,  and  it  was  foreseen  and  feared  that,  if  such  things 
continued  or  increased,  the  hostility  of  State  and  Federal  governments 
would  be  kindled  against  the  Klan,  and  active  measures  taken  to  sup 
press  it.  The  hope  was  entertained-  that  the  legislation  taken  by  the 
convention  and  the  reorganization  would  not  only  enable  the  Klan  to 
enact  its  role  as  regulators  with  greater  success,  but  would  keep  its 
members  within  the  prescribed  limits,  and  so  guard'  against  the  con 
tingencies  referred  to.  They  desired  on  the  one  hand  to  restrain  and 
control  their  own  members ;  on  the  other,  to  correct  evils  and  promote 
order  in  society;  and  to  do  the  latter  solely  by  utilizing  for  this  pur 
pose  the  means  and  methods  originally  employed  for  amusement. 
They  failed  in  both  directions.  How  and  why  will  be  told  presently. 

By  the  reorganization  no  material  change  was  made  in  the  meth 
ods  of"  the  Klan's  operations.  Some  of  the  old  methods  were  modi 
fied,  some  new  features  were  added.  The  essential  features  of  mys 
tery,  secrecy,  and  grotesqueness  were  retained,  and  steps  were  taken 
with  a  view  to  deepening  and  intensifying  the  impressions  already 
made  upon  the  public  mind.  They  attempted  to  push  to  the  extreme 
limits  of  illustration  the  power  of  the  mysterious  over  the  minds  of 
men.  Henceforth  they  courted  publicity  as  assiduously  as  they  had 
formerly  seemed  to  shun  it.  They  appeared  at  different  points  at  the 
same  time,  and  always  when  and  where  they  were  the  least  expected. 
Devices  were  multiplied  to  deceive  people  in  regard  to  their  numbers 
and  everything  else,  and  to  play  upon  the  fears  of  the  superstitious. 

As  it  was  now  the  policy  of  the  Klan  to  appear  in  public,  an  order 


THE  KU  KLUX  KLAN.  653 


was  issued  by  the  Grand  Dragon  of  the  Realm  of  Tennessee  to  the 
Grand  Giants  of  the  Provinces  for  a  general  parade,  in  the  capital 
town  of  each  province,  on  the  night  of  the  4th  of  July,  1867.  It  will 
be  sufficient  for  this  narative  to  describe  that  parade  as  witnessed  by 
the  citizens  of  Pulaski.  On  the  morning  of  that  day  the  citizens  found 
the  sidewalks  thickly  strewn  with  slips  of  paper  bearing  the  printed 
words:  "The  Ku  Klux  will  parade  the  streets  to-night."  This  an 
nouncement  created  great  excitement.  The  people  supposed  that  their 
curiosity,  so  long  baffled,  would  now  be  gratified.  They  were  confi 
dent  that  this  parade  would  at  least  afford  them  the  opportunity  of 
learning  who  belonged  to  the  Ku  Klux  Klan. 

Soon  after  nightfall  the  streets  were  lined  with  an  expectant  and 
excited  throng  of  people.  Many  came  from  the  surrounding  country. 
The  members  of  the  Klan  in  the  country  left  their  homes  in  the  after 
noon  and  traveled  alone  or  in  squads  of  two  or  three,  with  their  para 
phernalia  carefully  concealed.  If  questioned  they  answered  that  they 
were  going  to  Pulaski  to  see  the  Ku  Klux  parade.  After  nightfall 
they  assembled  at  designated  points  near  the  four  main  roads  leading 
into  the  town.  Here  they  donned  their  robes  and  disguises,  and  put 
covers  of  gaudy  materials  on  their  horses.  A  sky-rocket  sent  up 
from  some  point  in  the  town  was  the  signal  to  mount  and  move. 
The  different  companies  met  and  joined  each  other  on  the  public 
square  in  perfect  silence ;  the  discipline  appeared  to  be  admirable.  Not 
a  word  was  spoken.  Necessary  orders  were  given  by  means  of  the 
whistles.  In  single  file,  in  death-like  stillness,  with  funereal  slowness, 
they  marched  and  countermarched  throughout  the  town.  While  the 
column  was  headed  north  on  one  street  it  was  going  south  on  another. 
By  crossing  over  in  opposite  directions  the  lines  were  kept  up  in  al 
most  unbroken  continuity.  The  effect  was  to  create  the  impression 
of  vast  numbers.  This  marching  and  countermarching  was  kept  up 
for  almost  two  hours,  and  the  Klan  departed  as  noiselessly  as  they 
came.  The  public  were  more  than  ever  mystified.  The  efforts  of  the 
most  curious  to  find  out  who  were  Ku  Klux  failed.  One  gentleman 
from  the  country  was  confident  that  he  could  identify  the  riders  by 
the  horses.  But,  as  we  have  said,  the  horses  were  disguised  as  well  as 
the  riders.  Determined  not  to  be  baffled,  during  a  halt  of  the  column 
he  lifted  the  cover  of  a  horse  that  was  near  him,  and  recognized  his 
own  steed  and  saddle,  on  which  he  had  ridden  into  town.  The  town 
people  were  on  the  alert  to  see  who  of  the  young  men  of  the  town 
would  be  with  the  Ku  Klux.  All  of  them,  almost  without  exception, 
were  masked  mingling  freely  and  conspicuously  with  the  spectators. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  illusion  produced  was  in  regard  to  the  num 
bers  taking  part  in  the  parade.  Reputable  citizens  were  confident  that 
the  number  was  not  less  than  three  thousand.  Others,  whose  imagina 
tions  were  more  easily  wrought  upon,  were  quite  certain  there  were 
ten  thousand.  The  truth  is  that  the  number  of  Ku  Klux  in  the  parade 
did  not  exceed  four  hundred.  This  delusion  in  regard  to  numbers 


654  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

prevailed  wherever  the  Ku  Klux  appeared.  It  illustrates  how  little 
the  testimony  of  even  an  eye-witness  is  worth  in  regard  to  anything 
which  makes  a  deep  impression  on  him  by  reason  of  its  mysteriousness. 

The  Klan  had  a  large  membership ;  it  exerted  a  vast  and-  terrif  y- 
fying  power;  but  its  influence  was  never  at  any  time  dependent  on, 
or  proportioned  to,  its  membership.  It  was  in  the  mystery  in  which 
the  comparatively  few  enshrouded  themselves.  It  is  an  error  to  sup 
pose  that  the  entire  male  population  of  the  South  were  Ku  Klux,  or 
even  a  majority  of  the  people  were  privy  to  its  secrets  and  in  sympathy 
with  its  extremest  measures.  To  many  of  them,  perhaps  to  a  major 
ity,  the  Ku  Klux  Klan  was  as  vague,  impersonal,  and  mysterious  as  to 
the  people  of  the  North  or  of  England ;  they  did — do  to  this  day — at 
tribute  to  it  great  good. 

One  or  two  incidents  will  illustrate  the  methods  resorted-  to  to  play 
upon  the  superstitious  fears  of  the  negroes  and  others.  At  the  parade 
in  Pulaski,  while  the  procession  was  passing  a  corner  on  which  a  ne 
gro  man  was  standing,  a  tall  horseman  in  hideous  garb  turned  aside 
from  the  line,  dismounted,  and  stretched  out  his  bridle-rein  toward  the 
negro,  as  if  he  desired  him  to  hold  his  horse.  Not  daring  to  refuse,  the 
frightened  African  extended  his  hand-  to  grasp  the  rein.  As  he  did  so, 
the  Ku  Klux  took  his  own  head  from  his  shoulders  and  offered  to  place 
that  also  in  the  outstretched  hand.  The  negro  stood  not  upon  the  or 
der  of  his  going,  but  departed  with  a  yell  of  terror.  To  this  day  he 
will  tell  you :  "He  done  it,  suah,  boss.  I  seed  him  do  it."  The  gown 
was  fastened  by  a  drawstring  over  the  top  of  the  wearer's  head1.  Over 
this  was  worn  an  artificial  skull  made  of  a  large  gourd  or  of  paste 
board.  This,  with  the  hat,  could  be  readily  removed,  and  the  man 
would  then  appear  to  be  headless.  Such  tricks  gave  rise  to  the  belief — 
still  prevalent  among  the  negroes — that  the  Ku  Klux  could  take  them 
selves  all  to  pieces  whenever  they  wanted  to.  Some  of  the  Ku  Klux 
carried  skeleton  hands.  These  were  made  of  bone  or  wood,  with  a 
wrist  or  handle  long  enough  to  be  held  in  the  hand,  which  was  con 
cealed  by  the  sleeve  of  the  gown.  The  possessor  of  one  of  these  was 
invariably  of  a  friendly  turn,  and  offered  to  shake  hand's  with  all  he 
met,  with  what  effect  may  be  readily  imagined,  A  trick  of  frequent 
perpetration  in  the  country  was  for  a  horseman,  spectral  and  ghostly- 
looking,  to  stop  before  the  cabin  of  some  negro  needing  a  wholesome 
impression  and  call  for  a  bucket  of  water.  If  a  dipper  or  gourd  was 
brought  it  was  declined,  and  the  bucketful  of  water  demanded  As  if 
consumed  by  raging  thirst,  the  horseman  grasped  it  and  pressed  it  to 
his  lips.  He  held  it  there  till  every  drop  of  the  water  was  poured  into  a 
gum  or  oiled  sack  concealed  beneath  the  Ku  Klux  robe.  Then  the 
empty  bucket  was  returned  to  the  amazed  negro  with  the  remark: 
"That's  good.  It  is  the  first  drink  of  water  I  have  had  since  I  was 
killed  at  Shiloh."  Then  a  few  words  of  counsel  as  to  future  behavior 
made  an  impression  not  easily  forgotten  or  likely  to  be  disregarded. 


THE  KU  KLUX  KLAN.  655 


IV. 

THE  DECLINE. 

FOR  a  while  after  the  reorganization  of  the  Klan,  those  concerned 
for  its  welfare  and  right  conduct  congratulated  themselves  that  ail 
was  now  well.  Closer  organization  and  stricter  official  supervision 
had  a  restraining  influence  upon  the  members.  Many  things  seemed 
to  indicate  that  the  future  work  of  the  Klan  would  be  wholly  good. 
These  hopes  were  rudely  shattered.  Before  long  official  supervision 
grew  less  rigid,  or  was  less  regarded-.  The  membership  was  steadily 
increasing.  Among  those  who  were  added  were  bad  men  who  could 
not  be— at  least,  were  not — controlled.  In  the  winter  and  spring  of 
1867  and  '68  many  things  were  done  by  members  or  professed  mem 
bers  of  the  Klan  which  were  the  subject  of  universal  regret  and  con 
demnation.  In  many  ways  the  grave  censure  of  those  who  had  hither 
to  been  its  friends  was  evoked  against  the  Klan,  and  occasion  was 
given  its  enemies  to  petition  for  the  intervention  of  the  Government 
to  suppress  it.  This  was  d*one.  The  end  came  rapidly.  We  must  now 
trace  the  causes  which  wrought  the  decay  and  downfall  of  the  "In 
visible  Empire." 

Men  of  the  character  of  the  majority  of  those  who  composed  this 
Klan  do  not  disregard  their  own  professed  principles  and  violate  self- 
assumed  obligations  carelessly.  To  see  men  who  were  just  now  the 
advocates  of  law  and  order  defying  the  one  and  destroying  the  other 
is  a  sight  singular  enough  to  elicit  inquiry  as  to  the  causes  that 
wrought  the  change.  The  transformation  of  the  Ku  Klux  Klan  from 
a  band  of  regulators,  honestly,  but  in  a  mistaken  way,  trying  to  pre 
serve  peace  and  order,  into  the  body  of  desperate  men  who  in  1869 
convulsed  the  country  by  deeds  of  violence,  and  set  at  defiance  the 
mandates  of  both  State  and  Federal  governments,  is  greater  than  the 
transformation  which  we  have  already  traced.  In  both  cases  there 
were  causes  adequate  to  the  results  produced ;  causes  from  which  these 
results  followed  naturally  and  almost  necessarily,  and  which  have 
never  been  fully  and  fairly  followed'  out.  They  may  be  classed  under 
three  heads:  (i)  unjust  charges;  (2)  misapprehension  of  the  nature 
and  objects  of  the  order  by  those  not  members  of  it;  (3)  unwise  and 
over-severe  legislation.  As  has  already  been  pointed  out,  the  order 
contained  within  itself,  by  reason  of  its  purpose  and  methods,  sources 
of  weakness.  The  devices  by  which  the  Klan  deceived  outsiders  en 
abled  all  who  were  so  disposed,  even  its  own  members,  to  practice  de 
ception  upon  the  Klan  itself.  It  placed  in  the  hands  of  its  members 
facilities  for  doing  deeds  of  violence  for  the  gratification  of  innate 
deviltry  or  personal  enmity,  and  for  having  them  credited  to  the  Klan. 
To  evilly  disposed  men  membership  in  the  Klan  was  an  inducement 
to  wrong-doing;  in  fact,  it  presented  to  all  men  a  dangerous  tempta 
tion.  In  cerain  contingencies,  at  any  time  likely  to  arise,  it  required-  a 
considerable  amount  of  moral  robustness  to  withstand  this  temptation 
Many  did  not  withstand  it,  and  deeds  of  violence  were  done  by  men 


656  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

who  were  Ku  Klux,  but  who  at  the  time  were  acting  under  cover  of 
their  connection  with  the  Klan,  but  not  under  its  order;  and,  because 
these  men  were  Ku  Klux,  the  Klan  had  to  bear  the  odium  of  their 
misdeeds. 

In  addition  to  this,  the  very  class  which  the  Klan  proposed  to  hold 
in  check  and  awe  into  good  behavior,  after  a  while  became  wholly  un 
manageable.  Those  who  had  formerly  committed  depredations  to  be 
laid  to  the  charge  of  the  poor  negroes  now  assumed  the  guise  of  Ku 
Klux,  and  returned  to  their  old  ways  with  renewed  ardor.  In  some 
cases  even  the  negroes  played  Ku  Klux.  Outrages  were  committed  by 
masked  men  in  regions  far  remote  from  any  Ku  Klux  organization. 
The  fact  that  these  persons  took  pains  to  'declare  that  they  were  Ku 
Klux  was  evidence  that  they  were  not.  In  this  way  it  came  about  that 
all  the  disorder  prevailing  in  the  country  was  charged  upon  the  Ku 
Klux.  The  Klan  had  no  way  in  which  to  refute  or  disprove  the  charge. 
They  felt  that  it  was  hard  to  be  charged  with  violence  of  which  they 
were  innocent.  At  the  same  time  they  felt  that  it  was  natural  and  not 
wholly  unjust  that  this  should  be  the  case.  They  had  assumed  the 
office  of  regulators.  It  was  therefore  due  society,  due  the  Government, 
which  so  far  had  not  molested  them,  that  they  should  at  least  not 
afford'  the  lawless  class  facilities  for  the  commission  of  excesses  great 
er  than  any  they  had  hitherto  indulged  in;  and,  above  all,  that  they 
should  restrain  their  own  members  from  lawlessness.  The  Klan  felt  all 
this;  and  in  its  efforts  to  relieve  itself  of  the  stigma  thus  incurred,  it 
acted  in  some  cases  against  the  offending  parties  with  a  severity  well 
merited  no  doubt,  but  unjustifiable.  As  is  •  frequently  the  case,  they 
were  carried  beyond  the  limits  of  prudence  and  right  by  a  hot  zeal  for 
self-vindication  against  unjust  aspersions.  They  thought  the  charge  of 
wrong  was  unfairly  brought  against  them.  They  did  worse  wrong 
than  that  charged'  to  clear  themselves  of  the  charge. 

The  Klan,  from  the  first,  shrouded  itself  in  deepest  mystery,  and 
out  of  this  grew  trouble  not  at  first  apprehended.  They  wished  peo 
ple  not  to  understand;  they  tried  to  keep  them  profoundly  ignorant. 
The  result  was  that  the  Klan  and  its  objects  were  wholly  misunder 
stood  and  misinterpreted.  Many  who  joined  the  Klan,  and  many  who 
did  not,  were  certain  that  it  contemplated  some  mission  far  more  im 
portant  than  its  overt  acts  gave  evidence  of.  Some  were  sure  it  meant 
treason  and  revolution.  The  negroes  and  the  whites  whose  consciences 
made  them  the  subjects  of  guilty  fears,  were  sure  it  boded  no  good  to 
them.  When  the  first  impressions  of  awe  and  terror  to  some  extent 
,wore  o<ff,  a  feeling  of  intense  hostility 'toward  the  Ku  Klux  followed. 
This  feeling  was  all  the  more  bitter  because  founded,  not  on  overt  acts 
which  the  Ku  Klux  had  done,  but  on  vague  fears  and  surmises  as  to 
what  they  intended  to  do.  Those  who  entertained'  such  fears  were  in 
some  cases  impelled  by  them  to  become  the  aggressors.  They  attacked 
the  Ku  Klux  before  receiving  from  them  any  provocation.  The  ne 
groes  formed  organizations  of  a  military  character,;,  and  drilled  by 


THE  KU  KLUX  KLAN.  657 


night.  These  organizations  had  for  their  avowed  purpose,  to  make 
war  upon  and  exterminate  the  Ku  Klux."  On  several  occasions  the 
Klan  was  fired  into.  The  effect  of  such  attacks  was  to  provoke  coun 
ter  hostility  from  the  Klan ;  and  so  there  was  irritation  and  counter  ir 
ritation,  till  the  state  of  things  became  little  short  of  open  warfare. 
In  some  respects  it  was  worse;  the  parties  wholly  misunderstood  each 
other.  Each  party  felt  that  its  cause  was  the  just  one;  each  justified 
the  deed  by  the  provocation. 

The  Ku  Klux,  intending  wrong,  as  they  believed,  to  no  one,  were 
aggrieved  that  acts  which  they  had  not  done  should  be  charged  to 
them ;  and  they  felt  outraged  that  they  should  be  molested  and  assault 
ed.  The  other  party,  satisfied  that  they  were  acting  in  self-defense, 
felt  fully  justified  in  assaulting  them.  And  so  each  party  goaded  the 
other  from  one  degree  of  lawiessnes  to  another. 

The  following  extract  from  a  General  Order  of  the  Grand  Dra 
gon  of  the  Realm  of  Tennessee  will  illustrate  the  operation  of  both  of 
these  causes.  It  was  issued  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1868.  It  shows  what 
were  the  principles  and  objects  which  the  Klan  still  professed,  and  it 
also  shows  how  it  was  being  forced  away  from  them: 

"  HE  AD-QUARTERS  REALM  No.  V 
"DREADFUL  ERA,  BLACK  EPOCH,  DREADFUL  HOUR. 
"GENERAL  ORDER  No.  i. 

"Whereas,  information  of  an  authentic  character  has  reached 
these  head-quarters  that  the  blacks  in  the  counties  of  Marshall,  Maury, 
Giles,  and  Lawrence  are  organized  into  military  companies,  with  the 
avowed  determination  to  make  war  upon  and  exterminate  the  Ku  Klux 
Klan,  said  blacks  are  hereby  solemnly  warned  and  ordered  to  desist 
from  further  action  in  such  organizations,  if  they  exist. 

"The  G.  D.  (Grand  Dragon)  regrets  the  necessity  of  such  an  or 
der.  But  this  Klan  shall  not  be  outraged  and  interfered  with  by  law 
less  negroes  and  meaner  white  men,  who  do  not  and  never  have  un 
derstood  our  purpose. 

"In  the  first  place  this  Klan  is  not  an  institution  of  violence,  law 
lessness,  and  cruelty;  it  is  not  lawless;  it  is  not  aggressive;  it  is  not 
military ;  it  is  not  revolutionary. 

"It  is  essentially,  originally,  and  inherently  a  protective  organiza 
tion;  it  purposes  to  execute  law  instead  of  resisting  it,  and  to  protect 
all  good  men,  wThether  white  or  black,  from  the  outrages  and  atroci 
ties  of  bad  men  of  both  colors,  who  have  been  for  the  past  three  years 
a  terror  to  society,  and  an  injury  to  us  all. 

"The  blacks  seem  to  be  impressed  with  the  belief  that  this  Klan 
is  especially  their  enemy.  We  are  not  the  enemy  of  the  blacks,  as  long 
as  they  behave  themselves,  make  no  threats  upon  us,  and  do  not  attack 
or  interfere  with  us. 

"But  if  they  make  war  upon  us,  they  must  abide  the  awful  retri 
butions  that  will  follow. 

"This  Klan,  while  in  its  peaceful  movements  and  disturbing  no 


658  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE". 

one,  has  been  fired  into  three  times.  This  will  not  be  endured  any 
longer ;  and  if  it  occurs  again,  and  the  parties  be  discovered,  a  remorse 
less  vengeance  will  be  wreaked  upon  them. 

"We  reiterate  that  we  are  for  peace  and  law  and  order.  No  man, 
white  or  black,  shall  be  molested  for  his  political  sentiments.  This 
Klan  is  not  a  political  party;  it  is  not  a  military  party;  it  is  a  protec 
tive  organization,  and-  will  never  use  violence  except  in  resisting 
violence. 

"Outrages  have  been  perpetrated  by  irresponsible  parties  in  the 
name  of  this  Klan.  Should  such  parties  be  apprehended,  they  will  be 
dealt  with  in  a  manner  to  insure  us  future  exemption  from  such  im 
position.  These  impostors  have,  in  some  instances,  whipped  negroes. 
This  is  wrong !  Wrong !  It  is  denounced  by  this  Klan  as  it  must  be 
by  all  good  and  humane  men. 

"The  Klan  now,  as  in  the  past,  is  prohibited  from  doing  such 
things.  We  are  striving  to  protect  all  good,  peaceful,  well-disposed, 
and  law-abiding  men,  whether  white  or  black. 

"The  G.  D.  deems  this  order  due  to  the  public,  due  to  the  Klan, 
and  due  to  those  who  are  misguided  and  misinformed. 

"We  therefore  request  that  all  newspapers  who  are  friendly  to 
law,  and  peace,  and  the  public  welfare,  will  publish  the  same. 

"By  order  of  the  G.  D.,  Realm  No.  I. 

"By  the  Grand  Scribe." 

Granting  that  this  order  expressed  the  principles  which  the  Klan 
was  honestly  trying  to  maintain,  it  also  illustrates  how  it  was  driven 
to  violate  them  by  the  very  earnestness  and  vehemence  with  which 
theyattempted  to  maintain  them.  If  it  is  asked  why,  under  these  cir 
cumstances,  the  Klan  did  not  disband  and  close  its  operations,  the  an 
swer  is  plain.  The  members  persuaded  themselves  that  there  was  now 
more  reason  than  ever  for  the  Klan's  existence.  They  felt  that  they 
ought  not  abandon  their  important  and  needful  work  because  they  en 
countered  unforeseen  difficulties  in  accomplishing  it.  It  is  an  illus 
tration  of  the  fatuity  which  sometimes  marks  the  lives  of  men,  that  they 
did  not  perceive  that  these  evils  grew  out  of  their  own  methods,  and 
must  continue  and-  increase  while  the  Klan  existed.  Men  are  not  al 
ways  wise.  They  frequently  persist  in  a  course  which,  to  others  dif 
ferently  situated,  appears  not  less  absurd  than  wicked.  We  cannot 
apologize  for  their  course.  We  cannot  excuse  it.  But  justice  requires 
that  a  fair  and  truthful  statement  be  made  of  the  embarrassments  and 
temptations  which  surrounded  them. 

Matters  grew  worse  and  worse,  till  it  was  imperatively  necessary 
for  the  State  authorities  to  interfere.  There  was  a  general  feeling 
that  legislation  on  this  subject  was  necessary.  But  few  were  pre 
pared  to  expect  such  legislation  as  that  enacted  by  the  famous — or  in 
famous,  as  the  reader  chooses — Legislature  called  together  by  Gover 
nor  Brownlow  in  September,  1868. 

Tennessee  was  the  first  State  to  pass  an  anti-Ku  Klux  statute.   In 


THE  KTJ  KLUX  KLAN.  659 


September,  1868,  Governor  Brownlow  called  the  Legislature  together 
in  extra  session  to  devise  measures  for  the  suppression  of  the  order. 
A  relentless  and  bloody  statute  was  passed ;  and  to  enforce  it  the  Gov 
ernor  was  authorized,  if  he  deemed  it  necessary,  to  declare  martial  law 
on  the  infected  counties  and  to  call  out  troops.  The  law  passed,  and 
the  method  of  enforcing  it  increased  rather  than  quieted  disorder. 
The  statute  is  long,  and,  as  a  whole,  not  worth  quoting.  Its  leading 
provisions  were  the  following: 

(i)  For  association  or  connection  with  the  Ku  Klux  a  fine  of 
five  hundred  dollars  and  imprisonment  in  the  penitentiary  not  less  than 
five  years;  and  "shall  be  rendered  infamous." .  (2)  Persons  im 
paneled  for  jury  service  were  required  to  answer  under  oath  whether 
they  were  obnoxious  to  the  first  section  of  the  act.  (3)  Prosecuting 
Attorneys  and  grand  jurors  were  directed  to  summon  persons  whom 
they  suspected  "or  had  cause  to  suspect,"  and  to  force  them  to  testify 
what  they  knew  of  the  Ku  Klux.  If  those  so  summoned  failed  to  ap 
pear  or  refused  to  testify,  the  penalty  was  a  fine  of  five  hundred  dol 
lars.  (4)  Every  "inhabitant"  of  the  State  was  constituted  an  offi 
cer  extraordinary,  with  power  "to  arrest  without  process"  any  one 
known  or  suspected  to  be  a  Ku  Klux.  (5)  To  feed,  lodge,  entertain, 
or  conceal  a  Ku  Klux  exposed  the  offender  to  infamy,  a  fine  of  five 
hundred  dollars,  and  imprisonment  for  five  years.  (6)  It  was  made 
unlawful  to  publish  any  order  emanating  from  the  Klan.  (7)  There 
was  but  one  clause  in  the  law  which  bears  the  semblance  of  mercy. 
Its  provisions  are  so  odious  as  to  be  shocking.  The  one  way  by  which 
a  man  could  relieve  himself  of  liability  to  this  law  was  by  turning  in 
former.  As  additional  inducements  to  do  this  a  reward  of  half  the  fine 
was  offered.  (8)  But  most  remarkable  of  all,  the  statute  was  made 
penal  against  offenses  committed  previous  to  its  passage.  The  last 
section  of  it  reads:  "Nothing  herein  contained  shall  be  so  construed 
as  to  prevent  or  to  exempt  any  person  heretofore  guilty  of  any  of  the 
offenses  herein  contained  from  prosecutions  under  the  law  as  it  now 
stands. 

There  were  hundreds  of  men  in  the  Klan  who  were  not  law-break 
ers.  There  had  been  no  law  against  association  with  the  Ku  Klux. 
They  had  had  no  personal  participation  in  the  'excesses  in  which  some 
of  the  Klan  had  indulged.  They  were  ready  to  admit  that  the  move 
ment  had  proven  to  be  injudicious.  Good  had  been  done,  but  harm  had 
followed.  They  would  cheerfully  have  obeyed  a  legal  command  to 
sever  their  connection  with  the  Ku  Klux  and  desist  from  further  oper 
ations.  But  when  these  men  were  declared  infamous,  made  liable  to 
fine  and  imprisonment,  and  exposed  to  arrest  "without  process"  by  any 
one  who  chose  to  inform  against  them,  the  effect  was  to  drive  them 
to  absolute  desperation. 

In  some  sections  of  the  State  a  reign  of  terror  followed  the  pas 
sage  of  this  act.  The  Ku  Klux  were  now  almost  in  the  attitude  of 
men  fighting  for  life  and  liberty.  There  was  no  hope  in  submission 


660  BATTLES  AND  SKETCHES  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

except  on  terms  which  to  men  of  honor  were  more  hateful  than  death, 
death. 

V. 

DISBANDMENT. 

ON  the  2Oth  of  February,  1869,  Governor  Brownlow  resigned  his 
position  as  Governor  to  take  the  seat  in  the  United  States  Senate  to 
which  he  had1  been  elected.  The  last  paper  to  which  he  affixed  his 
signature  as  Governor  of  Tennessee  proclaimed  martial  law  in  certain 
counties,  and  ordered  troops  to  be  sent  thither.  This  proclamation  was 
dated  February  20,  1869.  In  a  few  davs  it  was  followed-  by  a  procla 
mation  from  the  "Grand  Wizard  of  the  Invisible  Empire"  to  his  sub 
jects.  It  recited  the  legislation  directed  against  the  Klan,  and  stated 
that  the  order  had  now  in  lairge  measure  accomplished  the  objects  of 
its  existence.  At  a  time  when  the  civil  law  afforded  inadequate  pro 
tection  to  life  and  property,  when  robbery  and  lawlessness  of  every 
description  were  unrebuked,  when  all  the  better  elements  of  society 
were  in  constant  dread  for  the  safety  of  their  property,  persons,  and 
families,  the  Klan  had  afforded  protection  and  security  to  many  fire 
sides,  and  in  many  ways  contributed  to  the  public  welfare.  But,  great 
ly  to  the  regret  of  all  good  citizens,  he  further  said,  some  members  of 
the  Klan  had  violated  positive  orders ;  others,  under  the  name  and  dis 
guises  of  the  organization,  had  assumed  to  do  acts  of  violence,  for 
which  the  Klan  was  held  responsible.  The  Grand  Wizard  had  been 
invested  with  the  power  to  determine  questions  of  paramount  impor 
tance  to  the  interests  of  the  order.  Therefore,  in  the  exercise  of  that 
power,  the  Grand  Wizard  declared  that  the  organization  heretofore 
known  as  the  Ku  Klux  Klan  was  dissolved  and  disbanded. 

Members  were  directed'  to  burn  or  destroy  all  regalia  and  para 
phernalia  of  every  description,  and  to  desist  from  any  further  assem 
blies  or  acts  as  Ku  Klux.  Thev  were  told  further,  that  they  would 
continue  in  the  future,  as  heretofore,  to  assist  all  good  people  of  the 
land  in  maintaining  and  upholding  the  civil  laws,  and  in  putting  down 
lawlessness. 

This  proclamation  was  directed  to  all  Realms,  Dominions,  Prov 
inces,  and  dens  in  "the  Empire."  It  may  be  that  there  were  portions 
of  the  Empire  never  reached  by  it.  The  Grand  Wizard  was  a  citizen 
of  Tennessee;  and  as  no  paper  in  that  State  could  publish  the  order, 
because  of  the  stringent  laws  against  such  publication,  there  was  no 
way  in  which  the  proclamation  could  be  fully  distributed.  Where 
it  was  promulgated,  obedience  to  it  was  prompt  and  implicit. 

But  whether  obeyed  or  not,  this  proclamation  terminated  the 
Klan's  organized  existence  as  decisively  as  General  Lee's  last  general 
order,  on  the  morning  of  the  loth  of  April,  1865,  disbanded-  the  army 
of  Northern  Virginia.  When  the  office  of  Grand  Wizard  was  created 
and  its  duties  defined,  it  was  explicitly  provided  that  he  should  have 
"thepower  to  determine  questions  of  paramount  importance,  and  his 
decision  shall  be  final."  To  continue  the  organization  or  to  disband 


THE  KU  KLUX  KLAN.  661 


it  was  such  a  question.  He  decided  in  favor  of  disbanding.  There 
fore,  the  Ku  Klux  Klan  had  no  organized  existence  after  March,  1869. 

The  report  of  the  Congressional  Investigating  Committee  con 
tains  a  mass  of  very  disreputable  history,  which  belongs  to  a  later 
date,  and  is  attributed  to  the  Klan,  but  not  justly  so.  These  persons 
were  acting  in  the  name  of  the  Klan  and  under  its  disguises,  but  not 
by  its  authority.  They  were  acting  on  their  own  responsibility. 

Thus  lived,  so  died,  this  strange  order.  Its  birth  was  an  accident ; 
its  growth  was  a  comedy,  its  death  a  tragedy.  It  owed  its  existence 
wholly  to  the  anomalous  condition  of  social  and  civil  affairs  in  the 
South  during  the  years  immediately  succeeding  the  unfortunate  con 
test  in  which  so  many  brave  men  in  blue  and  gray  fell,  martyrs  to  their 
convictions.  There  never  was,  before  or  since,  a  period  of  our  his 
tory  when  such  an  order  could  have  lived.  May  there  never  be  again ! 

D.  L.  WILSON. 


LOUISVILLE  REUNION,  1905. 


(Paraphrase  on  Auld  vLang  Syne). 

Can  Southern  hist'ry  be  foro-ot, 

And  never  brought  to  mind, 

Can  we  live  o'er  times  like  '61, 

And  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 
Chorus. 

And  clays  of  Auld  Lang  Syne? 

And  days  of  Auld  Lang-  Syne? 

Can  we  live  o'er  times  like  '61, 

And  the  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne? 

Our  women  said  with  smiling-  tears, 

And  if  you'd  win  the  fair, 
Go  to  the  field,  where  honor  calls, 

And  win  your  sweethearts,  there. 

Chorus. 

And  win  your  sweethearts  there, 
And  win  your  sweethearts  there. 
Go  to  the  field  where  honor  calls 
And  win  your  sweethearts  there. 

With  Lee  on  land  and  Semmes  on  sea, 
And  Davis  in  the  rear, 
And  Southern  pride  and  chivalry, 
Our  squadrons  did  appear. 

Chorus. 

Our  squadrons  did  appear, 
Our  squadrons  did  appear, 


662  AULD  LANG  SYNE. 


With  Southern  pride  and  chivalry. 
Our  squadrons  did  appear. 

The  battle  raged,  and  blood  was  shed, 
Until  our  ranks  were  thin. 

Four  years  we  fought  'gainst  fearful  odds, 
Till  numbers  drove  us  in. 
Chorus. 

Till  numbers  drove  us  in, 

Till  numbers  drove  us  in. 

Four  years  we  fought  'gainst  fearful  odds, 

Till  numbers  drove  us  in. 

Our  flag  went  down,  but  glory  crowned. 

Impressed  on  every  mind, 
Our  Southern  boys,  won  "matchless  joys, 

In  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

Chorus. 

In  da}Ts  of  Auld  Lang  Syne, 
In  da}rs  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 
Our  southern  boys,  won  matchless  303^8, 
In  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

And  now  the  mem'ry  of  those  days, 
Oar  meetings  bring  to  mind. 
We  grasp  your  hand  in  hearty  cheer, 

For  the  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

Chorus. 

For  the  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne, 
For  the  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 
We  grasp  }Tour  hand  in  hearty  cheer, 
For  the  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 


INDEX. 


Abercrombie,  Lt.  Wiley,  405. 
Abernathy,  A.  H.,  67. 
Adaire,  Maj.,  44. 
Adair,  Col.,  401. 
Adams,  Col.  Samuel,  249. 
Adams,  Col.,  80,  223,  383. 
Adams,  Gen.  John,  410,  416,  427. 
Adams,  Mrs   Georgia  Me  D.,  420. 
Agee,  Lt.,  405. 
Aikin,  Maj.,  177. 
Alexander,  Capt.  J.  H.,  190. 
Alexander,  Lt.  405. 
Allen,  Gen.,  163. 
Allen,  Capt.  Jack,  119 
Allen,  Maj.  F.  F.  P.,  173. 
Allen,  Joseph  W.,  280. 
Allison,  Col.,  454. 
Allison,  Miss  Becky,  412. 
Alvord   Capt.  Thomas,  405. 
Anderson,  Gen.,  163,  199,  331 
Anderson,  Capt.  Bill,  486. 
Anderson,  D.  D.,  603. 
Anderson,  Col.  John  H.,  605. 
Anderson,  Lt.  H.  Y.,  405. 
Anderson,  Gen.  Patton,  290,  455. 
Anderson,  Richard,  503. 
Anderson,    Maj.    Charles  W.,  173, 

602, 

Anderson,  Dr.,  197. 
Anderson,  Col.  Paul,  177,  504,  606. 
Anderson,  Col.  Archer,  465. 
Anderson,  Mr.  Adna,  65. 
Anderson,  Gen    R.  H.,  473. 
Anderson,  P.  F.,  109. 
Andre,  Col,  403. 
Andrews,  Col.  J.  A.,  401,  405. 
Armfield,  Mrs.,  115. 
Armfield,  Capt.  John,  113. 
Armstrong,  Gen.  F.  C.,  402,  606. 
Armstrong,  Gen.,  442. 
Armstrong,  Col.,  364. 
Armstrong,  Capt.,  263. 
Armstrong,  Clint,  648. 
Armstrong,  Lt.  M.  W.,  406. 
Arnold,  Capt.  Edwin,  107. 
Ashby,  Col.  H.  M.,  607. 
Ashford,  Maj.  F.  A.,  249. 
Ashton,  Lt.  Joseph,  243. 
Atherton,  Peter,  75. 
Audenried,  Capt.  J.  C.,  392. 
Augustin,  Maj.  Numa,  92. 
Austin,  Maj.,  308. 
Avritt,  Capt.  John  A.,  307. 
Bailey,  Col.  James  E.,  67,  468. 
Baird,  Gen.,  390. 
Baird,  Col.  J.  P.,  189,  218. 
Baker,  Gen.,  307. 
Baker,  Col.  Edward  Adams,  417. 
Baker,  Capt.,  298,  303. 
Baldwin,  W.  E.,  67. 


518, 
596. 


Baldwin,  Col.,  54. 

Baldwin,  Gen.,  221,  340. 

Banks,  Lt.,  177. 

Bannerman,  Lt.  G.  H.,  404. 

Barbour,  Maj.,  62. 

Barkette,  G.  H.,  539. 

Barnes,  Lt.  J.  W.,  263. 

Barrow,  Col.,  19. 

Barry,  Gen.  W.  F.,  392. 

Baskette,  Hon.  G.  H.,  279. 

Bate,  Lt.  Aaron  S. ,  186. 

Bate,  Lt.  James  H.,  186. 

Bates,  Capt.,  405. 

Bate,  Gen.,  182,  209,  220,  256,  291,  343, 

333,  325,  313,  410,  413,  432, 

439,  453,  602. 
Battle,  Col..  34. 
Battle,  Joel  A.  Jr.,  37. 
Baxter,  Capt.  Edmund  D.,  606. 
Baylor,  Lt.  George,  92. 
Baylor,  Capt.  T.  G.,  392. 
Beard,  Capt.  Richard,  584. 
Beasley,  Wm.,  487. 
Beatty,  Tinker  Dave,  486,  522,  525. 
Beauregard,  Gen.  G.  T.,  82,  85,  42,  78, 
105,    515,   540. 

Beaumont,  Col.  Thomas,  W.,  610. 
Beckwith,  Col.  A.,  392. 
Bedichek,  J.  M.,  498. 
Bedichek,  F.  A.,  498. 
Bedichek,  Miss  Alary,  498. 
Bell,  John,  482. 
Bell,  George,  273. 
Bellinger,  Lt.,  311. 
Beltzhoover,  Capt.,  17. 
Benham,  Calhoun,  92,  247. 
Benjamin,  Hon.  J.  P.,  69. 
Bennett,  Col.  J    D  ,  143. 
Bennett,  Capt.  R.  A.,  128. 
Berry,  Col.  F.  S.,  404. 
Biffle,  Col.  Jacob  B.,  606,  178,  171. 
Bingham,  Lt.  John  H.,  241. 
Black,  Maj.,  333. 
Blair,  Gen.,  373. 
Blake.  Gen.,  22. 
Blakemore,  Lt.,  302. 
Blanchard,  Lt.  Thomas  E.,  186. 
Bland,  W    H.,  173.  ' 
Bledsoe,  Capt.,  34. 
Boggs,  Col.  W.  R.,  132. 
Bohon,  W.  J.,  600. 
Bonner,  Col.  John,  477. 
Bostick,  Capt.  Joseph,  611. 
Bowen,  John  W.,  549. 
Bowen,  Gen. ,  80,  85,  92. 
Bowman,  John,  504. 
Boyce,  Lt.  Joseph,  405. 
Boyle,  Gen.  J.  T  ,  120. 
Boynton,  Gen.  H.  V.,  610,  627. 
Bradford,  Col.,  351. 


Bragg,  Gen.  Braxton,  79,  86,  114,  133, 
148,  159,  m,  180,  195,  212, 
237,  255,  342,  452,  604. 

Bradford,  Miss  Mary,  412,  490. 

Bradley,  Rev.  James,  399. 

Bradshaw,  Maj.  Oliver  A.,  611. 

Brady,  James,  568. 

Branner,  Mr.,  31. 

Brannon,  Gen.  182,  218. 

Brannon,  Isaac,  358. 

Brantley,  Mrs.  J.  K.,  275. 

Breckenridge,  Gen.,  85,  150,  206,  222. 

Breckenridge,  Gen.  J.C.,  75,  99,  253,  332. 

Breckenridge,  R.,  80. 

Breckenridge,  Col.,  163,  165. 

Brent,  Maj.  Geo.  W.,  92,  132,  142,  146, 
180,  205,  197,  248,  515. 

Brewer,  Maj.  J.  E.,  38. 

Brewster,  Gen.  H.  P.,  71,  92. 

Browder,  Col.,  44. 

Browdie,  Surgeon,  R.  S.,  93. 

Brown,  Joshua,  259. 

Brown,  Jos.  E.,  477 

Brown,  Maj  J.  A.,  132,  208. 

Brown,  Jack,  169. 

Brown,  Orris  A.,  594. 

Brown,  Gen.  J.  C.,  54,  67,  99.  214,  220, 
246,  410,  425,  455,  482,  606. 

Brown,  Capt.  Isaac  Newton,  179,  489,  565. 

Brown,  Capt.  303. 

Brown,  Jos.  N.,  320. 

Brown,  Capt.  W.  A.,  326. 

Brown,  Gov.  Jos.  E.,  340,  477. 

Brown,  Lt.  E.  W,,  404. 

Brown,  J,  T.,  503. 

Rrownlow,  Gov.,  482,  658. 

Brown,  Capt.  Jos.  M.,  559. 

Bruce,  S.  D.,  117. 

Buck,  Capt,  Irving  A.,  241,  247,  253. 

Buckner,  D.  P.,  62. 

Buckner,  Gen.  Simon  B.,  52,  606. 

Buckner,  Gen.,  74,  78,  199,  205,  237. 

Ruell,  Capt,  337. 

Buell,  Gen.,  78,  86,  105,  98,  134. 

Buford,  Lt.,  178,  495. 

Buford,  Gen.,  426. 

Buchannon,  Lt. ,  464. 

Buchannon,  John,  576. 

Bullock,  Misses,  481. 

Bullock,  Irving,  S.,  594. 

Burke,  Col.,  155. 

Burns,  Capt.  A.  F.,  405. 

Burnside,  Gen.,  159,  205,  213. 

Burton,  Alfred,  468. 

Burton,  Judge,  468. 

Burton,  Dr.  G.  W  ,  475. 

Burton,  Robert  A.,  468. 

Butler,  Mr.  F,  A.,  29. 

Butler,  Capt,  20. 

Butler,  Col.  J.  R.,  183. 

Butler,  Mrs.  Sarah  Stringfield,  29. 

Byrd,  Wm.  A.,  405. 

Byrne,  Capt  A.  J.,  405. 

Byrne,  Capt.  C.  H.,  247. 

Byrns,  Joseph  W.,  281. 

Cahal,  Lt  Terry,  299,  406,  455,  466,  475, 

518. 

Cain;  Capt.  W   H   405. 

Caldwell,  Judge,  467. 


Caldwell,  Miss  Fannie,  467. 

Calhoun,  Maj,  364. 

Camp,  Col.,  405. 

Campbell,  James,  361. 

Cannon,  G.  W.,  404. 

Cantey,  Gen.,  343. 

Capron,  Col.,  383. 

Games,  Capt  ,  213. 

Games,  Capt.  W.  W.,  605,  632. 

Carroll,  Gen.,  34,  85. 

Carroll,  Col.,  19,  80. 

Carroll,  Col.  Charles  M.,  173. 

Carter,  Col.  Wm.,  30,  37. 

Carter,  Lt.  Wilber,  360. 

Carter,  Maj.  W.  F.,  405. 

Caruthers,  Hon  Robert  L  ,   112,  480. 

Casement  General,  416,  419. 

Casseday,  Maj.  Alexander,  57. 

Cassell,  Capt.  J.  T.  128. 

Casswell,  T.  C.,  183. 

Caies,  Lt.,  167. 

Cato,  Mrs.  Helen  Price,  502. 

Gavin,  Corp.,  51. 

Chadwick,  Lt  J.  M.,  404. 

Champney,  Capt,  22 

Chase,  Miss  Harriet  B.,  473. 

Cheatham,  Gen.  Frank,  305,  313,  333, 
346,  401,  428,  409.  413,  425. 

Cheatham,  Gen.,  17,  85,  149,  194,  215, 
222,  235,  291,  433,  438,  454,  474,  606. 

Chenault,  Col.,  144. 

Chenault,  Gen.,  165. 

Cheney,  Capt,  Hamp,  209. 

Chew,  F.  L.,  594. 

Childress,  Hon.  J.  W.,  279. 

Childress,  Miss  Bettie,  482. 

Chisolm,  Lt  A.  R.,  92. 

Choppin,  Surgeon,  93. 

Churchill,  Gen.,  130. 

Clare,  Maj.  Wm.,  363,  412,  186,  184. 

Clark,  Capt,  364,  234. 

Clark,  Gen.,  91. 

Clark,  E.  A.,  67. 

Clark,  Col.  W.  H.,  404. 

Clark,  Jerome,  491. 

Clark,  Hector,  491. 

Cla.ik,  Capt.  J.  W.,  606. 

Clay,  Capt.,  361. 

Clay,  Lt.  T.  J.,  62. 

Clay,  Maj.  H.  L.,  104. 

Claybrook,  Maj.,  Fred,  184,  604. 

Clayton,  Gen.,  187,  219,  296,  303,  307, 
341,  452,  604. 

Cleburne,  Gen.  Patrick  R.,  80,  130,  134, 
150,  197,  210,  217,  222,  237, 
247,  256,  289,  313,  325,  331, 
345,  410,  438,  498,  604. 

Clift,  Maj.,  549. 

Clift,  Maj.  M.  H.,  159,  171,  602. 

Clift,  Surgeon,  38. 

Cluke,  Col.,  143. 

Cluke,  Gen.,  165. 

Cobb,  Capt.  Robert.,  143. 

Cobb,  Gen.  Howell,  454. 

Cobb,  Gen.,  477. 

Cochran,  Miss  Dora,  482. 

Cockrell,  Gen.  F.  M.,  314,  395,  427,  498. 

Cockrell,  Capt.  Mark,  537. 

Coffin  Newton,  648. 


Cole,  Col.  J.  C.,  280. 

Cole,  Col.  A.  H.,  342. 

Coleman,  Capt.,  259. 

Coleman,  Gen.,  491. 

Coleman,  Corp.,  325. 

Coleman,  Col.,  4Q1,  427,  439. 

Colins,  Maj   Stephen  H.,  67,  606 

Colquitt,  Col   J.  W.250 

Colyar,  A.  S  ,  113, 

Conley,  Capt ,  405. 

Cook,  Col.  Edmund  C.,  54,  67,  606,  614. 

Cook,  Gen  ,  372. 

Cooper,  Gen.  S.,   17,   43,   86,  132,    258, 

312,  321. 

Cooper,  Capt.,  169. 
Copas,  Corp.,  51. 
Coop  wood,  Lt  J  ,  404 
Corell,  Capt  G.  W  ,  405. 
Corley,  Surgeon  Seth,  534 
Correy,  Buck,  412. 
^orse,  Gen  J   M  ,  246,  393,  403 
Cosby,  Maj.  Geo.  H.,  62. 
Cosby,   Benjamin  R.,  302. 
Cossett,  Capt.  Charley,  168 
Cowan,  Maj  J    B  ,  173. 
Cox,  Gen.,  386,  416 
Cox,  Col  Nicholas  N  ,  606 
Craddock,  Charles  Egbert,  113 
Crain,  Capt  ,  44 
Crawford,  Capt  ,  190. 
Crews,  Col  ,  163. 
Crier,  Hardy,  97. 

Grittenden,  Gen  Thomas  ,  101,  498 
Crittenden,  Gen  ,  32,    90,    68,    80,    182, 

149,  205,  211. 
Cross  Commissary,  475 
Crosthwait,  Lt   F    R    149 
Crosthwait,  Dr  G.  W  ,  507. 
Crump,   Lt.,  70. 
Cubine,  Sargent,  51. 
<'ulbertson,  Capt  ,  44. 
Cumming,  Gen  ,  232,  244. 
Cummings,  D    H  ,  34 
Cummings,  ('apt  ,  92,  164. 
Cunningham,  Gen  A    S  ,  38,  331 
Cunningham,  Lt    E  ,  132 
Cunningham,  Sumner  A  ,  269 
Cunningham,  Col     S.  A.,   298,  307,  421. 
Daily,  John,  476. 
Dana,  C.  A.,  213,  614. 
Darby,  Dr.,  330,  466. 
Dashiel,  Capt,  Geo.,  173. 
Dawson,  Major  J.,  70. 
Davidson,  Capt.  B,,  404. 
Davidson,  Maj.,  56. 
Davidson,  Gen.  H.  B.,  607. 
Davis,  Capt.  E.  C.,  190 
Davis,  Neut,  173. 
Davis,  John  G.,  503 
Davis,  Samuel,  259 
Davis,  Gen.  Jeff.  C.,  242,  370 
Davis,  Mrs.  Jefferson,  287 
Davis,  Pres.,  17,  24,  77,    177,    181,    287, 
289,  456,  470,  477,  483. 
Davis,  Maj.  Samuel,  615 
Davis,  Lieut.,  404 
Davis,  Scott,  648 
Dayton,  S.  M  ,  319,  392 
Deadrick,  Lt   Shelby  M.,  616 


Deas,  Gen  225,  413,  428. 

Deason,  John  B  ,  67. 

Dekay,  Lt.  278. 

DeJarrett,  H    W  ,  405. 

Dent,  Henry,  118. 

Derrick,  Capt  70. 

De  Saulles,  Lt.,  330,  464. 

Deshler,  Gen  223,  245. 

Deslonde,  Capt   E  ,  93. 
i  De  Witt,  Dr  283 

Dibbrell,  Gen    Geo.  G ,    159,    171,    177, 
457,  607. 

Dickson,  William,  356. 

Dimitry,  John,  96. 

Dixon,  Capt  22,  51. 

Dixon,  Maj.  J.  R  ,  247,  253. 

Dodd,  David  O.  275. 

Dodd,  Andrew,  275. 
!  Dodd,  Lydia  Owen,  275 

Dodge,  Gen.  G.  M  ,  171,  260,  263,  381. 

Donaldson,  Gen  Daniel  S  ,  515 

Donnell,  Col.  D.  W.,  605. 

Donnelson,  Lt.  Samuel,  173. 

Doss,  Maj.  W.  L.  54. 

Doubleday,  Gen.  Abner,  473. 

Douglas,  Maj.,  155. 

Douglas,  A.  H.,  503. 

Dowling,  Lt.  Richard  W.,  578. 

Drake,  Col.  Joseph,  44,  67. 

Dudley  Maj.,  R.  H.,  280,  539. 

Duffield,  Col.,  98,  103. 

Duke,  Gen.  Basil,  99,  127,  143,  149,  165, 

351,  516. 

Dulaney,  Dr.  38. 
!  Dumont,  Gen.  98. 
iDunnica,  Lt.  W.  H.,  405. 

Dunmngton,  F.  C.,  106. 

Duvall,  Lt.,  G.  R.,  405. 

Dyer,  S.  B.,  215. 

Eakin,  Col.  W.  L  ,  603. 

Earle,  Col.,  177. 

Earp,  Col. ,  405. 

Easton,  Col.  L.  C.,  392. 

Ector,  Gen.,  315,  395.  426,  438,  442. 

Edward,  Lt.,  404. 

Eldridge,  Capt.,  304. 

Eldridge,  Maj.  J.  W.,518. 

Elliott,  Dr.  C.  D.,  283. 

Elliott,  Lt.  G.  R.,  405. 

Elliott,  Bishop  Stephen,  422. 

Ellis,  Capt,  70. 

Ellis,  J.  W.,  614. 

Elsworth,  Geo.  A.,  117. 

Ewell,  Gen.,  213. 

Ewell,  Col.  B.  S.,  342. 

Ewing,  Hon.  Andrew,  106,  112. 

Ewing,  Col.  Charles,  393. 

Ewing,  Orville,  156 

Eustis,  Prof.  Henry  L.,  473. 

Fagan,  Gen,,  275. 

Falconet,  Lt.,  38. 

Falconer,  Col.  Kinlock,  247.  495,  553. 
I  Farmer,  Capt.  A.  J.,  404. 
i  Farquharson,  Col.  Robert,  54. 

Featherstone,Gen.,313,330,  346,  410,  442. 

Ferry,  Capt.  Albert,  92. 

Ferguson,  Champ,  486,  522. 

Ferguson,  Col.  S.  W.,  92. 
i  Ferguson,  R.,  67. 


Field,  Col.  Hume  R.,  244,  296,  605,  612. 
Finnell,  Gen.,  121. 
Fitzwilliams,  Lt.  Thomas  B.,  612. 
Floy,  Gen.  John  B.,  69. 
Floyd,  Gen.,  42,  52,  55,  68,  77. 
Floyd,  Col.  Watt  W.,  606,  615. 
Foard,  Surgeon,  93. 
Fogg,  Lt.,  37. 
Foote,  Commodore,  43,  49. 
Foote,  Henry  S.,  112. 
Forrest,  Lt.  W.  M.,  173. 
Forrest,  Gen.  N.    B.,   54,  67,  101,   142, 
177,  180,  205,  222,  413, 
435,  442,  488,  518,  606. 
Forsberg,  Lt.,  70. 
Foster,  Maj.  Wilbur  F.,  64,  464. 
Foster,  Maj.,  330,  432. 
Foster,  Capt.  R.  C.,  65. 
Fowle,  Capt.,  475. 
Franklin,  Miss,  116. 
Freeman,  Capt.  Samuel,  273. 
Freeman,  Gen.  A.  T.,  406. 

Fremaux,  Capt.,  93. 

French,  N.  B.,  67. 

French,  Gen.  Samuel  G.,  313,  328,  346, 
395,  410,  426. 

French,  Mrs.  L.  Virginia,  113. 

Frieman,  Col.,  18. 

Frierson,  Dr.  Sam,  173. 

Fry,  Col.  David,  361. 

Fry,  Col.  S.  S.,  41. 

Fulkerson,  Col.  Abraham,  606. 

Fulton,  Col.  John  S.,  615. 

Fulton,  Col.,  225. 

Gains,  Col.  Thomas  W.,  263. 

Gallaher,  J.  M.,  62. 

Gale,  Col.  W.  D.,  330,  409,  455,  465. 

Galloway,  Col.  Mat  F.,  173. 

Gano,  Maj.  R.  M.,  128,  143,  165. 

Gant,  Col.,  43. 

Gant,  Geo.,  67. 

Garesche,  Col.,  156. 

Garfield,  Gen.,  188. 

Garner,  Geo.  E.,  147. 

Garrard,  Gen.,  372. 

Gassett,  Maj.,  352. 

Garvin,  Maj.,  44. 

Gates,  Gen.,  410. 

Gates,  Col.,  406. 

Geary,  Gen.,  369. 

Gee,  J.  M.,  67. 

Gee,  Col.,  44. 

Gholston,  Capt.  D.  L.,  187 

Gibbons,  Lt.,  405. 

Gibson,  Capt  ,  298,  303,  307,  405,  417. 

Gibson,  Lt,  236. 

Gilbert,  Gen.,  138,  170. 

Gilder,  Surgeon,  308. 

Gillam,  Gen.  Alvin,  354. 

Gillespie,  Capt.  James  T.,  616. 

Gilmer,  Maj.,  43,  54,  93. 

Gilner,  Col.  Henry  L.,  353. 

Giltner,  Col.,  351. 

Gist,  Gov.,  472. 

Gist,  Gen.,  222,  229,  246,  257,  410. 
Gladden,  Gen.,  87,  91. 
.  Glenn,  Lt.  John  W.,  306. 
Goldthwaite,  Lt.,  249. 
Gooch,  Nat.,  150. 


Goolsby,  W.  E.,  92. 

Gordon,  Col.  Geo.  W.,  605. 

Gordon,  Gen.,  454. 

Gore,  Col.  M.  L.,  529. 

Govan,  Maj.,  67,  239,  218,  246,  253,  331, 

390,  422. 

Grace,  Col.  Wm.,  606. 
Grace,  Capt.,  54. 
Gracie,  Gen.  Archibald  Jr. ,  615. 
Granbury,  Col.  H.B.,  241,  249,  305,  341. 
Granger,  Gen.  R   S.,  188. 
Granger,  Gordon,  182,  211,  391. 
Grant,  Gen.  U.  S  ,  25,  46,  86,  227,  366. 
Graves,  Capt.  Rice  E.,  57,  62,  67. 
Green,  Capt.  H.  D.,  67. 
Crem,  Capt.,  57,  104. 
Green,  Judge  Nathan,  112. 
Greene,  Col.,  309. 
Greenleaf,  Capt,  330. 
Gregg,  Gen.  John,  210,  225,  606. 
Greig,  Alex.,  503. 
Grentel,  Col.  St.  Leger,  128,  149. 
Griffin,  Capt.  P.  H.,  315. 
Griffin,  Ajt,  405. 
Grigsby,  Gen.,  165,  343. 
Grimball,  Lt.  John,  594. 
Gueron,  John,  544. 
Guild,  Col.  Joe  C.,  112. 
Gunter,  Larkin,  493. 
Gunter,  Miss  Marina,  492. 
Gwin,  Lt.  Wm.,  567. 
Hadley,  Miss  Mary,  412. 
Hagan,  Col.,  163. 
Haiston,  Peter,  467. 
Hale,  Will  T.,  276. 
Hale,  Col.  W.  J.,  602,  613. 
Hall,  Col.,  165,  170. 
Hall,  Col.  John,  G.,  605. 

Hall,  Col.  Bollin,  226. 

Hallam,  Surgeon,  51. 

Halleck,  Gen.  H.  W.,  393. 

Halley,  R.  A.,  575. 
i  Hamilton,  Capt.,  18,  21. 

Hammond,  Capt,  132. 

Hampton,  Maj.  E.  H.,  406,  425. 

Hanley,  Lt  S.  P.,  247. 

Hanson,  Gen.  R.  W.,  54,  67,  154. 

Hardcastle,  Col.  A.  B.,  249. 

Hardee,Gen.W.J.,  87,  228,  253,  333,  341, 
389,  80.  42,  70,  75,  184,  135,  239, 
256,  313,  322,  311,  289,  368,  422. 

Hardin,  Lt  J.  B.,  170. 

Harding,  Gen.,  72. 

Harpart,  Gen.,  344. 

Harper,  Maj.,  103,  109. 

Harris,  Lt,  219. 

Harris,  Capt.,  170. 

Harris,  Mrs.  Jos.,  492. 

Harris,Gov.I.G.,65,  92.  112,  409,  436,  473. 

Harrison,  Col.,  382,  163. 

Harrow,  Gen.,  381. 

Harvey,  Capt.,  349. 

Hascall,  Gen.,  387. 

Hathaway,  Col.,  174. 

Hatcher,  Maj.  R.  A.,  187,  207,  518,  475. 

Hawkins,  Lt.  X.,  352. 

Hawkins,  Lt  Sam  W.,  603. 

Hawkins,  Col.  W.  S.,  473. 

Hayden,  Maj.  D.  J.,  51,  92. 


Hayes,  Col.  Milton,  473. 
Hayes,  Maj.  S.  K  ,  62. 
Haynes,  Wm.,  178. 
Haynes,  Lt.,  405. 
Head,  Col.,  44,  56. 
Heiman,  Col.  A.,  43,  66. 
Heiskell,  Maj.  C.  W.,  612. 
Hegg,  Gen.,  221. 
Helm.  Lt.,  80,  93,  223. 
Henderson,  Col.,  285,  453. 
Henderson,  Bailey,  467. 
Henry,  Gus  A.,  311. 
Henry,  Lt.  J.  R.,  404. 
Henry,  Capt.,  232. 
Hewitt,  Capt.,  101. 
Hickman,  John  P.,  602. 
Hickman,  Quartermaster,  475. 
Hiett,  Robert  A.  W.,  226. 
Hill,  John,  479. 
Hill,  Capt.  C.  S.,  247,  253. 
Hill,  Gen  D.  H.,  203,  222,  453,  216. 
Hill,  Capt.  Chas.  F.,  173. 
Hill,  Gen.  A.  P.,  456. 
Hill,  Gen.  Abbe,  488. 
Hill,  Gen.  B.  J.,  514,  606. 
Hillyer,  Maj.  Giles  M.,  40. 
Hindman,  Gen.  Thomas  C.,  80,  91,  186, 
210,  222,  291,  343. 
Hinson,  Capt.  Jack,  597. 
Hoblitzel,  Col.,  190. 
Hoke,  Mrs.  Fannie,  468. 
Hoke,  Gen.,  456,  468. 
Holland,  Capt.  John  S.,  405. 
Hollman,  Col.,  296,  307. 
Hollman,  Daniel  W.,  606. 
Hogan,  Henry,  169. 
Hood,  Col.  Arthur,  103. 
Hood,  Gen.,  161,  208,  222,  295,  311,  321, 
332,  364,  433,  409,  429,  438. 
Hooker,  Maj.,  455. 
Hooker,  Gen.  Jos.,  369,  295,  474. 
Hopkins,  Lt.,  S30. 
Hornback,  Lt.  Silas  H.  F.,  405. 
Horton,  Surgeon,  51. 
Howard,  Gen.  O.  0.,  305,  345. 
Huddleston,  Capt.,  522. 
Huggins,  Capt.  A.  L.,  607. 
Huffman,  Capt.,  128. 
Huffman,  Col.  J.  M.,  144. 
Hughes,  A.  A.,  67. 
Hughes,  Geo.  D.,  503. 
Hughes,  Capt.,  467,  476. 
Hume,  Gen.,  163. 
Humphrey,  Lt.  J.  W.,  186. 
Humphreys,  Capt.,  207. 
Hunt,  Col.  T.  H.,  143. 
Hunter,  Lt.  James  M.,  567. 
Hurlbut,  Gen.,  94. 
Hutchinson,  Lt.  Wm.,  186. 
Hutchinson.  Col.  A.  S.,  249. 
Hutcheson,  Capt.  J    B.,  125. 
Huwald,  Capt.  Gustave  A.,  607. 
Ingram,  Maj.  John,  233. 
Irwin,  Lt.,  405. 
Isnarde,  Lt.,  287. 
Iverson,  Gen.,  383. 
Jack,  Lt.  Thomas  M.,  92. 
Jackson,  Capt.  W.  H.,  19. 
Jackson,  Capt.  J.  C.,  606. 


Jackson,  Alonzo  C.,  595. 

Jackson,  Gen  John  K  ,  228,  605 

Jackson,  W   H.,  336,  344,  447. 

James,  Capt.  Fred,  107,  155. 

Jenkins,  Gen  ,  232. 

Jobe,  Dee,  503. 

Johns,  J    B  ,  156. 

Johns,  Mrs  John,  490. 

Johnson, Gen.  B.R  ,57,  65,92. 187,  209,  222, 
237,  273.  518,  428,  604. 

Johnson,  Lt  Charles  F.,  62 

Johnson,  Hon,  George,  W.,  91. 

Johnson,  Wm  ,  185 

Johnson,  Mrs.  C.  B.,  175. 

Johnston,  Gen.  A.  S  ,  17,  32,  42,  68,   76, 
474,  82,  96,  510. 

Johnston,  Capt   S.  J  ,  527. 

Johnston,  Capt.  James  W  ,  558 

Johnston, Gen  Jos.  E.,  159,  163,  213,  258. 
295,  341,  368,  305,  321,  289", 
410,  441,  465,  452,  514. 

Jones,  Capt  G.  R  G  ,  51. 

Jones,  Capt   H   L  ,  51. 

Jones,  Lt  R.  E  ,  404 

Jones,  Col  Bush,  184. 

Jones,  Jerry,  479 

Jones,  Col    Warner  P.,  605. 

Joplin,  T  M.,  503,  508 

Jordan,  Gen.  Thomas,  85,  92,  190. 

Keeble,  Col.  R.  H  ,  606. 

Keeble,  Lt  James,  300. 

Keeble,  Col.,  479. 

Keelan,  James,  29. 

Keiter,  Capt  ,  26 

Kelly,  Gen.,  163,  343 

Kemp,  W   L  Jr  ,  532. 

Kennard,  Col.,  70. 

Kenneday,  John  C. ,  280- 

Kershaw,  Gen  ,  222,  225 

Key,  Lt  Thomas  J.,  242,  246. 

Kilpatrick,  Gen  ,  161,  387. 

King,  Capt.  Thomas  H.,  611. 

King,  Col  ,  223. 

King,  John,  486. 

Kittoe,  Col  E  D.,  392. 

Knapp,  W.  S  .  534. 

Kobb,  Capt  403. 

Kyle,  Mrs  ,  492. 

Laiboldt,  Col.,  391. 

Lamb,  Col  Jonathan  J.,  605. 

Lamb,  Lt  R  J  ,  405. 

Lampley,  Col.  D   H  ,  249. 

Langford,  Col  ,  308 

Lanthrop,  Maj.,  263 

Landerdale,  Maj  ,  457,  466,  475. 

Law,  M.  O'Brien.  594. 

Law,  Col  ,  211,  225 

Law  ton,  Col.  J    K.,  105 

Lawton,  Gen.,  457 

Lawrence,  Lt. ,  168. 

Lea,  Judge  John  M  ,  113,  280. 

Leady,  James,  359. 

Ledbetter,  Capt.  Dock,  267. 

LeDuc,  Col.,  364 

Lee,  Col   R.  B.,92. 

Lee,  James,  M.,  210 

Lee,  Mrs  James,  211. 
j  Lee,  Maj   Pollock  B  ,  222.  310,  330,  336 
!  Lee,  Gen  ,  287,  331,  409,  428,  396,  389 


Lee,  Gen.  Stephen  D.,  349,  438,  442,  455. 

Lee,  Gen.  R.  E.,  454,  441,  558. 

Lee,  Lt.  S.  S.  Jr.,  594. 

Lester,  J.  0.,  638. 

Lewis,  Col.  Robert  N. ,  611. 

Lewis,  Col.,  303,  308,  331, 

Lewis,  Col  James  H.,  606. 

Lewis,  Maj.  E.  C.,  279. 

Llewellyn,  Capt.,  128. 

Llewellyn,  Maj.  D   H.,  146. 

Liddell,  Gen.,  209.  222,  249. 

Liggett,  Gen.,  380. 

Lightner,  Lt.  Isaiah,  246. 

Lillard,  Col.  John  M.,  55,  67,  606. 

Lintner,  John,  273. 

Lincoln,  Pres.,  459. 

Lining,  Surgeon  C.  E.,  594. 

Linthicum,  Surgeon  D.  A.,  247. 

Lockett,  Capt.,  93. 

Lodwick,  Capt.,  20. 

Logan,  Gen.  John  A.,  378,  380. 

Logwood,  Col.,  20. 

Longstreet,Gen.,  212,  217,  237,  473,  606. 

Lowery,  Gen.,  249,  252,  305,  417. 

Loring,    Gen.,    311,    323,  346,  410,  426, 

442,  471. 

Love,  CaptGid  H.,  614. 
Love,  Mr.  W.  T.,  596. 
Love,  Maj.  J.  G.,  615. 
Lovell,  Gen.  Mansfield,  473. 
Lyles,  Capt.,  405. 
Lyon,  H.  B.,  67. 
Lyttle,  Gen.,  223. 
MacGavock,  Col.,  43. 
Mackall,  Gen.,  201,  335,  351,  53,  40. 
Maney,  Maj.  Frank,  67,  605. 
Maney,  Gen. George,  57,  88. 187,  244,  333, 
296,  438,  442,  605. 
Manigault,  Gen.,  225,  428. 
Mann,  Capt.  John  G.,  173. 
Mangum,  Lt.  L.  H.,  247. 
Manning,  Col.,  226. 
Manson,  Col.  Mahlon,  41. 
Manson,  Gen.,  131,  178. 
Marks,  Col.,  19. 
Marr,  Capt.,  169. 
Marsh,  Lt.  John,  422. 
Marshall,  Gen.  Humphrey,  134. 
Martin,  Col.  W.  H.,  319,  516. 
Martin,  Gen.,  343,   193. 
Mason,  Maj.  R.  M.,  173. 
Mason,  John  Thompson,  593. 
Mason,  Maj.,  330,  364. 
Mason,  Gen.  A.  P.,  330,  396,  433. 
Massey,  John,  508. 
Mathis,  Lt.,  305. 
Matthews,  Gen.,  246. 
Matthews,  Stanley,  118. 
Matthews,  Lt.,  475. 
McAdoo,  Lt.  H.  M.,  187. 
McCann,  Maj.  Richard,  195,  516. 
McCausland,  J.  A.,  67. 
McChristian,  Captain  G.,  405. 
McClain,  Maj.  Rufus,  273, 
McClellan,  Col.,  34,  133. 
McClernand,  Gen.,  94. 
McClung,  Capt.,  34. 
McConnell,  Col.,  244. 
McConnico,  Gen., 51. 


McCook,  Gen.,  94,  149,  205,  211,  381. 
McCown,  Gen.,  18,  134. 
McCown,  Col.  John  P.,  473. 
McCord,  Dr.,  457. 
McCoy,  Lt.  J   N.,  404. 
McCoy,  Maj   J.  C.,  392. 
McCray,  Col.,  131. 
McDonald,  Maj.  Charles,  606. 
McEwin,  Col.  John  L.,  606,  615. 
McElrath,  Maj.  H.  McD.,  132. 
Me  Fall,  Lt.,  330,  464. 
McFarland,  Capt.  L.  B.,  299. 
McFerrin,  Dr.  John  B.,  283. 
McGavock,  Col.,  43,  417. 
McGavock,  Mrs.  John,  417. 
McGregor,  Col.  Don.,  156. 

vicGinnis,  Capt.  Hamilton,  606. 
Mclver,  Gen.  E  ,    614. 
McKenzie,  W.  J.,  185. 
McKenzie,  Col.  Geo   W.,  607. 
McKinstry,  Col.  A.,  260. 
McLaughlin,  Capt.,  51,  364. 
McLaws,  Gen.  LaFayette,  222,  473. 
McLemore,  Col.  Wm.'S., 177, 163, 171,606. 
McLean,  Maj.  Eugene  E  ,  93. 
McLean,  Alonzo,  511. 
McMath,  John  S-,  300,  308. 
McMullin,  Rev.  J.  P.,  308. 
McNeil,  A.  S.,  31. 
McNair,  Gen.  Evander,  609. 
McNairy,  Capt.  Alexander  D.,  598. 

McNulty,  Surgeon  F.  J.,  594. 

McPherson,  Gen.,  299,  324,  366. 

McMurray,  Dr.  J.  W.,  538. 

McMurray,  Col.  James  A.,  605,  611. 

McReynolds,  Maj.,  405. 
Meem,  Capt.  John  G.  Jr.,  132. 

Mebane,  Capt.  John  W.,  606. 

Mercer,  Otey  G.  W.,  173. 

Mercer,  Gen.,  342. 
Meters,  Capt.,  67. 

Miller,  Capt.,  18,  34,  44,  51. 

Miller,  Capt.  Abraham  H.,  126. 

Miller,  Col.  Maddison,  263. 

Miller,  Col.  Edwin  B..  359. 

Mills.  Col.  R.  Q.,  241. 

Milton,  D.  L.,  638. 

Milton,  Capt.,  44. 

Minor,  John,  594. 

Michigan,  9th,  101,  107. 

Minnesota,  3rd,  101. 

Mitchell,  S.  H.,  225,  522. 

Mitchell,  Lt.  J.  L.,  405. 

Mitchell,  J.  J.,  362. 

Mitchell,  Gen.,  510,  75,  182. 

Moore,  John  Trotwood,  179. 

Moore,  Gen.  0.  F.,  62,  119,  228. 

Moore,  Lt.  G.  H.,  404. 

Morgan,  Gen.  John  H.,  74,  97,  117,  148, 
165,  142,  209, 
351,  629. 

Morgan,  Col.  John  T.,  199,  69. 

Morgan,  viaj.  G.  W.,  127,  80. 

Morgan,  Capt.  Charlton  H.,  146. 

Morris,  Lt.,  405. 

Morrison,  Col.,  101,  106. 

Morion,  Surgeon,  38. 

Morton,  Lt,  62. 

Morton,  Capt.  John  W.,  173,  602. 


Morton,  A.  S.,  273,  500. 
Morton,  Miss  Annie  Barnwell,  630. 
Morton,  Capt.  John  W.  Jr.,  607. 
Mosby,  Lt.,  405. 
Moses,  Frank  A.,  603. 
Mower,  Gen.,  392. 
Munford,  E.  W.,  92. 
Murray,  Maj.  T.  B.,  605. 
Murray,  Col.  John  E. ,  34,  249. 
Murfree,  Dr.  L.  B.,  527. 
Murphy,  Maj.,  330,  466. 
Murrell,  John  A.,  523. 
Munday,  Miss  Sue,  491. 
Myrick,  Maj.,  398,  405. 
Nelson,  T.  J.,  584. 
Nelson,  Joe,  173. 
Nelson,  Mrs.  Dr.  John,  111. 
Nelson,  Mollie,   111. 
Nelson,  Gen.,  94,  129. 
Newell,  Capt.,  20. 
Newman,  Maj.  Tazewell  W.,  606. 
Newman,  Col.,  37. 
Newton,  Gen.,  369. 
Newton,  Gen.  John,  473. 
Nichol,  Capt.  J.  W.,  107. 
Nichols,  Rev  J.  H.,  492. 
Nixon,  Col.  Geo.  H.,  606,  613. 
Nocquet,  Maj.,  209,  200. 
Oakley,  Lt.,  550. 
O'Bryan,  J.  B.,  537. 
O'Hrian,  Lt.,   405. 
Gel,  Gen.,  311. 
O'Hara,  Capt.  Theodore,  92. 
Oliver,  Capt.  J.  R.,  304,  306,  468. 
Ordway,   viiss  Martha  Knott,  561. 
Orton.  Col.,  193. 
Otey,  Lt.  John  M  ,  92. 
Otey,  Bishop,  113. 
Otey,  Capt.,  70. 
Owen,  L.  A.,  503 
Padgett,  Capt  ,  44. 
Palmer,  Col.  Joseph  B.,  606. 
Palmer,  Gen.  J.  b.,  54,  67,  156,  159,  369, 

467. 

Patterson,  James  T.,  503. 
Patterson,  Miss  Kate,  492. 
Patton,  Col.  72,  80. 
Patton,  Capt.  A.  C.,  405, 
Paxton,  Lena,  544. 

Pegram,  Col.  John,  332,    142,    148,    151, 
169,  208,  607. 
Pendleton,  Gen.,  342. 
Person,  Maj.  Richard,  326,  613. 
Peter,  Dr.  Geo.    B.,  181. 
Peters,  Lt.,  259. 
Peter,  Lt.  Walter  G.,  188,  190. 
Pettigrew,  Capt.  J.  F.,  186. 
Pettus,  Gen.,  231. 
P  yton,  Lt.  Bailie,  Jr.,  37. 
Peyton,  Maj.  H.  E.,  92. 
Peyton,    Wm.  Craven,  146,  169. 
Pickens,  Wm.,  30. 
Pickens,  Gov.,  472. 
Pickett,  Col.,  337,  233. 
Pickett,  Gen.  Wm.  D.,  18,  26,  75. 
Pillow,  Gen  ,  17,  52,  77 
Poe,  Capt  O   M  ,  392 
Pointer,  Capt.  Henry,  173,  176 
Polk,  Mr  James  K  ,  482 


Polk,  Gen.,  17,  84,  135,  208,  215,  222, 
239,  253,  241,  341, 
310,  409,  474,  604. 

Polk,  Gen.  Lucins  E.,  223,  290,  606. 

Polk,  Bishop,  113,  149 

Polk,  Miss  Antoinette,  494. 

Poole,  Maj  ,  238. 

Poole,  Gen  John,  473. 

Pope,  Gen.  John,  473. 

Porter,  Col   Geo   C  ,  605. 

Porter,  Thos.  K  ,  67. 

Porter,  Gov.  James  D  ,  194,  436. 

Porter,  Capt.,  49,  54,  330,  405,  472. 

Porter,  Lt.  W   W,  38,  92 

Porter,  Maj   James  D.,  602. 

Potter,  Maj.   Thomas  Kennedy,  604. 

Powell,  Col.,  34. 

Power,  Col  J.  L.,  552. 

Pratt,  Lt,  132. 

Pratt,  Gen  John,  193. 

Prentice,  Geo.  D  ,  124. 

Prentiss,  Gen  ,  88,  94 

Price,  Miss  Helen,  502 

Presstman.  Capt  ,  202 

Preston,  Col  Wm  ,  92,  207,  210,  222. 

Prosser,  Col  W.  F.,  194. 

Purdy,  Maj.,  405 

Quarles,  Col  ,  59 

Quarles,  W.  A  ,  57 

Quarles,  Gen  ,  340,  427,  438    442. 

Quantrell,  Col  ,  486 

Quinn,  Capt,  W   A  ,  186. 

Quinn.  J    B .,  169 

Quintard,  Bishop  Charles  T.  424. 

Quirk,  Capt  .  165    168 

Rains,  Gen.  Jas.  E.,  152. 

Rambaut,  Maj.  G.  V.,  173. 

Ramsey,  Dr.  F.  A.,  40. 

Randolph,  Gen.,  126. 

Ratchford,  viaj.,  309. 

Rawlings,  Capt.  Jim,  476. 

Raum,  Col.,  246. 
!  Ray,  Mrs.  J.  E.,  29. 

Ready,  Col.  Horace,  615. 

Ready,   Miss  Hattie,  149. 

Red,  Capt.  W.  C.,  43. 

Reeves,  Lt.,  405. 

Reilly,  Gen.,  386. 

Renfro,  Corp.,  51. 

Reynolds,  Col.  A.  E.,  55,  67,  186,  218, 
237,  343. 

Reynolds,  Gen.,  410,  431,  442,  452. 

Reyburn,  Sam,  488. 

Rice,  Capt.  J.  E.,  186. 

Rice,  Col.  Horace,  605. 

Rice,  Col.,  69. 

Richardson,  Hon.  James  D.,  219,  225. 

Richardson,  E.  R.,  538. 

Ridley,  Granville,  483. 

Ridley,  Capt.  B.  L.,  39,  159,  405,  465, 
484,  602. 

Ridley,  Dr  J    L  ,  457,  484. 

Ridley,  Capt   Geo.  C  ,  484 

Ridley,  Capt  Hamilton,  480. 

Ridley,  Dr.  C    L  ,  477,  484 

Ridley,  Dr.  James  A  ,  479,  482,  488 

Ridley,  Chancellor  Bromfield,  467 

Ridley,  Daniel,  575 

Ridley,  Miss  Betsy,  575. 


Ringgold,  Col.,  205. 

Roberts,  Albert,  526. 

Roberts,  Tom.,  173. 

Roberts,  Wm.,  503. 

Roberts,  Sam.,  503. 

Robertson,  Gen.,  163,  210. 

Robertson,  Lt.,  405. 

Robinson,  Col.  W.  D.  250,  613,  606. 

Roddy,  Col.,  178,  171. 

Roddy,  Gen.,  340,  415. 

Rogers,  Lt.  W.  S.,  128. 

Rosecrans,  Gen.  W.S.,  114, 148, 182,  211. 

Roulack,  Capt.,  475 

Rousseau,  Gen.,  377,  413. 

Rouss,  Bose  ,  511. 

Rowland,  Maj.  Isaac  S.,  593. 

Roy,  Col.,  377 

Rucker,  Capt.  S.  W  ,  26. 

Rucker,  Col.  E.  W.,  607. 

Rucker,  Wm.,  247. 

Rudler.  Col.  A.  F.,  185. 

Ruhm,  John.,  603 

Rule,  Lt.  William,  603. 

Rumbough,  Miss.,  360. 

Russell,  Col.,  18 

Russell,  D.  R.,  67. 

Russell,  Capt,  173,  405. 

Rutledge,  Capt.,  38,  34. 

Ryall,  Miss  Elizabeth,  564. 

Sadler,  Dr.  M.  G.  549. 

Saffell,  Maj.  R.  M.,  614. 

Sale,  Capt.,  69. 

Sanders,  Maj.  D.  W.,  405, 

Sanders,  Col.  245. 

Sanson,  Miss  Emma,  175. 

Saunders.  Lt.  James  A.,  187. 

Saunders,  Capt.,  34,  93,  37. 

Saunders,  Col.  James,  103. 

Scales,  Dabney  M. ,  593. 

Scarborough,  A.,  404. 

Schofield,  Gen.,  299,  319,  366,  439. 

Scott,  Lt.,  299,  475. 

Scott,  Capt.  W.  L.,  605. 

Scott,  Col.  John  S  ,  607,  130. 

Scott,  Gen  ,  195,  427. 

Scroggins,  Capt.  John  D.,  605. 

Searcy,  Col.  Anderson,  606. 

Searcy,  Col.,  454. 

Sears,  Gen.,  318,  395,  401,  413,  429. 

Seddon,  J.  A.,  142,  293. 

Semmes,  Capt.  Raphael,  578 

Semple,  Capt.,  156,  238. 

Sevier,  Col.  F.  F  ,  330,  455. 

Sevier,  Col.  John,  466,  472. 

Shannon,  Lt.  H.,  241,  243. 

Sharpe,  Alfred  ,  273. 

Sharpe,  Tom,  548 

Shaw,  Col.,  259. 

Shaw,  Maj.  Joseph,  607. 

Shelby,  Gen.,  162,  410. 

Shelly,  Lt.  Thomas  R.,  405. 

Sheridan,  Gen  ,  220. 

Sherman,  Gen   W  T  ,  94,  230,  318,  363 

Sheliha,  Capt  V  ,  32. 

Shields,  Lt.,  37 

Sigler,  Mrs  ,  421 

Shoup.  F.  A.,  337. 

Shoup,  Gen.,  422. 

Silcurk,  Sgt.,  81. 


Sill,  Gen.,  154. 

Simonton,  J   M.,  67. 

Simms,  Sgt   A.,  155. 

Simmons,  Miss  Debbie,  212. 

Simpson,  Capi   W   P.,  614. 

Simpson,  Capt  S.  R.,  636. 
|  Slocum,  Gen  ,  386 
!  Smartt,  J    Polk,  602. 

Smepton,  Dr  ,  458. 

Smith,  Henry,  247,  239. 

Smith,  Gen  J.  A  ,   245. 

Smith,  Gen  John  E  ,  246. 

Smith,  Gen   Morgan  L  ,  377. 

Smith,  Gen  G  W  ,  346,  473 

Smith,  Gen   Preston,    19,  130,  134,   221, 
605,  611. 

Smith,  Gen  E  Kirkby  ,17,  105,  131,134. 

Smith,  Gen  Giles  A  .  246,  380 

Smith,  Col.,  351,  165,  22 

Smith   Col    Baxter,  104 

Smith,  Col  T    B  ,  186,  606. 

Smith,  Col.  J  T.,  186. 

Smith,  Col.  J.  A  ,  606,  613 

Smith,  Maj.  Melancthon,  605. 
;  Smith,  Maj.,  101,  466. 

Smith,  Maj.  Albert  J  ,  92,  392. 
!  Smith,  Capt  Clifton  H.,  92. 

Smith,  Gen  ,  46,  94. 
'•  Smith,  W   B.,  594. 

Sneed,  Dr.,  30 

Sneed,  Judge  Joseph  W.,  356. 

Snowden,  Gen   R.  B  ,  602,  606. 

Snowden,  Lt ,  22,  27. 

Snyder,  Col.  Peter,  249. 

Sommerville,  Cap.,  404. 

Sorel,  Col  ,  226. 

Sparks,  W   J.,  406. 

Spiller,  Col  ,  38,  101 

Spofford,  Judge  H   M  ,  640. 

Sprague.  Gen.,  381. 

Stafford,  Col  ,  425. 
:  Stanford,  Capt  T.  J   300,  308,  606. 

Stanley,  Gen  D   S  ,  386 

Stanton,  Col    S   S  ,  213,  605,  612,  34. 

Stankeiwicz,  P.  K.,  67. 

Statham,  Col.,  37,  85. 

Starnes  Col.  171,  177. 

Staughton.  Col.  117 

Steedman,  Gen.  391. 

Steele.  Maj.  Theophilus,  144. 

Steel   Lt.  93,  231 

Stembel.  Capt  ,  49 

Stephens,  Alex.  H.  24. 

Stewart.  Lieut  Gen  A  P..  20,  26,  171, 
436,  287,  447,  473,  452,  609,  295,  333, 
163,  183,  207,  222,  303,  311,  344  322. 

Stewart,  Lt  R  C  ,  10,  305,  475,  466. 

Stewart,  Hon   A.  <\,  14,  464. 

Stewart,  Dr.  A.  P  ,  12. 

Stewart,  Capt.  R.  A.,  18. 

Stewart,  W    D  ,  67. 

Stewart,  Capt.  J.  W.,  287,  475. 

Stewart,  Dr.  S.  S  ,  275 

Stewart,  Col.  Robert  R.,  146. 

Stevens,  Lt.  Henry,  567 

Stevenson,  Gen  C.  S.,  438,  442. 

Stevenson,  Gen.,  231,  255,  246,  296,  307. 

Stevenson,  Maj.  V.  K.,  72. 

1  Stevenson,  Maj.  C.  S  ,  173. 


Stile,  Gen.,  416. 

Stoneman,  Gen  ,  372. 

Stoner,  Maj   R  G.,  143 

Stovall,  Gen  ,  296,  303,  307. 

Strahl,  Gen  O.  F  ,  195,    410,    221,    438, 

442 

Strange,  Maj.  J.  P.,  103,  173. 
Streight,  Col ,  171,  178. 
Stringfield,  Miss  Mary,  29. 
Stringfield,  Maj  ,  29. 
Stuart  Gen   Jeb.,  160. 
Sturges,  Gen  ,  392. 
Sugg,  Col.  Cyrus  A.,. 59,    67,    245,    606, 

614. 

Swett,  Col.,  243 
Sweeney,  Gen.  T.  W.,  263. 
Swindle,  Miss  Mary,  275 
Sykes,  William,  475. 
Taft,  Capt.  H.  0.,  311. 
Talley,  Capt.  C   E.,  249. 
Tansil,  Col.  Egbert  E.,  605. 
Tappan,  Co!.,  17. 
Taylor,  J    Walker,  62. 
Taylor,  Capt.,  44,  51  101,  103 
Taylor,  Maj.  W.  A.,  241,  249. 
Taylor,  Gen,  415,  441. 
Terry,  Bill.,  178,  105. 
Thedford,  Mrs.,  209. 
Thomas,  Maj.,  132. 
Thomas,  Maj.  Geo.  H-,  604. 
Thomas,  Gen.  Lorenzo,  33.  182,  68,  189, 
94,  149,  205,  211,   366. 
Thomas,  John  W.,  115,  280. 
Thompson,  John  C.,  475 
Thompson,  Gen.,  18 
Thompson,  <  ol.  Jacob,  92,  94,  163. 
Thompson,  Emmett,  112 
Thompson,  Miss  Alice,  177. 
Thorburn,  Maj.  C.  E  ,  67. 
Thornton,  Dr.  G.  B.,  305 
Thornton,  Lt.  H.  I  ,  38. 
Thruston,  Gen.  G.  P.,  152,  603,  625 
Trudean,  Gen.,  92. 
Tilghman,  Gen.,  42. 
Tillman,  <  ol.  James  D  ,  606. 
Todd,  Lt.  A.  H.*405. 
Tombs,  Bob  ,  477 
Townsend,  Gen  ,  188 
Trask,  Capt  ,  20 
Tunnell,  Lt.,  405. 
Turner,  F    A  ,  511 
Turner,  Dock  ,  511 
Turner  Lt  W.  B  ,  605 
Turner,  Capt.,  128 
Turner,  Col  James  J  ,  606  636 
Turney,  Hon   Hopkins  L  ,  473 
Tyler,  Lt    Robert,  141,   146 
Tyler,  Col   R   C  ,  184,  606 
Van  Buskirk,  Capt.,  170. 
Vance,  Gov .,  456 
Van  cleve,  Gen  ,  156,  182.  218 
Vandeford,  Capt  C   F.,  330,  454 
Van  Dorn,  Gen.  Earl.  160   177,  156,  180, 

195,  218,  567. 
Vannoy,  Capt  ,  405 
Van  Vleck,  Col  ,  190 
Vaughn,  Col  ,  361. 
Vaughn,  Gen.,  351. 
Vaughn,  N  J.,  503. 


Vaughn,  A.  J.,  602. 
Vaulx,  Maj.  Joseph,  194,  234 
Vittitoe,  Hiram,  216. 
Vittitoe,  Mrs.  Hiram,  217. 
Voorhies   W .  M.,  67. 
Voorhies,  Col  ,  43. 
Voorhies,  Surgeon,  51. 
Voorhies,  Dr  ,  330. 
Waddell,  Major  O.  A .,  83,  405. 
Waddell,  Capt.  B.  B.,  92. 
Waddell,  Seid,  281. 
Wade,  Lt.  Eth.  B.,  482 
Walke,  Capt.  Henry,  567. 
Walker,  Col.  Knox,  19. 
Walker,  Col ,  208,  101,  35. 
Walker,  Col.  Francis  M.,  605. 
Walker,  Col  Calvin  H.,  606. 
Walker,  Gen.  W.  H.  T  ,    211,    215,    228, 
239,  289,  327,  333,  607. 
Walker,  Gen  ,  313,  344. 
Wallace,  Gen.  Lew,  94. 
Walthall,  Gen   E   C.,  99,  210,  218,    228, 

313,  328,  410, 

426,  438,  442. 
Walthall,  Col..  34. 
Waltham,  Capt ,  101. 
Wai  worth,  Capt.,  132 
Ward,  Col   W.  W.,  121,  165,  166 
Warfield,  Col   E.,  74,  243,  249, 
Warner,  Col   W.,   393. 
Washburn,  Gen.,  392. 
Watkins,  Col,  188,  605. 
Watts,  Lt.,  51. 
Watterson,  Henry,  526. 
Weakley,  Hichman,  98. 
Webb,  Miss  Livernia,  550. 
Weller,  Lt.,  51 
West,  Lt  ,  75. 
West,  Maj.  Douglas,  330 
Wetzel,  Lt  Dixon  E.,  405. 
Wharton,  Lt.,  189. 

Wharton,  Gen.    John  A.,   606,    80,    85, 
101,  105,  141,  148,  162. 
Wharton,  Prof.,  179. 
Wharton,  J.  C.,  67. 
Wheeler,  Gen.  Jo,  142,    150,    160,    222, 

343,  368,  203, 
210,  253. 

White,  Capt.,  21,  167. 
White,  Capt.  B.  F.  Jr  ,  606. 
White,  Dr   Sowe,  454 
White,  Lt    George,  128 
White,  Capt  W.  C  ,  593. 
Whitty,  Capt    Wm.,  490. 
Whitty,  Miss  Puss,  491. 
Wickliffe,  Capt  N  ,  76,  92,  516. 
Wickham,  Capt.,  92. 
Wigfall,  Senator,  455. 
Wilder,  Col.,  169,  182. 
Williams,  Gen.  Minnick,  457,  466,  602. 
Williams,  William  Orton,  188,  259. 
Williams,  F.  M.,  243. 
Williams,  Maj.  Samuel  C.,  606. 
Williams,  Capt.  Rufus  K.,  146. 
Williams,  Gen.  A.  S.,  386. 
Williams,  Mrs.,  351. 
Williams,  Mrs.  Catharine  D.,  355. 
Williams,  Mrs.  Lucy,  356. 


Williams,  William  D.,  356. 
Williams,  Dr.  Alexander,  356. 
Williams,  Chancellor,  Thomas  L.,  356. 
Williams,  Senator  John,  356. 
Williams,  Joseph  A.,  356. 
Williams,  Major,  R.  J.,  405. 
Wilson,  Hon.  A   B.,  354. 
Wilson,  Col.  John  A.,  605. 
Wilson,  D.  L.,  661. 
Winchester,  Maj   G.  W.,  186. 
Winfrey,  Maj.,  128. 
Winslow,  Maj.  H.  W.,  22. 
Wintersmith,  Capt.  R.C.,  62. 
Wintersmith,  Jimmie,  167,  169. 
Wither,  Gen.  A.  A.,  150,  360. 
Wood,  Dr.  G.  G.,  173. 
Wood,  Col.  W.  B.,  34. 
Wood,  Gen.,  156,  198. 
Woods,  Gen.,  381. 


Woods,  Lt.  W.  H.,  184. 
i  Woolford,  Col.,  98,  123. 
Woodruff,  Miss  Robbie,  492. 
Wright,  Capt.,  405. 
Wright,  Gen.  Marcus  J.,   602,   605,  219, 

228. 

Wright,  Col.  J.  V.,  22. 
Wright,  Col.  W.  W.,  392. 
Wyckliffe,  Maj.,  516. 
Wyatt,  Capt.,  475. 
Yancey,  Capt.  W.  C.  186, 
Yancey,  Lt  Joel  F.,  405. 
Yandell,  Dr.  D.  W.,  93. 
Yates,  Capt.  R.  G  ,  404 
Young,  Gen.  W.  H.,  402,  405. 
Young,  John,  471. 
Young,  Col.  Bennett  H  ,  585 
Zollicoffer,  Gen  ,  31. 


ERRATA. 

On  page    16  — First  line,  "Baldridge"  should  be  ' 'Cambridge." 

On  page    36 — Under  the  name  of  Shelton  Crosthwait,  the  words, '  '20th 

Tenn.,  killed  at  battle  of  Fishing  Creek,"  should  appear. 
On  page    41 — Tenth  line  from  bottom  should  name  "Henry  R.  Fogg" 

instead  of  "Godfrey  M.  Fogg." 
On  page  183  -  The   words    "Maj.-Genl."   instead    of    "Lieut. -Genl." 

should  appear  with  the  name  of  Genl.  Bate. 

On  page  237— "Thanks  to  Congress"  should  be  "Thanks  of  Congress." 
On  page  295  and  297— The  word  "Rasaca"  should  be  "Resaca." 
On  page  324 -"Battle   of  Atlanta,   July  26,  1864"  should  read  "July 

22,  1864." 

On  page  400 -Battle  of  Allatoona,  Oct.  5,  "1684"  should  be  "1864." 
On  page  417—  The   fifth  line   of  the  text  below  the  picture  should  be 

omitted,    making  the  sentence  read  "Genl.  Adams  was 

about  ten  paces  in  front  of  his  line  of  battle"  etc. 
On  page  527  and  528— The   name  of  Dr.    Murfree,    of  Murfreesboro, 

Tenn.,  correctly  given,  should  appear  "Dr.  J.  B.  Mur 
free,  Sr." 
On  page  557  —Following  the  article  giving  the  roster  of  the  Army  of 

Tenn.    in  1865,    should  appear  the   heading  "Random 

Sketches." 

On  page  600-The  name  "W.  J    Bohan"  should  be  "W.  J.  Bohon." 
On  page  638- Second  line,  the  name  "D.  L.  Milton"  should  be  "D.  L. 

Wilson." 


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